Reception

Year Reception

Mrs Cook (RB) is supported by Mrs Martini and Mrs Orwell (RY) is supported by Mrs Harvey. Miss Corsan is a trainee teacher based in RY. Other adults who support across the year group are Ms Miranda, Mrs Duncan and Ms Yee.

Curriculum

At St. Helen’s we are committed to developing the whole child through a broad and balanced curriculum. We ensure that we cover all areas of the Early Years Foundation Stage Curriculum.

Supporting Learning at Home

We recognise the extremely important role that parents play in their child’s education. We want to work in partnership to help parents develop their skills supporting their child’s learning at home. If parents would like any support with developing home learning please see Miss Stack or Mrs Hawes.

Each week we change the children’s home reading books. The green reading journal should be filled in at least once a week by the parent. Please read a variety of books with your child as often as possible.

Homework will be given out on a Monday each week and must be returned by Friday to your child’s class teacher.

Please click  here for the PowerPoint from our Parent Support Sessions on Reading

Reception Expectations

The children in Reception are assessed against the Development Matters Age Bands throughout the year across all Areas of Learning. Children enter Reception at 4 years old (48 months at least) and therefore they are expected to start the year as secure within the 30-50 month band or beginning in the 40-60 month age band.

At the end of the year children are assessed against the Early Learning Goals. Click here to view the Early Learning Goals for all Areas of Learning.

Children are given targets/ next steps to move their learning forward from the Development Matters Framework. Click here to view the Development Matters Framework.

News and Photos

God making the world
Reception have been learning about God making the world. This week we focussed on looking after His world and admiring the world. We created sketches of all that God made at St Helen’s.

Bee Investigation:
To end our topic about bees through our citizenship focus, we carried out a bee investigation. Not only did reception learn how important bees are and promote saving the bees but we also looked at the scientific side of their adaptation to their environment. Bee's legs are sticky and that is how they transport the pollen they collect from the middle of the flower. We used this knowledge and created bee puppets. We used our fingers as a bee's legs and cheesy crisp as pollen to show that it stuck to our fingers. Our friends at home also enjoyed taking part in this investigation and we learnt together in a live investigation. Children at home made puppets and used crisp or cereal to show the pollen sticking to the bee's legs.

Positional Language:
The maths topic of shape and space has helped reception learn about position. We have learnt the words over, under, next to, through, beneath, above and many more. We used this language to place our teddy bears around the classroom telling our teachers where we had positioned it.

Sparkle Time:
Each week we enjoy a sensory music lesson with Mrs Venn. We use everyday objects to explore sound and rhythm. As you can tell, we like the loud sounds and so do our teachers! Our friends at home also join in a live lesson using bowls and spoons - the children at home smile as they create the loud and soft music as well as dance and sparkle.

Honey cakes
Reception have been learning about bees. We know they make honey and live in beehives. We made cakes that look like beehives using honey. They were super yummy!

Polar bear houses:
Polar bears are losing their homes in the Antarctic because the ice is melting. Reception designed new homes they could live in. They had to be cold for the polar bears.

Bee Posters:
We have been learning about bees. We know they are yellow and black, we know they make honey and we know they take pollen from flowers. We used this information to draw or make a bee.

As part of our citizenship week focus we have been learning about endangered animals. We made elephant masks that moved as some elephants are in danger. We have been learning how to help but also practicing our cutting and sticking skills.

Endangered Animals
In reception we are learning about endangered animals as part of our citizenship focus. We have learnt that some animals are in danger due to the impact of humans.

Maths fruit kebabs
Reception have been identifying more and less than. The teachers set up the math's table with marshmallows and strawberries so they children could make a fruit kebab with 2 marshmallows and 1 strawberry. However, the teachers give the children too many marshmallows and fewer strawberries.
The reception children were quick to tell us that there were too many and not enough.

Toasting marshmallows 
Our forest schools activity was to toast marshmallows over a campfire. This was exciting for the reception children as it was a new adventure. The children took it very seriously listening to all the instructions. Once their yummy marshmallow was toasted they enjoyed eating it describing it as soft as it melted.

Learning through play in Reception

As part of our Foundation stage curriculum, the children are encouraged to be independent learners. The reception environment inspires the children to make their own choices and enables them to demonstrate the characteristics of effective learning.

Playing and exploring
Finding out and exploring
Playing with what they know
Being willing to ‘have a go.’
Active learning
Being involved and concentrating
Keeping trying
Enjoying achieving what they set out to do
Creating and thinking critically
Having their own ideas
Making links
Choosing ways to do things

Please click here to see Reception 2019 Admissions presentation.

Useful Links

These are websites that are useful for developing children’s skills in Reception to complement their learning in school.

English Links

Teach Handwriting
Website: www.teachhandwriting.co.uk/
Description: Lots of fantastic videos and work sheets to support letter formation.

Phonics play
Website: www.phonicsplay.co.uk/
Description: This website is packed with games and activities to support your child's learning in Phonics.

Maths Links

ICT Maths games
Website: www.ictgames.com/counting.htm

ICT games
Website: www.ictgames.com/resources.html
Description: A selection of fun games to support mathematical/literacy/science skills.