Welcome to Reception

Phonics In the teaching of Phonics in the Foundation Stage we introduce a new letter/sound each day. Each sound is linked to an action to help the children remember it. The letter sounds are not taught in alphabetical order, as this allows children to begin word building within the first set of sounds. Once the new sound has been introduced, usually through a story, we then practise forming the letter. We finish the session by asking the children to try and think of their own words to fit the sound.

s a ck s a t Phonics – Blending This is the process in which the children begin to make and read words. s a t Most of our initial sounding out and blending involves CVC words, but the children will come across words such as sack where the ‘ck’ are acting as one sound. s a ck

Beginning to Read As a school, we follow the Oxford Reading Tree Scheme, which supports and progresses your child, before becoming a ‘free reader’. Your child has been bringing home wordless books. These are a fantastic beginning to home reading, as it gives the child an opportunity to really get to know the characters before the first word books. These books are also invaluable for developing children’s communication and language skills. Initially there is no set day for changing your child’s book, but as we intend to make time in class to hear each child read, they will need to have their books with them every day.

Beginning to Read Before long the children will bring home their first words books. The character cards they have had from the beginning will help them to recognise the names of the key characters within the stories. You can support your child’s reading by encouraging them to sound out and blend words together. However, this is not possible with some words. These are referred to as ‘tricky words’ or ‘sight words’. These words just have to be learnt and are covered during our daily phonics sessions. We will highlight the words we have covered in our weekly newsletters and send them home to be learnt in the phonics folders. As well as teaching the children the mechanics of reading, it will still be really important for the children to discuss what is happening in the pictures as this supports their comprehension skills. It is also really important to keep up the communication of your child’s reading progress through the use of the orange reading record.

Reading in school As well as hearing your child read on a 1:1 basis each week, we have a daily quiet reading session. Within this the children are encouraged to select books of their choice to enjoy. This is often done by themselves, but sometimes there are opportunities to listen to stories read by other adults and their Year 6 buddies.

Preparing to write Alongside our daily phonics sessions, children are encouraged to write and draw in all areas of the classroom, inside and out. Daily finger gym tasks and Dough Disco help to develop children’s finger strength and fine motor skills. To help the children write in a range of styles and genres we have focussed group writing sessions, which they complete in their Busy Books. During quiet reading sessions children also have the opportunity to quiet write where they can write and draw in their free writing books.

Free Writing Writing in all areas Dough Disco Guided Writing

Literacy Reading Writing Early Learning Goal Children read and understand simple sentences. They use phonic knowledge to decode regular words and read them aloud accurately. They also read some common irregular words. They demonstrate understanding when talking with others about what they have read. Early Learning Goal Children use their phonic knowledge to write words in ways which match their spoken sounds. They also write some irregular common words. They write simple sentences which can be read by themselves and others. Some words are spelt correctly and others are phonetically plausible. Exceeding Statement Children can read phonically regular words of more than one syllable as well as many irregular but high frequency words. They use phonic, semantic and syntactic knowledge to understand unfamiliar vocabulary. They can describe the main events in the simple stories they have read. Exceeding Statement Children can spell phonically regular words of more than one syllable as well as many irregular but high frequency words. They use key features of narrative in their own writing.

Mathematics Mathematics is split into two sections; Numbers Shape, Space and Measure Within Foundation Stage and into Year 1 Maths is taught through practical and planned play activities. We try to provide opportunities for daily counting, and where the need arises we teach the formation of numbers. The children will be given experiences to discuss their learning of mathematics and will be introduced to the appropriate vocabulary.

Mathematics Early addition Recognising numbers Counting Number Games Exploring shape Early addition

Shape, Space and Measure Mathematics Shape, Space and Measure Numbers Early Learning Goal Children count reliably with numbers from 1 to 20, place them in order and say which number is one more or one less than a given number. Using quantities and objects, they add and subtract two single-digit numbers and count on or back to find the answer. They solve problems, including doubling, halving and sharing. Early Learning Goal Children use everyday language to talk about size, weight, capacity, position, distance, time and money to compare quantities and objects and to solve problems. They recognise, create and describe patterns. They explore characteristics of everyday objects and shapes and use mathematical language to describe them. Exceeding Statement Children estimate a number of objects and check quantities by counting up to 20. They solve practical problems that involve combining groups of 2, 5 or 10, or sharing into equal groups. Exceeding Statement Children estimate, measure, weigh and compare and order objects and talk about properties, position and time.