Reception
Stokenham Area Primary School
EYFS/Reception - Autumn Term 2026
Stokenham Area Primary School
Autumn 1 topic = Me and My World
Autumn 2 topic = Heroes/ Standing Ovations
Welcome to the Stokenham Area Primary School family. Listed below are the themes for each area of learning that Reception will be exploring this term. Please also refer to the EYFS curriculum map on the school website for more information and detail.
English/Literacy
In Reception, we have daily phonics lessons. In these lessons we are concentrating on learning our initial sounds and the corresponding letters, based on the Little Wandle Letters and Sounds Revised systematic synthetic phonics (SSP) programme (it’s a mouthful, so we often just call it Little Wandle)!
There are introductory videos on these links which you may find helpful:
There will be a presentation to parents on the structured Little Wandle programme and how we teach phonics later this half term. All the sounds learnt in phonics sessions will be sent home each week for the children to practise identifying, writing and blending these new sounds.
In school, the children will have English lessons with Mrs Veldhuis and Mrs Stevens four times per week. These will be short sessions focussed around a quality ‘book hook’ and will begin to introduce literacy skills that will carry them throughout their education journey (and beyond)! They also have many opportunities to develop and practise their early literacy skills through their play in the indoor and outdoor provision.
The children will build up to having three group reading practise sessions per week linked to their decodable phonics book, focusing on decoding (sounding out, blending and reading), prosody (reading with expression and intonation) and comprehension skills. This same book will be sent home to practise at home daily to develop fluency, confidence and enjoyment. The first few books are wordless, to develop book skills, discussion and vocabulary and to make early experiences of reading pleasurable for the child and adults. On Fridays, the children can choose a high-quality ‘sharing book’ from our class library, which they can borrow for the week and then return the following Friday in order to choose a new text.
Mathematics
The focus for this term will be to raise the children’s confidence in counting, writing and representing numbers to five, and beyond, in different ways in a range of contexts, following the NCETM Mastering Number programme. All children will have whole-class teaching sessions four times a week, with Mrs Veldhuis and Mrs Stevens; guided small-group maths sessions and a range of child-led opportunities to develop mathematical skills through meaningful play during indoor and outdoor continuous provision.
Foundation topics
This year, we are adapting our Early Years foundation curriculum, using the United Curriculum that has been implemented in the other year groups across the federation. This joined-up approach will enable us to have consistency and clear progression as our children move up through our schools.
In Early Years, the foundation subjects are grouped slightly differently to Key Stage 1 and 2, with there being focus areas for the children to develop core skills and knowledge.
This half term we are focussing heavily on the transition to school, so their Personal, Social and Emotional Development – helping the children see themselves as individuals, manage their own needs with growing independence, and settling into the new routines of school. These skills are continued into the latter half of autumn term, with children learning how to express their own feelings and also consider the feelings of others.
In Expressive Arts and Design, our children will be exploring various creative outlets to support them in expressing their ideas and feelings; and will be creating self-portraits using different mark making materials. Next half term we will be creating our own superheroes using printing and collage techniques. We will also be creating superhero dens and encouraging role play narratives based on real-life superheroes. There will be a music focus, teaching children to listen attentively to a piece of music which represents fireworks, and respond using movement.
Our Reception children will also take part in the Christmas performance, singing, dancing and acting alongside Key Stage 1.
To develop their Understanding of the World, the children will be talking about their families and local community this half term, and next half term we will be looking more closely at people who help us (e.g. doctor, dentist, postal worker, etc). We will be exploring a heroic figure from recent history or the local community and will tell their story, this will help the children better understand timelines and that events that have already happened took place in the past.
Forest Schools/The Natural World
We are extremely lucky to have Mrs Moore from Forest and Beach taking our Reception class out for an extended Forest Schools session every Friday morning, where the children will be observing changes in the woods linked to the seasons and identifying native flowers, trees, insects and birds. She is supported each week by Ms Hinder (TA), and we also welcome any parent volunteers (subject to DBS checks). These calming and awe-inspiring sessions also improve mental health and wellbeing, in addition to helping to develop the children’s language and communication skills and their personal, social and emotional skills.
Please can your child can come into school wearing their Forest School clothes and shoes/trainers every Friday. They will need wellington boots, waterproof trousers and a thick waterproof coat or all in one every week. As the weather gets colder, they will need lots of warm layers under their coat, and a hat and gloves later in the term. It is important that your child has the right outdoor clothing to allow this to be a positive experience for them. Warm, dry children will be happy outside whatever the weather. Please can every item be clearly named, including wellies and bags. It is also useful to bring a plastic bag to put muddy/wet clothes and wellies in at the end of the session.
PE/Physical Development
In addition to engaging in a range of activities linked to improving gross and fine motor skills through indoor and outdoor continuous provision, we also use the Complete PE learning platform. These PE sessions will take place on a Wednesday, and will focus on key skills and co-ordination. For this half term, children do not need to wear PE kit, but if you haven’t already, please send their PE kit to school and we will keep it here on their pegs. We will send an update after half term letting you know which day children will need to wear PE kit.
Home learning
In Reception we ask you to support your child’s learning by helping them practise their letter sounds and by hearing them read each night for 10 minutes (once books go home). Please record a brief comment/tick on the weekly reading grid in their blue reading records. It is also beneficial to help your child practise correct letter and number formation, writing their name and to practise counting and recognising numbers to 5 and then 10.
If you would like some ideas for optional tasks linked to our topics, this term you may wish to share family photographs from the past, create self-portraits or go on autumn walks in the local area, collecting autumnal objects to inspire artwork. After half term, you may wish to talk about different festivals and celebrations and create seasonal artwork. We always love to see the children’s home learning and will display it proudly. You can also upload any ‘wow moments’ or activities linked to our topics onto Tapestry.
A gentle reminder that the children need to bring in a coat, water bottle (not squash) and their book bag into school every day. Please can every item be clearly named so that items can be returned to your child easily, particularly jumpers and cardigans which are often identical. Fruit snacks are provided so you do not need to send in snacks from home.
We are very much looking forward to supporting your lovely children with their learning and development this year, having lots of fun and creating many special memories along the way.
Your support throughout this journey is greatly appreciated, thank you.
Mrs Veldhuis (Reception teacher) and Mrs Stevens (HLTA)
We are also using this opportunity to give you an overview of the Early Years Foundation Stage Framework.
What Is the Early Years Foundation Stage?
The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) is the stage of education for children from birth to the end of the Reception year. It sets the standards for the learning, development and care of your child from birth to 5 years old and ensure that your child will learn and develop well and be kept healthy and safe. It is based on the recognition that children learn best through play and active learning and is the same curriculum as in pre-reception settings.
What Will My Child Be Learning?
The EYFS framework outlines seven areas of learning and development and educational programmes. There are three prime areas of learning, which are particularly important for your child’s development and future learning:
*Communication and language
*Personal, social and emotional development
*Physical development
There are four specific areas of learning, through which the prime areas are strengthened and applied:
*Literacy
*Mathematics
*Understanding the world
*Expressive arts and design
We will consider your child’s needs and interests to plan challenging and enjoyable activities and experiences. You can help us to do this by sharing your observations of your child’s interests at home.
There are also three characteristics of effective teaching and learning:
*Playing and exploring
*Active learning
*Creating and thinking critically
These tell us about how each child learns not what they are learning
Play is essential for children’s development, building their confidence as they learn to explore, relate to others, set their own goals and solve problems. Children learn by leading their own play, and by taking part in play which is guided by adults.
Assessment in the reception year – Baseline
The reception baseline assessment, or RBA is a short, interactive and practical assessment of your child’s early literacy, communication, language and mathematics skills when they begin in school. It will be undertaken with your child’s class teacher and will measure your child’s progress from reception to year 6. The data from the baseline will not be shared with you and will only be accessed by the DFE. The teacher will be able to spend quality 1-1 time with your child, getting to know them and identifying if they need any further support in certain areas. When your child reaches year 6, you will be able to see the progress your child has made throughout their school journey. If you wish to read further on the reception baseline, then you can find a useful parent booklet here;
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/reception-baseline-assessment-information-for-parents
Assessment in the reception year – EYFS Profile
Your child will work towards the final assessment at the end of the Reception year, using the new ELGs (Early learning goals). These goals are short statements that teachers assess your child against at the end of the year.
Should you have any questions please do not hesitate to speak to your child’s class teacher.
Thank you for your continued support.