Welcome to Reception!

In Reception we have two classes - Bramley and Pippin Class:

PIPPIN CLASS

Class Teachers: Mrs V Ingram (EYFS Leader - Mon to Wed) and Miss C Smith ( Maternity Cover Wed- Fri)

Teaching Assistant: Mrs E Lindley (all day)

BRAMLEY CLASS

Class Teacher: Mrs S Appleby (EYFS Leader - Wed - Thur) and Miss C Smith (Maternity Cover Mon- Wed)

Teaching Assistant: Mrs V Tomlin (all day)

If you would like some information on how to help your child at home please see the links below.

Term 1  2019/2020

Information coming soon...

This page will be updated by Friday 6th September 2019

Term 1

Wow, the start of the new year has arrived and we would like to say a big welcome to our new Reception children! They have all begun to settle into school life and have enjoyed exploring the classrooms and making new friends. This term our topic is called Marvellous Me! We will explore our families, get to know each other and look at a variety of people who help us in the world. We will also begin to look at our numbers up to 10 and some of our letter sounds. We are very excited for our first term and will keep you updated with information. Watch this space!

Term 2

This term our topic is 'Festivals and Celebrations'. We are celebrating the diversity of the children in our classes this term by looking at some of the festivals they participate in as a family. We will be looking at Diwali, Songkran and Eid, finishing with Christmas. This term will also see the children take part in a Nativity.

Through Maths activities the children will be learning about 2D shapes, money, adding and formation of number. In Literacy the children will continue to learn new sounds, word build  and read high frequency and tricky words. The children will also have the opportunity to take part in Forest School Style activities in both the Mud Kitchen and bottom field area on a weekly basis.

Share the Learning Journey

On Wednesday 14th November we held our first 'Share the Learning Journey'. All parents were invited to come into class and watch a Maths session. The parents had an opportunity to join in with their child's learning and then support their children during Child Initiated Activities. It was wonderful to see so many parents join us. Here are a just a few pictures from that morning.

Term 3

This week sees the start of our 'Frozen' topic. During this term we will be looking at the Arctic, it's landscape, the animals and people who live there and the transport they use. In Maths we will be practising our counting skills as well as measuring the weight and length of various objects. Our Phonics lessons will continue to introduce new sounds and practise word building. We will also begin to focus on writing simple sentences with a capital letter and full stop. Forest School styled learning will continue to take place every Wednesday starting 9th January, in either the Mud Kitchen or on the bottom field.

This term we will also be holding a Reading Games afternoon on Tuesday 22nd January from 2:15 to 2:45pm, more details to follow.

Term 4

As Book Week falls the second week back we have decided to spend 2 weeks looking at the book 'The Hoppameleon' by Paul Geraghty as part of our book week activities.

We are very excited this term to be starting our 'Out of this world' topic. Throughout the term we will be finding out about the moon, star constellations and the planets. We will also be looking at astronauts, in particular Tim Peake. The children will be introduced to music from Gustav Holst and look at paintings by Vincent Van Gogh that focus on the night sky.

If you have the chance this term you may want to take your child outside, as it gets dark, to look at the night sky and talk about what you can see.

This term is our second 'Share the Learning Journey'. If you didn't manage to make it our first one in the Autumn term then this gives you another opportunity. This time we will be demonstrating a different area of learning and warmly welcome you to come along and see how your child learns and have an opportunity to support them in class. We hope you can all make it on Wednesday 6th March.

Share the Learning Journey

This term the parents were invited in to share a Literacy session with an Art twist. We started by retelling the story of 'The Hoppameleon', then the children produced their own version of the final illustration. The children were shown how to paint a sunset and then using black sugar paper they drew and then cut out silhouettes of the frogs and the plants, with their parents help.  Thank you to all the parents that were able to attend. 

Term 5

'Wicked wheels' is the name of our new topic this term. We will be looking at and finding out about a variety of vehicles and the work of the people who drive them. These will include Emergency service vehicles such as Police Cars, Ambulances and Fire Engines. We will also look at the work of a Breakdown/Recovery vehicle and as we have many new homes being built in the area we will also look at construction vehicles and how to stay safe near construction sites.

In our Phonics and Literacy sessions we will continue to practise Phase 2 and 3 of Letters and Sounds, ensuring the children have mastered these phonemes. We will also be introducing more of a story element to our sessions and encourage the children to write for different reasons, using the graphemes and High frequency/Tricky words they have been taught. The children will also continue to bring home a reading book and a sharing book each week. Please remember to record these in their yellow reading record so we can see how well they are doing at home.

In Maths we are continuing to use numbers up to and above 20, recognising, counting, adding, subtracting, doubling and solving number problems. The children will continue to be encouraged to use manipulatives such as beads and counters as well as their fingers and their heads to work out addition, subtraction and problem solving activities. Perhaps when you are out and about you and your child could see what vehicles you can spot and read their number plates. 

This term we are holding our second 'Games Afternoon', this time the focus will be Maths Games. Please come along and spend some time with us playing games that can support your child's learning in Maths. It is on Thursday 9th May, in Pippin and Bramley Classes from 2:15 to 2:45pm.

Term 6

For our final topic of the year we will be looking to the outside space for our learning. We will be finding out about the plants and animals around our school, looking at their features and making observations.

In Phonics and Literacy we will continue to practise all the sounds and High Frequency words learnt so far, leading on to reading longer words. We will also be learning more stories through story maps and continue to write for different reasons.

In Maths we will be looking at halving and sharing numbers, number bonds to 20, the language of position and measuring distances. The children will also be solving simple problems in each of these areas.

Can you practise sharing and halving with with your family?

DON'T FORGET OUR CLASS ASSEMBLY ON TUESDAY 11TH JUNE AT 9:15AM.

WE HOPE YOU CAN ALL COME.

Future events

Tuesday 11th June 9:15 - 9:45am

Pippin and Bramley Class Assembly

Child Initiated Learning

Learning through play underpins our approach to teaching and learning in the Foundation Stage. We embrace the fact that young children learn best from activities and experiences that interest and inspire them to learn. In doing so we can provide children with stimulating, active play experiences in which they can explore and develop their learning and to help them make sense of the world. Children have opportunities through their play to think creatively and critically alongside other children as well as on their own. They are able to practise skills, build upon and revisit prior learning and experiences at their own level and pace. Play gives our children the opportunity to pursue their own interests, inspire those around them and consolidate their understanding and skills. The children learn to adapt, negotiate, communicate, discuss, investigate and ask questions. Our adults take an active role in child initiated play through observing, modelling, facilitating, teaching and extending play, skills and language.

Outside Learning

We promote the use of both the inside and outside as potential learning environments and encourage free flow between these areas daily. Children are taught (particularly outside) to explore and take risks and how to manage these safely. At Barming Primary School we are extremely fortunate to have our own Forest School styled learning site. This is a unique method of Outdoor Education that allows children to develop confidence, independence, self-esteem and awareness and knowledge of the natural environment. It is a child centred and child led programme that provides the opportunity for the children to use their personal learning style to complete their chosen tasks. We also have a Mud Kitchen that the children have regular access to.

Phonics

At Barming Primary School we implement a structured phonics session. It aims to build children's speaking and listening skills in their own right. When listening and responding to the children we aim to respond with open ended questions rather than a yes or no answer to encourage talk. As well as this, the programme prepares children for learning to read by developing their phonic knowledge and skills in a detailed and systematic manner. This is taught on a daily basis across both classes using an engaging and interactive approach.

Phonics is taught following the Letters and Sounds order of progression:-

Phase 2

Set 1: s, a, t, p

Set 2: i, n, m, d

Set 3: g, o, c, k

Set 4: ck, e, u, r

Set 5: h, b, f, ff, l, ll, ss

Phase 3

Set 6: j, v, w, x

Set 7: y, z, zz, qu

consonant digraphs: ch, sh, th, ng

vowel digraphs: ai (rain), ee (feet), igh (night), oa (goat)

vowel digraphs: oo (as in zoo), oo (as in look), ar (star), or (fork)

vowel digraphs/trigraphs: air (as in hair), ow (as in cow), oi (as in spoil), er (as in letter)

vowel digraphs/trigraphs: ur (as in fur), ear (as in hear), ure (as in sure) 

The children are also taught the following technical vocabulary:

digraph - 2 letters making one sound

trigraph - 3 letters making one sound

High frequency words

is, it, in, at, and

Tricky words

These words can not be sounded out blended so the children are taught that they are tricky words.

​​​​​​​I, no, go, the, to, he, she, we, me, be, was, my, you, they, her, all, are

We enjoy practising the formation of the letters in a variety of ways such as gloop, glitter, sand, shaving foam and paint. 

The following clip shows how we pronounce the letter sounds at Barming Primary School

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EYx1CyDMZSc

The next clip shows how we teach handwriting at Barming Primary School.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2NQ6uS8blwY

Maths

Maths is taught on a daily basis. As well as discreet teaching the children are provided with opportunities to experience and learn number through play. We recognise that Maths can take place in any environment and we promote the use of learning maths skills outside at every opportunity. At a very early stage the children are encouraged to work independently and to take responsibility for their learning during the session.