Stokenham Area Primary School

Outline Planning for Autumn Term 2023 Reception

Autumn 1 topic = Superhero Me

Autumn 2 topic = Celebration and festivals

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.

English/Literacy

In our daily phonics and English 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. You may find the informative videos on the attached link useful: https://www.littlewandlelettersandsounds.org.uk/resources/for-parents/ There will be a presentation to parents on the structured Little Wandle programme and how we teach phonics and early reading in the first few weeks of term. All the sounds learnt in phonics sessions will be sent home in reading diaries each week to practice identifying and writing. In school, the children will have two guided group sessions with the teacher and teaching assistant each week. They also have many opportunities to develop their early literacy skills through the indoor and outdoor continuous provision. The children will build up to having three group reading practice sessions per week linked to their decodable phonics text, focusing on decoding (blending/reading), prosody (reading with expression and intonation) and comprehension skills. This same text will be sent home to practise at home to develop fluency, confidence and enjoyment. The first few books have images only, to develop book skills, discussion and vocabulary and to make early experiences of reading pleasurable for the child and adults.

Mathematics

The focus for this term will be to raise the children’s confidence in counting, writing and representing numbers to 5 and beyond in different ways in a range of contexts, following the NCETM Mastering Number programme.. Alongside this, we will be investigating measures, looking at shapes and participating in a variety of problem solving activities. All children will have two guided group maths sessions per week with Mrs Cowling and Mrs Newman, alongside daily whole-class teaching sessions and a range of child-led opportunities to develop mathematical skills through meaningful play during indoor and outdoor continuous provision.

Foundation topics (Understanding the World/Expressive Arts and Design)

During the first half of the term our cross-curricular topic is ‘All About Me’ and ‘Autumn’, moving on to ‘Celebrations and Festivals’ including Christmas in the second half of the term.  Within these topics the children will be able to enjoy a wide variety of inspiring experiences including creating drawings and paintings themselves and their families, going on autumn walks and creating autumn-inspired artwork using natural materials. Planned activities after half term include learning about different cultures and festivals, creating cultural artwork and dances and engaging in a range of Christmas-related arts, crafts and songs. The highlight of the term is the KS1 Nativity which is always a truly special event.  

In our Charanga music lessons, the children will listen to and describe different songs by a range of musicians through the unit ‘Me!’. They will explore and engage in music making and dance using a range of musical instruments, and will sing songs across the curriculum.

Forest Schools/The Natural World

We are extremely lucky to have Mrs Moore taking our Reception class out for a Forest Schools session every Friday morning. The children need to come to school in practical home clothes and shoes, and bring warm layers, waterproofs, a spare coat and wellies (all named).

A note from Mrs Moore: An important part of Forest School is learning about and respecting boundaries. A lot of time is spent so that the children are confident with their outdoor learning environment and understanding where they can play. Reception children will experience all the seasons throughout the year and will learn to dress appropriately according to the weather. They will be introduced to the Forest School rules, for example, learning to listen for and respond to the whistle, learning how to approach and leave the fire pit, learning about the different areas of play and resources available. They will find out about our native trees, plants and insects and learn how to recognise some of them. They will have the opportunity to toast marshmallows on the fire and as their confidence grows participate in other cooking activities with support. We are always grateful for parent volunteers.

PE/Physical Development

In addition to engaging in a range of activities linked to improving physical development through indoor and outdoor continuous provision, KS1 is following the Complete PE learning platform. These sessions will focus on key skills and co-ordination. 

PSHE/Personal, Social and Emotional Development

This term every child will develop their personal, social and emotional skills, learning how to get on with each other and to have mutual respect and responsibility. This will be achieved through a variety of methods including through play, circle times as well as mindfulness yoga. We will introduce and explore our school values: Kind, Safe, Responsible. The children also have a focused PSHE session each week, this term looking at the theme of ‘Relationships’ exploring families and friendships, safe relationships and respecting ourselves and others.

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. It is also beneficial to help your child practise correct letter and number formation 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.

Many thanks for your support with your child’s learning.

Mrs Cowling and Mrs Newman

Dear Parents/carers,

Welcome to the start of the autumn term. We are writing to you 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.  From September 2021 the EYFS has changed.

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.