Reception

Welcome to Reception

*Welcome to the Reception class of September 2024*

We are very excited to teach your children this year and we are looking forward to helping them in their learning and development.

At Our Lady and St Gerard’s we have a welcoming, nurturing and calm nursery classroom, where all the activities are easily accessible for our children. Our children are very independent and are able to choose activities and move around the classroom when they please. Within our setting, the children have access to both indoor and outdoor learning, offering endless possibilities throughout the range of different areas of learning. This can sometimes mean that they can come home wet and muddy – 'More mess, more fun' we say!

Communication:

Our main communication will be through ClassDojo. You should have had an email to help you to set up the app and create an account. This will be used to send reminders and celebrate children's achievements. We will also send homework activities and you can contact us through the messaging function. We encourage parents to share celebrations and achievements from home as well as homework tasks.

This year we are looking forward to guiding and supporting the children though their first year at school. In Reception, we have high expectations for the children in both their learning and behaviour. We have a positive and engaging environment for the children where respectful behaviour is encouraged and praised. In our class we ask that all children have a go and try their best in every task.

Phonics

In Reception, we use the ‘Phonic bug’ scheme to teach phonics on a daily basis.

We will be sending weekly reading books home with the children to further support the teaching of reading in class. We really value and appreciate all the support at home with the children’s learning and a strong relationship between home and school will lead to a very successful year for the children.

P.E. will be on Wednesday afternoons. All children will need a white PE t-shirt, navy shorts and pumps (to be left in school at all times.) They may also bring in navy or black tracksuit bottoms for the colder months. PE kits will be sent home at the end of each half term for washing. Please name everything, including pumps and shoes.

Our Early Years Curriculum

As an Early Years team, we have developed a wonderful curriculum which caters for our children's needs and interests. The overview below contains an outline of the topics we cover, but the content of the topics are adapted according to the needs and interests of our children. To find out more information about our EYFS curriculum please see the curriculum map below. Please note that our curriculum may be adapted and change throughout the school year to better suit the evolving needs of our children.

For more information on the new Early Years Curriculum, please go to our Early Years page.

If you have any questions or queries, please do not hesitate to contact us on ClassDojo

Thank you,

Miss Gornall and Mrs Rowcroft.