Reception 2023 - 2024

Welcome to our Reception Class (FS2) at Outwood,

On this page, you will find some information about our provision, curriculum, staff, newsletters, homework and you will be able to find out some of the exciting things we are doing.  Our Autumn topic is What Makes Me Me?

EYFS Team

Mrs Larkin (EYFS Lead)

Mrs Billings (HLTA)

Mrs Hardy (TA 4 days a week)

Miss Betts, Miss Tyrell Mrs Spilman (1-1 support)

If you would like a chat, please arrange a meeting with your class teachers at a convenient time. We are here for you. 

Our Provision

We have three classrooms in our provision where children enjoy a wide variety of learning opportunities.

Oak Tree Room - Nursery children’s point of drop off and collection, where children are registered and take part in the adult input of phonics, literacy, maths and topic.  This room enhances and develops children’s learning and experience using  sand, fine motor skills, water, playdough,  role-play, small-world resources, books, cars and roads, trains and tracks, writing, colouring, number opportunities and much more. 

Willow Tree Room - Reception children’s point of drop off and collection, where  FS2 children are registered and take part in the adult input of phonics, literacy, maths and topic.   This room has a variety of areas including maths, phonics,  reading, writing, wooden construction bricks, workshop (model making and art work), music plus so much more.

Outdoor Classroom:  Our outdoor classroom is used all year round. This large self-contained outdoor play area provides opportunities to experience learning in on a wider scale. 

Our Curriculum

Our rich, deep and ambitious curriculum focusses on developing children's knowledge across the seven areas of learning. 

We use Development Matters to structure our curriculum. Please see document below.

The prime and specific areas of learning in EYFS are:

Prime Areas of Learning
PSED: Personal, Social & Emotional Development
CL: Communication & Language
PD: Physical Development

Specific Areas of Learning
LD: Literacy Development
MD: Mathematical Development
UW: Understanding of the World
EAD: Expressive Arts & Design

General Reminders

Water Bottles

Please send your child to Reception with a labelled water bottle, filled only with WATER. We can refill them if needed throughout the day, but will send them home every night to be washed.

PE

Children have a sports coach every Friday morning from 10.00 - 11.00 am. This will support the children in their physical development. Please ensure they wear the appropriate P.E. kit and footwear which will be worn all day.

Coats and Wellies

Send your child to school with a waterproof coat and you can leave a labelled pair of wellies in the outdoor classroom. We go outside in all weathers to learn and explore!

You can send us a message on Class Dojo or speak to us directly, if you have any worries or concerns. We aim to work in partnership with you to ensure your child is happy at school and is making good progress.

Snack Fund

We ask for £5 for the half-term, to be brought in an envelope with your child's name.  The fund goes toward paying for special celebration snacks (EYFS are proud to celebrate all special occasions - Chinese New Year, Divali, Christmas, Pancake Tuesday, Easter - in fact most celebrations that are reflected in our multi-cultural society - and what better way than to do it through sharing food, music and times to be together).  We also use funds to buy ingredients for making fresh playdough and cook with the children, purchase seeds, bulbs, compost and planting pots during the year.

Homework

Set on Class Dojo - a termly challenge sheet for you to choose the topic areas from. Work completed at home should be shared either by uploading practical examples on Tapestry or sending work in. Eg. collection of Autumnal items. It can also be downloaded below. 

Reading

Once the children are settled into Reception.  As your child settles in to school, we will send home a reading book and blending books to practice blending sounds to enable reading. On the homework sheet, we include 'red words' for your child to learn to read on sight as these words cannot be phonetically sounded out. In Autumn 1, we will hold a meeting of how you can support your child's reading at home and will share Oxford Owl link with you for more advice. 

Curriculum

Our EYFS yearly overview which maps our curriculum coverage is detailed below/

Please see attached in the files the EYFS Statutory Framework

Important Websites to support children's development and wellbeing

https://hungrylittleminds.campaign.gov.uk/

https://www.startwellstockport.co.uk/

https://www.bbc.co.uk/tiny-happy-people

A fabulous document to support parents in understanding child development over the first 5 years and ways parents/carers can support this is higly recommended for you and is found in our link below. 

The Early Learning Goals for children at the end of Reception year are attached below.