Reception

Welcome to Reception!

Meet the Staff

Reception 1 Teacher: Mrs Deakin (Assistant Headteacher)
Reception 1 Teaching Assistants: Mrs Douglas and Miss Whyment
Reception 2 Teacher: Miss Pask
Reception 2 Teaching Assistants: Miss Hallworth and Miss Lowson

Additional Support Teachers: Mrs Flemming and Mrs Godfrey

What You Need to Know

In the mornings, classroom doors will open at 8.30am for children to arrive, and then close at 8.45am.

In the afternoons, doors will open at 3.15pm for home time.

Please send your child to school in their PE kit on Thursday for PE lessons. PE kit is a plain white t-shirt with blue or black shorts. 

NFER Baseline Assessments

During the first few weeks of Reception, we will carry out NFER Baseline Assessments. These involve fun, practical activities led by an adult, which will give an overview of your child’s early skills in Maths, Literacy, Communication and Language. These assessments will help us plan for your child’s next steps in learning.

Please click here for more information.

Reception Curriculum Overview

What We Are Learning About - Spring 1

RELIGION

"In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth" (Genesis 1:1)

This half term in Religious Education, our topic is Branch 3: Galilee to Jerusalem. During this topic, the children will hear a range of Bible stories that help them begin to understand the life and work of Jesus.

The children will learn that Jesus is God’s Son, that he came for everyone, and that he loves and welcomes all people. We will listen to and talk about stories from the Bible, including Jesus Calls His First Followers, Jesus and the Little Children, Jesus Feeds the Five Thousand, and The Good Samaritan.

The children will explore these stories in a variety of engaging ways, such as role play, looking at pictures, painting, and creative craft activities, helping them to develop their understanding through play and discussion.

Our Prayer Garden

In our outdoor area, we have set up a prayer garden where the children will be encouraged to engage in prayer and worship. We will hold special celebration here, such as Harvest, Remembrance Day and the Crowning of Our Lady. 

Our topic for this half-term is "All around the world." Please click here   to see our Knowledge Organiser for this half term. 

 Maths

In Maths, we will learn how to compare length using the terms long and short, as well as longer and shorter, and longest and shortest. We will also begin exploring early addition by solving simple problems to find the total number of objects in two groups.

Useful Maths Websites:          

Topmarks

Whiterose Maths

Number Fun Portal

Cbeebies - Numberblocks

BBC Bitesize

ICT Games

In Communication, Language and Literacy, the children will continue to develop their early reading and writing skills. They will use key phonics strategies, including Fred Talk and Fred Fingers, to help them read and write simple words and sentences that match their phonics knowledge.

As part of our Around the World topic, we will enjoy sharing a range of stories and texts. These include Penguins, a non-fiction book that helps us learn facts about penguins, as well as the stories The Storm Whale in Winter and The Polar Bear and the Storm Whale. These texts will support the children’s understanding, vocabulary, and enjoyment of reading.

Useful Literacy and Communication Websites:         

Phonics Play

Vooks

Oxford Owls

Teach Handwriting

In Phonics, we are learning to read and write Set 1 sounds. When the children are confident with reading and writing these sounds on their own, they will move on to learning set 2/3 sounds. Children's Phonics knowledge is assessed every six weeks to ensure they are always in a Phonics group that is suitable for their ability.

We are encouraging children to use “pure sounds” as used in this video. Please share the video below with your child and encourage them to say these sounds out loud as often as possible.

Video: Parent video: How to say the sounds

It is really important that your child has the correct pencil grip for writing. Share this short video with your child to practise holding a pencil correctly. Encourage them to use their pinchy parrot fingers!

Healthy Teeth

At Christ the King, we want to promote the importance of good oral hygiene. We would appreciate it if you could share these videos with your child and talk about the importance of brushing your teeth in the morning and at night. You can also discuss how different foods and drinks can be good or bad for your teeth. With this in mind, please ensure your child only brings water and healthy snacks to school.

Video: The Boy Who Hated Toothbrushes 

Video: Top Toothbrushing Tips

Our visit from the Dental Nurse

The Dental Nurse is coming to visit our class this half term. She will teach us about how to keep our teeth healthy with our diet and cleaning routines.

 
Staying Safe

To promote safety around laundry and cleaning products, we are using the resource Staying Safe with Sam. In addition to reading different stories on this theme, we have been learning a chant to help the children remember what to do.

Children will receive a resource pack to take home for parents. This contains a mini storybook, an activity sheet, a poster copy, a fact sheet, and an 'I stayed safe with Sam' sticker.

Download the Staying Safe with Sam poster.