Week beginning 22nd June

A warm week in school has meant lots of water play and calm games in the shade to keep everybody as cool as possible. The children decided to make some potions and smoothies in the water tray, using the language of full, half full, empty, nearly empty and overflowing.

In our topic work we have moved on to learning about another type of story - Ancient Greek Myths. We discussed how these stories are from a very very long time ago. We listened to the story of Prometheus and the fire. We then made our own torches in the creative area. Some children also extended their learning about St George and the dragon, from last week. They made their own dragons, gave them names and explained what their dragon would eat. We encouraged the children to write some of the information using their phonics knowledge. In Maths we have been solving subtraction number problems using counters, bears and numicon.

Week beginning 15th June

After a wonderful sports day, the children wrote about their favourite part of the day. The children wrote some wonderful sentences including;

"I liked the egg and spoon race"

" I liked the long jump and the water run"

" I enjoyed the running races and having a picnic with my family".

In Maths we have been solving different addition number problems. We are using a number line to practise jumping on or back. The children continue to use practical resources such as counters or cubes and say the number sentence.

Outside has been very popular, with lots of recipes in the mud kitchen and music performances on the stage. We set up a new stage area in Wild Space and a new den area, which was useful for shade this week!

Have a lovely weekend!

Week beginning 7th June

This week we have continued to read and discuss different traditional tales and fairy tales. We focused on Cinderella, discussing the characters and acting out the story with props. In Maths we have been learning about sharing equally into groups. We shared 'cakes' or 'cookies' between Miss Cropley and Mrs Hart, making sure they both had equal amounts.

In phonics we have been reading real words and 'nonsense' words. The children have been sorting the real words into the treasure chest and nonsense words into the bin.

We enjoyed a rainy Wild Space session this week. We found lots of slugs, snails and mini-beasts, while having an endless supply of water for the mud kitchen.

Have a lovely weekend!

Week beginning 1st June

This week we started our new topic - Stories from the past.

Our first focus is on traditional tales and fairy tales. This week we acted out the story of 'the three little pigs'. We used masks and puppets in the puppet theatre to retell the story. We encouraged the children to use story language and change or extend the story. We also made our own books and designed new houses for the pigs.

In Maths we have been learning to double numbers. We have taught the children that when we double, we always add the same amount. We are using tens frames, Numicon and part-part-whole frames to practically show doubles.

On Friday we planted a pear tree as part of 'World Environment Day'.

A huge well done to everyone in the class, for their fantastic celebration assembly! They were all amazing and have worked so hard.

Week beginning 18th May

The Sandringham Trip

We had a fantastic time on our trip to Sandringham this week. Firstly, after a quick stop for snack, the children had a tour around the gardens. We learned that the King loves nature and trees. He has a favourite tree in the gardens, that is over 800 years old. We then had a Coronation workshop. Some children were chosen to take part in the Coronation Ceremony and take on the roles of the Royal family members. We then enjoyed having lunch together in the gardens, before visiting Sandringham house. Sadly we noticed the union flag was flying, meaning the King was not there. But the children enjoyed seeing inside the house and asking the staff questions. We ended our day with a walk around the maze. It was a busy day with lots of walking and we did have a few children taking a nap on the way back to school!

The children's behaviour was amazing throughout the day and we are very proud of how well they represented our school.

The Sponsored Water Run

Another busy day for Reception on Thursday! Thank you all for taking the time to raise so much sponsorship money. Nearly all of the children decided to visit the water zone and it was great fun!

Week beginning 11th May

This week we learned about King John as part of our topic work. We found out that King John wasn't very kind and didn't treat people fairly. We learned about the Magna Carta and what that means. The children decided to write their own rules and promises and put them into scrolls, similar to the magna carta.

In Maths the children have been showing number bonds to 10 using Numicon, counters and objects. In Literacy this week we have been focusing on writing sentences that include a capital letter, finger spaces and a full stop.

Unfortunately we had a rain and hail storm in wild space this week. So we were unable to light our fire. However we will try again after half term!

Have a good weekend!

Week beginning 4th May

We have had a busy week in Reception, full of Royal activities! On Wednesday we enjoyed a Royal Tea Party as part of our learning about Kings and Queens. The children spent the morning preparing by making their own fruit kebabs, sandwiches, and decorating cupcakes. After the tea party, we enjoyed some Royal dancing to classical music.

In Wild space we continued to hunt for slugs and snails. We used books from the library to find out where they were likely to live, what they would eat and why they need their slime! We also made fairy houses and played a new game – ‘1,2,3 where are you’.

In Maths we played games that involved addition and subtraction. We are using counters, cubes and Numicon to help us. In the creative area the children designed crowns, after learning facts about the crown used for the King’s coronation. We also used junk modelling to create sceptres and orbs.

The children have now received their letter for our school trip to Sandringham. We will be talking to the children about the trip in more detail over the next couple of weeks. Hopefully we will answer any questions they have and ensure they know the plan for our day. If you or your child has any questions about the trip, please come and speak to either myself or Miss Cropley and we will be more than happy to help answer them.

Have a lovely weekend!

Week beginning 27th April

This week we have learned about 'Coronations' as part of our Kings and Queens topic. Firstly we looked closely at the crown, orb and spectre. We then watched clips from the King's coronation and made our own crown, orb or spectre using playdough, junk modelling or by drawing.

In Maths we have explored the number 9 in greater detail. This has involved combining amounts to make 9 and explaining how we can see 9 in different ways. In Wild Space we created clay faces and used natural materials to design each face. We also extended our interest in snails, by finding slugs and snail trails on the logs. We used some snail information books to find out what snails like to eat and why they have slime.

We are going to continue to learn about coronations next week. We are all getting excited for our Royal Tea Party too!

Week beginning 20th April

This week as part of our topic work, we learned about Royal palaces and castles.

We discovered that Buckingham Palace has a swimming pool, a post office, a doctors surgery and the biggest garden in London!

In the creative area this week, the children used junk modelling or paper shapes to create castles. We also painted family portraits or members of the Royal family. In Literacy the children have been encouraged to write words and sentences that contain the following sounds; sh, ch, ck and th. We are also using these sounds during our phonics lessons. In Maths we have started to learn about 2D shapes and their properties. The children used those shapes to create pictures and discuss similarities or differences between them. We are encouraging the children to think about and answer the following questions;

'How do we know this shape is a triangle?'

'How are a square and rectangle different?'

'Which shapes have more than three sides?'

We had lovely weather for our Wild Space session this week. The mud kitchen area was busy with cakes and pasta dishes being created, whilst the swings are always a firm favourite, alongside den making. We also discovered different minibeasts hiding under our logs. These included; centipedes, beetles, worms, slugs and a snail.

We were excited for our session on the 'Life Education Bus' on Thursday. Louise taught us about how to keep healthy and look after our bodies. We also met a giraffe called Harold, who needed some cheering up. The children behaved and listened excellently on the bus and we are very proud of them.



Week beginning 13th April

This week we have started our new topic - Kings and Queens. We have began to think about the members of the Royal Family including; King Charles the Third, Queen Camilla Consort, the Prince of Wales and the Princess of Wales. For our writing task we thought about what we might like to do if we were a King or Queen for the day. We had some lovely answers, such as; eating chips all day, having a giant bed with ten pillows and having a crown made out of chicken nuggets!

In Maths we have been thinking about the number eight. We added two amounts together, found one more than a number and solved some subtraction problems.

We have also all been busy making a crown in preparation for our Royal Tea party in a few weeks time!

Week beginning: 23rd March

This week In Maths we have continued to represent seven in different ways, extending our learning by taking away. The children have been using the language of "one less than seven is six" or "seven takeaway six equals one".

In our topic work we have been thinking about how we grow and change throughout our lives. We discussed what jobs the children would like to have when they grow up. We also talked about then wrote some sentences.

"I will be an Ice cream van driver"

" I will be a police officer"

"I will be a midwife"

" I want to be a fire fighter".

In Phonics we have started to learn the following sounds - ch, sh and ck. We will continue to practise these sounds when we come back to school.

Have a lovely Easter Holiday!

Week beginning: 16^th March

Reception had a fantastic time on the school Trip on Wednesday. We made dens, went on a nature walk, planted seeds, learned about life cycles and spent time bird watching. We all sat together for a picnic at lunchtime. The children’s behaviour was amazing and we are very proud of them.

In Literacy this week we have been drawing then writing instructions for planting cress seeds. The children tried hard to think of the sounds they needed with increasing independence. In Maths we have been representing seven in different ways. We are encouraging the children to use the language “five is a part, two is a part, seven is the whole”.  

Week beginning: 02/03/26

What a busy but exciting week we have had in Reception. On Tuesday we had a visitor who enhanced our learning about Space. The children enjoyed sitting in the huge dome which when inside made us feel like we were in Space. We saw planets, constellations, Mars Rover and Neil Armstrong walking on the Moon. The children were able to answer many questions and the visitor was impressed with their knowledge!



On World Book Day the children arrived in wonderful costumes and talked about their characters. The assembly encouraged us to read when and where ever possible. The children enjoyed making Supertato and his friend carrot.

Week Beginning: 19/01/26

This week we have been looking at the Solar System and all the planets. We have been learning the planet names and what they look like. The children have been learning a song about the planets. We have been explaining how astronomers can identify what the planets are made up of, rocks, ice and volcanoes. We have been lucky to have our very own miniature Solar System for the classroom. This shows the children how the planets orbit the Sun and the Moon orbits Earth.



In maths we have been looking at subtraction. We have looked at how numbers get smaller when you subtract. We are continuing our counting to 20 and then back to 0.

Phonics- we have continued to learn about the 2 letters one sound, such as ss, ff, ll, and zz. Using these sounds and all the sounds we know so far, has enabled the children to write short sentences.

Week Beginning: 19/01/26

This week we have been looking at the Solar System and all the planets. We have been learning the planet names and what they look like. The children have been learning a song about the planets. We have been explaining how astronomers can identify what the planets are made up of, rocks, ice and volcanoes. We have been lucky to have our very own miniature Solar System for the classroom. This shows the children how the planets orbit the Sun and the Moon orbits Earth.



In maths we have been looking at subtraction. We have looked at how numbers get smaller when you subtract. We are continuing our counting to 20 and then back to 0.

Phonics- we have continued to learn about the 2 letters one sound, such as ss, ff, ll, and zz. Using these sounds and all the sounds we know so far, has enabled the children to write short sentences.

Week Beginning: 12/01/26

We have had an exciting week learning about astronauts. The children have had the opportunity to watch astronauts working at the International Space Station. We have been talking about Tim Peake and how he became an astronaut, what he enjoys about his job, all the training he completed and how long he spent up in space. The children have also been learning about all the different planets in our Solar System.

In maths we have been looking at whole numbers and how they can be split into 2 parts. We have looked at how many different ways we can part the whole number. We are now counting to 20 and then back to 0.



Phonics- we have been learning the 2 letters one sound, such as ss, ff, ll, and zz.

Autumn Term B

🚗🚂✈️Exciting Adventure into Transport! 🚗🚂✈️

What a fantastic half term we’ve had in Reception! The children have embraced our learning about transport with so much enthusiasm, exploring everything from cars and buses to boats and planes. It's been a fun-filled few weeks of learning, creativity, and discovery!

In our role-play area, the children became pilots, bus drivers, and passengers, creating their own transport stories. Our construction zone turned into a hub of activity as children built cars, planes, and ships, experimenting with balance and stability. The outdoor area was a highlight, where children ‘drove,’ ‘flew,’ and ‘sailed’ through a series of challenges!

Phonics sessions have been a huge success with pupils building knowledge of the initial code! We have seen such progress and many children are using their new skills using Play and Learn. In Maths, we’ve been counting cars, sorting vehicles by size, and measuring how far toy cars can travel, all while developing strong number skills through hands-on activities.

Art has also been a big part of our learning. The children loved drawing and painting their favourite vehicles and making ‘transport wheels’ with cardboard. Their creativity has been truly inspiring!

As we approach the end of the term, we’re so proud of how much the children have learned and grown. They’ve developed key skills like teamwork, problem-solving, and creativity, all while having fun!

Well done, Reception! We can’t wait to see what new adventures next term will bring!

Autumn term A

🌟A Wonderful Start to Our Learning Journey!🌟

What a fantastic start to the year it’s been in Reception! The children have settled into school life beautifully — full of smiles, curiosity, and enthusiasm for learning. We are so proud of how confident and happy everyone has been as they explore their new classroom, make new friends, and begin their exciting journey through school.

Over the past few weeks, we’ve been diving into lots of fun activities that help us learn through play. From building towers in the construction area to creating imaginative stories in the role play corner, our Reception children have been busy developing important skills like sharing, teamwork, and problem-solving.

In Phonics, we’ve started to explore new sounds and practice forming our letters. The children have spotting sounds in words all around us — it’s wonderful to see how excited they are to become confident readers and writers!

In Maths, we’ve been counting, sorting, and exploring numbers in lots of hands-on ways. Whether it’s counting things in the classroom, making patterns, or building shapes with blocks, the children are already showing fantastic curiosity and understanding.

Most importantly, we’ve been learning that school is a place where we can play, learn, and grow together. Every day is full of laughter, discovery, and new achievements.

Well done, Reception! You’ve made an amazing start, and we can’t wait to see all the wonderful learning adventures ahead.

Curriculum visits and enrichment activities: