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All About Reception:

Reception Class at St. Bede's Catholic Primary School is a really special place to be.

The Early Year Foundation Stage is where we lay the foundations for future learning and we will do this in partnership with you. Our Recepton children are very much part of our school family and take part in whole school assemblies, sport’s events and so much more.

At St. Bede's we truly believe that: 

‘Every child deserves the best possible start in life and support to fulfil their potential.  Children develop quickly in the early years and a child’s experience between birth and age 5  has a major impact on their future life chances. A secure, safe and happy childhood is important in it’s own right and it provides the foundation for children to make the most of their abilities and talents as they grow up.’

(DfE Statutory framework for EYFS 2021)   

THE RECEPTION CURRICULUM

The Foundation Stage (aged 3 - 5+) follows a curriculum with seven areas of learning.

 The Prime Areas are:

·         Personal Social and Emotional Development

·         Communication and Language

·         Physical Development

 The Specific Areas are:

·         Literacy

·         Mathematics

·         Understanding of the World

·         Expressive Arts and Design

Summer Term - Our topic this half term is Our Planet & Oceans.

In Literacy, we are reading 'The Whale Who Wanted More' by Rachel Bright. 

Phonics - 

We have now completed phase 2 and 3 of our phonics learning. In Summer 1, we will be reviewing these phonemes to ensure your child is confident with them. We will be starting to look at words ending in 'ed' which makes various sounds (ed, t, d). Towards the end of the term, we will explore 'er' and 'est' word endings. 

Please use your child's phonics folder to practice all of the phase 2 and 3 phonemes and also the harder to read and spell words. Please see the useful links page at the top which includes a video on the correct pronunication of each phoneme. 

Please read with your child 4 times a week and record this in their reading journal. Your child will bring home a new phonics book each Friday so it is important this is in their book bag each day as they will be reading with an adult throughout the week. The children are also set a Oxford Owl book every Thursday and they are welcome to change their colour banded book each day. 

Below shows the phonemes the children have learnt already. 

Forest School -

Forest school is a child-centred learning process, providing children a hands-on experience in the natural environment. It's creative and can increase a child's confidence as they problem-solve and learn to manage risks. We spend a Wednesday morning in our forest where we join up with Woodlands Pre-School to take our learning outside.

Take a look at the photos below which shows our forest in full attention. 

Key Messages - 

Morning Drop Off:

Everyone should arrive between 8.45am and 8.55am. Anyone who arrives late (after 8.55am) should go to the school office where they will be let in the front door.

Collection:

The end of the school day is 3.25pm. Children should be collected from the reception green gate on the playground. 

Uniform: 

Children should wear full school uniform. It is essential that all uniform is named as unnamed items can become lost and takes much longer to reunite with their owner. Please regularly check the names in your child's uniform throughout the year to check their name is still visible as washing can fade the names.

PE Kit:

Our PE days are Thursday and Friday this half term, children will come to school in their normal school uniform and get changed into their PE kits in the classroom. Children will leave their PE kits on their pegs throughout each term. At the end of the term, the children will bring home their PE kit to be washed. Our PE kit should include: a white PE t-shirt (with school logo or a plain t-shirt), green shorts, socks and trainers. 

What to Bring to School:

Water Bottle (with the child's name on) - filled with clean water each day.

Coat which must be named. Other items including a hat, scarf, gloves, sunhat depending on the weather (all named).

Book bags.

In Reception, we have a morning break where the children will be offered a piece of free fruit and milk. Reception children are ALL entitled to a free school meal but you may provide a packed lunch if you wish.

Reading Books:

This year the children will have 2 types of reading books in their book bags:

A phonically decodable book which matches your child’s level of phonics knowledge to practice the graphemes they have already learned. These will be changed every Friday.

A 'share me' book from our class library for you to read to them which the children can change each day if they wish. 

Please make sure that you child brings their book bag every day with these books inside so they can be checked and read with on any given day. Please also make sure that you are listening to or reading with your child every day and ask them questions about what they have read. When your child has read to you could please record the date, title and any comments in their green reading journal.

If you have any concerns or questions, please get in touch with the school via email and they will pass the message on to us.  Alternatively, you can catch me on the gate at the end of the school day.

Many thanks for your support. 

Things to do at home: 

• Read 4x a week and record in your child's reading journal. 
• Use your child's phonics folder to practice the phonemes - these get updated each day so please ensure they are in your child's bag. 
• Name writing.
• Number recognition. 
• Allow your child to get dressed themselves - this will help when they are getting changed for PE on a Friday and help with their fine motor skills.
• Upload what you are doing at home to Tapestry - the children love to share with their class friends and is a great way to improve their communication and language skills.