Reception

WELCOME TO FOX HILL RECEPTION CLASS!

Look at what our Reception children have been learning about on our school Twitter Page by searching  #foxhillR

https://twitter.com/FoxHill_Primary  

Mrs Miller, Mrs McRae and Mrs Hulka look forward to working with the class this year.

Reception PE takes place on a Friday Please ensure your child comes to school wearing their PE kit and suitable footwear. 

Curriculum

Our EYFS unit follows the curriculum as outlined in the latest version of the EYFS statutory framework that applies from September 2021.

The EYFS framework includes seven areas of learning and development that are equally important and interconnected. However, three areas known as the prime areas are seen as particularly important for igniting curiosity and enthusiasm for learning, and for building children’s capacity to learn, form relationships and thrive.

The prime areas are:

• Communication and language
• Physical development
• Personal, social and emotional development

The prime areas are strengthened and applied through four specific areas:

• Literacy
• Mathematics
• Understanding the world
• Expressive arts and design

Planning

At Fox Hill Primary School, we plan a broad range of activities and experiences to ensure that every child develops detailed knowledge and skills across all seven areas of learning and development in an age-appropriate way. We are mindful of the particular importance of the prime areas as a foundation for future learning and development and prioritise these as children progress through the EYFS.

The curriculum is designed using a cross curricular thematic approach linked to high-quality texts. Each half term the children explore an overarching theme to provide enthusiasm and purpose for learning and to ensure that all aspects of the Educational programmes are covered in a structured and sequential manner. Our long term and medium term plans are flexible and we capitalise on opportunities for learning led by the interests of the children. We also provide a rich set of experiences for all of the children in our care to promote their overall development.

Teaching

We implement the curriculum through a careful balance of child-initiated play and adult-directed activities. The day is structured to ensure the children have extended periods of time to become involved in sustained high-quality play in the indoor and outdoor environment. We provide a wide range of open-ended play materials and toys and plan for the environment to continue the provision for learning ‘with an adult’ and ‘in the absence of an adult’. Teachers and TAs take turns to observe, assess, scaffold and extend child-initiated activities through effective interactions, with a particular focus on communication and language development.

In Reception, the children have rigorous, directed teaching in phonics and maths every day and also participate in regular whole class and adult-directed group activities covering all seven areas of learning. We also plan for activities which extend the children’s interests as well as opportunities designed to broaden their experiences.As the year progresses we gradually increase the frequency and length of adult-directed learning time to help our Reception children prepare for more formal learning in Year 1.

Our inclusive approach means that all of our children learn together, however we also use a range of additional interventions to support children who are not making expected progress and/or who are not on track to meet expectations at the end of the year.

For further information regarding the EYFS curriculum at Fox Hill Primary School please refer to the EYFS Intent, Implementation and Impact Statement and the Phonics and Early Reading Policy.

Please take some time to read our curriculum newsletter for this term to find out more about what your child will be learning.

Phonics and Early Reading 

At Fox Hill Primary School, we believe that all our children can become fluent readers and writers. This is why we teach reading through Little Wandle Letters and Sounds Revised, which is a systematic and synthetic phonics programme. We start teaching phonics straightaway in Reception and follow the Little Wandle Letters and Sounds Revised progression, which ensures children build on their growing knowledge of the alphabetic code, mastering phonics to read and spell as they move through school. We also model the application of the alphabetic code through phonics in shared reading and writing, both inside and outside of the phonics lesson and across the curriculum. We have a strong focus on language development for our children because we know that speaking and listening are crucial skills for reading and writing in all subjects. We also encourage our children to see themselves as readers for both pleasure and purpose.

• Children in Reception have daily phonics lessons from Week 2 of the Autumn term onwards. We build from 10-minute lessons, with additional daily oral blending games, to 30-minute lessons as quickly as possible. Each Friday, we review the week’s teaching to help children become fluent readers. 
• Any child who needs additional practice has daily Keep-up support, taught by a fully trained adult. Keep-up lessons match the structure of class teaching, and use the same procedures, resources and mantras, but in smaller steps with more repetition, so that every child secures their learning.

• Children in Reception also have small group reading practice sessions three times a week from Week 4 of the Autumn term onwards. Children who are not yet decoding have daily additional blending practice in small groups, so that they quickly learn to blend and can begin to read books.

How to Support Your Child's Learning at Home

Reading Books

Each week, your child will be allocated the book that they have read in their reading practice sessions as an e-book to re-read over the weekend. Your child should be able to read their book without your help and without overtly sounding or blending the majority of the words. Please do not assume that the book is therefore too easy for your child - reading their scheme book to you at home should be an opportunity for them to develop their confidence and celebrate their success in reading.

To help foster a love of reading, your child will also take home a high quality book of their own choice to share and enjoy with you. You should not expect your child to read this book independently and should not attempt to get your child to do so. The ‘reading for pleasure’ book is solely for you to read to or with your child and enjoy together. 

Please record a comment in your child’s reading diary at least three times a week and ensure that it is in their book bag every day.

Phonics Home Learning

Each week, your child will also bring home a Little Wandle Letters and Sounds Phonics home learning sheet. The sheet sets out the phonemes and graphemes they will be learning in school as well as activities for you to complete with your child to practise and reinforce their phonic knowledge and reading skills.

Please see below for the Little Wandle Letters and Sounds Reception progression and the pronunciation guides for each Phase. 

For more information on how to support your child with phonics at home please visit https://www.littlewandlelettersandsounds.org.uk/resources/for-parents/. Dates for Parents and Carer Phonics Workshops will be sent out to you shortly. 

Home Learning 

We do not set any other home learning tasks for Reception however we may sometimes give ideas for topic-linked activities to complete at home via the EvidenceMe app.