Reception Class Page
We have two Reception classes at Wheatfield Primary
RM and RB
Mrs Midlane (RM Teacher) and Mrs Bendall (RB Teacher)
Mrs Goldstone (RM), Mrs Binding (RB)
Miss Rhodes is a TA apprentice who will be working across both classes.
PPA will be on Thursday afternoons. This is when Mrs Midlane and Mrs Bendall spend time preparing and planning for the weeks ahead.
(During this time, our class teaching assistants will lead sessions linked to our topic, alongside Mr Hill who will be teaching our sports session)
Children will need to wear their PE kits to school every Thursday and Friday.
Welcome to Reception
About Reception:
In Reception our teachers are Mrs Midlane (Class RM) and Mrs Bendall (Class RB). Our teaching assistants are Mrs Goldstone and Mrs Binding.
What should my child bring to school?
Please label every item that belongs to your child including their school uniform and belongings i.e. water bottle. You could use a permanent pen or buy personalised name labels which you can stick onto their belongings. Your child will have a peg in the cloakroom where they can store their coat and welly boots. Your child will have a drawer in the classroom for their book bag and snack.
Term 1 Learning
PSED
At Wheatfield Primary we follow a scheme called Jigsaw. We use the focus for each unit as an overarching ‘theme’ for each term, linking this to our other learning, as we really value the importance of PSED in your child’s development.
The theme for Term 1 is ‘’Being Me in My World!”
We will be focusing on…
- Exploring our big question: ‘What are my 5 senses?’
- Getting to know one another
- Making new friends
- Learning the routines and rules at school
- Exploring our feelings and emotions
- Learning about our special 'In the Spotlight' recognition board!
The theme for Term 2 is "Celebrating Difference"
We will be focusing on…
- Exploring our big question: ‘why are my eyes this colour?’
- Recognising our similarities and differences
- Things that make us special and unique
- Talking about who is in our family
- Talking about our house(s) and where we live
Each day, when children demonstrate going 'above and beyond' by representing our school values, they can be 'In the Spotlight' on our class display. If they reach this, they will be given a special sticker. When they come home with this sticker, make sure to ask them why.
We are also encouraging children to talk about what they have been learning during their 'Adventure' time. If you see them with a sticker about sharing their learning, ask them what they learnt today.
Writing
During Term 1 we will be developing our gross and fine motor skills to strengthen our hand muscles which supports early writing. We will also focus on the following skills:
Our writing focus:
- Develop our pencil control and grip
- Link sounds to letters and begin to form them
- Learn to recognise ad write our own name
- Begin to write captions, labels and simple words.
Reading and Phonics
We will be looking at books linked to our PSED overarching 'big questions'. We will also be enjoying our 'Fab 5' books. Each term we have five books that we read each week. On Monday we will read Alphabet Ice Cream, Tuesday is Lots of Dots, Wednesday is Bumblebear, Thursday is Solomon Crocodile! and Friday is The day the crayons quit!
Through whole class book talk sessions, we focus on listening to stories, asking and answering questions and orally rehearsing to develop our vocabulary.
We will have daily phonic sessions as a whole class starting in Week 2. We will update you through Tapestry about which phonemes we are learning and ways you can support at home.
Please write in your child's reading record book and ensure it is in your child's book bag each day, so we can see the reading you and your child have done at home. Every day they read at home, it counts towards a read in our whole school 'Reading Bug' challenge. When they reach a multiple of 50 reads, they will go to see Mrs Carver and choose their own book that they can keep at home. We will begin to send phonetically decodable books home for your child to read as and when they are ready.
Children will choose a book from the school library during our PPA sessions on a Thursday. When they return their book the following week, they can swap it for a new one. This is a book for you to share with your child together, not one you should except them to be able to read on their own.
You can also practise their word list and put this in the yellow box in the morning for us to check in school. We will then send home a new word list.
Supporting reading at home...
- Share their school library book which will be changed on Thursday's
- Read their word list
- When they have received their reading book, it should be read at least 5 times before we change for a new one.
- Work towards achieving 'reads' on our whole school ‘Catch the Reading Bug’ challenge. For every 50 reads your child will get to choose a brand new book to keep from Mrs Carver!
Maths
In Term 1 we will be covering the objectives of:
- Learning to recognise, count and subitise (recognise an amount without counting) numbers 1, 2 and 3
- Seeing patterns, continuing and copying them
- Positional and directional language (in, on, under, down)
In Term 2 we will be covering the objectives of:
- Learning to recognise, count and subitise numbers 4 and 5
- Exploring 1 more and 1 less than a number to 5
- Time to sequence events in the day (before, after, next)
We teach maths through class inputs, adult led groups and reinforcing the objective and learning in our provision.
Your child will have received their Bronze Rings 1 booklet, which will have our termly objectives in. In this booklet, we have written suggested games and activities to support these objectives at home.
Each term your child will receive a new maths planet booklet which includes the objectives we are teaching in class. To earn a certificate, please upload photos/videos to Tapestry of your child engaging with the suggested activities in the booklet. Please make sure you write the maths planet booklet in the title e.g Maths Planets Bronze Rings 1.
If you have any difficulty with this please come and see us so that we can support you. The booklets can be kept at home and do not need to be returned to school.
To achieve certificates and badges, you must complete booklets for all the terms. If you have misplaced any previous terms booklets, please find a link to them below.
Bronze 1 (Term 1 booklet) found here = Certificate will be awarded at the end of term
Bronze 2 (Term 2 booklet) found here = Bronze Badge will be awarded at the end of the term
Silver 1 (Term 3 booklet) found here = Certificate will be awarded at the end of term
Silver 2 (Term 4 booklet) found here = Silver Badge will be awarded at the end of term
Gold 1 (Term 5 booklet) found here = Certificate will be awarded at the end of term
Gold 2 (Term 6 booklet) found here = Certificate and badge will be awarded at the end of term
Term 1 Wider Curriculum
Throughout our entire curriculum for EYFS, we always centre the needs of the children as well as their interests as the focus of our learning for our wider curriculum.
At Wheatfield Primary School we are very fortunate to have such fantastic outdoor spaces including our amazing onsite forest ‘The Wild Wood’. We will be spending a Friday morning in our Wild Wood for our outdoor learning session. During this time, we think about and explore our four seasons and use our school grounds in all weathers, so it is essential your child has a waterproof coat and wellies in school every day.
We will also be exploring…
- Seasonal changes and the weather
- Nature Weaving
- Planting Seeds
- Nature Faces
Across Term 1 and 2 we will also be exploring...
- Our 5 senses
- Looking after our bodies, including self-care
- Seasonal changes and the weather
- Day and night
- Getting to know our new school environment and where things are
During Term 1 and 2, the children will be developing their confidence in self selecting the classroom resources for their own learning. This may include junk modelling and using craft materials - using their imaginations to create and design their own creations. The children will be exploring digital media and printing within their art sessions.
We also learn many rhymes and songs from Poetry Basket Autumn Booklet, as well as enjoying the many songs on the BBC Teach website. (Nursery Rhymes and Songs - A to Z - BBC Teach)
During Term 1 and 2 we will be thinking about how things have changed. We will talk about how we have changed since we were babies. We will share family and baby photographs. We will think about where we live and how is has changed in Bradley Stoke. We will think about how toys have changed too and compare our own teddy bears to the very first teddy bear ever created!
In PE we will be focusing on improving our ball skills, throwing and catching a ball and dribbling a ball with increasing control. We will be beginning to play team games in preparation for our sports day.
In music this term we are exploring the sounds of different instruments and continuing to respond to different styles of music. We will find the pulse of different songs and clap along to different rhythms.
As always, we have overarching themes of the term but we also adapt our learning based on the children's current interests to keep the children engaged and learning purposeful to them.
Home Learning
How can I help my child at home?
Phonics/Reading
- 1 x School Library book each alternate week (changed on Thursday's)
Library books are provided to help children develop a 'love for reading'. The children are not expected to be able to read them themselves. - 1 x Phonic book each week (changed on Monday's)
- Phonic booklet
Your child will be provided with a phonic booklet and will be given strips of words to read (called word lists and common exception words). Common exception word lists need to be read by sight. When your child can successfully and confidently read their words put your booklet into your child's class communication box located outside the classroom in the morning.
The "Reading Bug" incentive - please write in your child's yellow reading record book each time you read with them. This should be a minimum of 5 times a week.
We will acknowledge your child's reading at home and these reads will count towards earning a '50 reads certificate' and brand new book to keep from Mrs Carver.
Maths
We recommend practising practical maths skills in a fun and playful way, weaving it into every day life - maths is all around us!
- Maths Planet booklet
Your child will be receive a maths planet booklet which has guidance on how to support maths at home. Their booklet doesn't need to be returned to school, but we would love to see photos of your child practising their maths at home on Tapestry! We will give out certificates at the end of each term for children who have had a go at maths learning at home!
How do we learn in Reception?
Every day children will have carpet time sessions consisting of daily Phonic, Maths and 'Book talk' sessions.
We support children through adult led activities as well as through child led play and have
access to the outdoor environment all day. Every child is provided with a weekly adult led writing and maths group session as well as being given time to read 1-1 with an adult.
We also have regular outdoor learning sessions inspired by Forest School principles in our very own onsite
Wild Wood! Click here to find out more about Outdoor Learning at Wheatfield.
Our Classrooms
Our classrooms are designed to create a calm, nurturing and homely environment, which research suggests is the best environment for children to feel safe, learn and thrive in.
We have lots of natural and 'real' resources which encourage curiosity, discovery, awe and wonder through open ended experiences.
Learning will happen across both Reception classrooms, giving children more room to explore and greater learning opportunities. We have continuous provision organised within learning stations around the classroom (resources which are always available) as well as enhanced provision (new or additional resources) which are added in each week by targeting specific skills, with a focus always including early reading, writing and maths.
We use our knowledge of children's interests and abilities to engage them in play and to
'continue their learning when an adult is not present' during child led choice time. This develops a wide range of skills such as consolidating their learning, developing their levels of independence and their resilience. We call provision time 'Adventure Time' and ask children what adventure they are going on today. This is another opportunity for children to share think and talk about their learning.
Reception Autumn Newsletter 2024
An overview of what we will be up to for the Autumn term in Reception!
Tapestry
We use an online 'learning journal' known as Tapestry to track the achievements and interests of your child.
EYFS staff regularly update your child's journal and we strongly encourage families to upload their own contributions.
We often upload class notices and other important information regarding just Reception children on our Tapestry page.
Check your notification settings to ensure you receive all updates. If you do not have access to your account, please speak to a member of the Reception team.
Click the icon to log in or find out more
Communication box
We have a yellow communication box by our classroom doors each morning. Please put your child's Phonics booklet and any letters/notes in here.
There will always be one member of staff from the Reception Team on the classroom door each morning to greet your child, so if you have any queries they will be available to help and pass messages on.
Whole school notices including key dates and information will be published in the weekly
school newsletter.
What should my child bring to school?
Please label every item that belongs to your child including their school uniform.
You could use a permanent pen or buy personalised name labels from the internet which you can stick onto their belongings.
P.E Kit
Our P.E days will usually be on Thursdays and Fridays.
Please make sure that your child comes into school on a Thursday and Friday wearing their school P.E kit.
*We will be starting PE once the children are all in full time*
Please provide a spare change of clothes in case they get muddy/have an accident
(Spare clothes: this should be keeping with the school colours - a top, bottoms, underwear and socks)
Resources for learning at home:
Writing and Phonic resources
Math resources