Reception

Welcome to Reception 2023-2024

We are looking forward to an exciting Autumn Term.

If you have any questions, you may find the answers you need below. If there is anything else you would like to ask or comment on, please speak to a member of staff in the mornings or at collection time.

Staff 

Mrs Carr  - R1 Class Teacher and Early Years Lead     

Mrs Bailey - R2 Class Teacher

Mrs Naylor - Teaching Assistant 

Mrs Cleaver - Teaching Assistant

Mrs Jason- Teaching Assistant

Timings for School Day from W.B.18.09.23 

• Monday to Thursday - 8:30am - 3:30pm
• Fridays - 8:30am - 1:30pm

Key Dates 

Dates for Autumn Term: 

• Animal Man in school - 2nd October
• Reception Outdoor Day - 3rd October
• Saint Edward's feast day (whole school celebration) -13th October
• INSET day- school closed to pupils - Friday 27th October
• Half term Monday 30th October - Sunday 5th November

Key Information 2023-2024

• PE Lessons for Reception will start after October Half Term. 
• Shared library books given out on a Monday to be returned the next Monday. 
• Phonics books will be sent out when your child is confident at blending the sounds taught. 
• All children to keep their reading diaries in their book bag daily so we can record when we have read with your child. 
• Homework will be sent out on a Monday to be returned the following Monday. It will be based on the phonics that will be taught that week.

Reception Phonics Homework 

W.B. 25.09.23

It has been another wonderful week in Reception and we are very pleased with how well the children have adapted to their new phonics lessons. We have started maths this week following the 'Mastery Number' scheme. The overview for the term can be found in above resource area. 

This week's learning included: 

Phonics: i, n, m, d and oral blending 

Number of the week: 1 

Nursery rhyme of the week: Dingle Dangle Scarecrow 

Word of the week: behind

Maths: subitising (instantly recognising the number of objects in a small group, without counting) up to 3. 

W.B. 18.09.23

Well done to the children for their first full week in school! This week the children began their first formal phonics lessons and have been learning the following phonemes (sounds) - s,a,t,p. We have been practising initial sounds and have used objects to match with the sound. The children have enjoyed sorting the objects. We have also practised forming the letters (graphemes) and we are assessing the children's name writing and pencil grip. 

Next week we look forward to beginning our mathematics lessons. We will be focusing on matching numerals to quantities (1-5) and also subitising (recognising amounts without counting) sets of objects up to 3. 

We have been learning the skills of how to be a good listener (looking at person speaking, staying quiet, sitting still, listening to all of the words) and have been playing lots of games to help with this. Our nursery rhyme of the week was 'Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes' and our concept of the week was last. 

W.B. 11.09.23

Well done to all our Reception children who had a fantastic first week in school. They are settling well into school life and have enjoyed exploring their new classrooms. The children have been working hard on making new friendships and are getting used to the daily routines in school. 
 

We are looking forward to next week as we will begin to teach phonics. The children will learn 4 new sounds in the week (s, a, p, t) and will be practising them throughout the week. The will also continue to learn key concepts. This week we discussed ‘first’ and next week they will learn ‘last.’ We use Word Aware and Concept Cat to support their understanding of key concepts.

This week our nursery rhyme of the week was - 1,2,3,4,5 Once I Caught a Fish.

Reception 2022-2023

This week we have been learning about bees and the importance of them. On Monday we celebrated World Bee Day with a visit from Mr Duffy and his bee hive. The children were able to see what the inside of a hive looks like and had the opportunity to taste honey. They also learnt about different types of bees and their roles in the hive.​​​​​​

This week we discussed the importance of looking after ourselves and keeping our bodies and minds healthy. We talked about things we enjoy doing and how they make us feel. The children enjoyed spending more time learning outdoors and had great fun on Thursday learning outdoors with their Year 5 buddy. They also enjoyed listening to music, dancing and singing. 

On Wednesday Reception held a prayer service in the hall to celebrate the life of St.Paschal Baylon and also the feast of the ascension. We were very proud of how well the children sang and also how eloquently they read their prayers. A big thank you to all of the parents and family members who attended.

On Tuesday Reception enjoyed a trip to Tamworth Castle as part of our learning about castles and how some people lived long ago. The children enjoyed spending time exploring different rooms in the castle and had fun listening to a story about Ruby the dragon. A big thank you to all of the parents and family members who volunteered to support the trip.

On Friday the children enjoyed celebrating King Charles III coronation. Their teddies joined them for dinner and we had fun learning facts about King Charles III. The children created crowns and gathered together to listen to the national anthem. 

On Tuesday we were visited by Phil who led a workshop all about planting and growing. The children enjoyed watching plants grow in slow motion, discussing their features (e.g. roots, stem and leaves) and finally planting their own peas. Each child will take a pot home and can update us on how they get on looking after it. 

For Italian Day the children dressed up in red,white and green to represent the flag of Italy. We looked at Italy on Google Earth and shared facts about this country. The children then enjoyed Italian food for lunch.

Week Beginning 17.04.23

This week it has been lovely to welcome the children back following the Easter break. They have been come back ready to learn and have enjoyed seeing their friends again. We hope they have had a wonderful break.
 

In phonics this week we have been assessing the children on their knowledge of phase 3 digraphs/trigraphs and their ability to read words containing them. They will continue to revise the sounds previously taught and are also learning new tricky words. Please support your child by practising correct letter formation and by reading/writing tricky words at homework. Weekly homework will provide the words that we are working on in school.

In mathematics we have been practising doubling number 1-5. The children have been using their fingers to show doubles and have also had fun doubling objects. They have been drawing doubles to show their understanding.

In RE we have been recapping the events of Holy Week and reading the Easter story from the Bible. The children have been role playing key events and discussing how people would have felt to see Jesus alive again.

On Thursday we had Outdoor Day. It was a great success and the children had great fun learning outdoors. We have begun our topic learning about  minibeasts and a lovely time completing a minibeast hunt and finding out about where they live. The children also enjoyed reading Superworm and making Wizard Lizard lairs and potions.

This half term we will be learning about minibeasts. We will be finding out about where they live, what they look like and what they can do. We will also be learning about plants. The children  will learn about how plants grow, some of their features and how to look after them.

Please see below details of the work set for the children during today's school closure.

For mathematics, we would like the children to continue their work comparing quantities using the stem sentences 'more than' and 'fewer than'. Example: Sam has more than Pat. Pat has fewer than Sam.

In phonics, we would like the children to consolidate this week's learning using the PowerPoint provided. This includes reading previously taught tricky words, graphemes and words that can be matched to a photograph. We have also included a Phase 3 revision PowerPoint to help the children practice the sounds they have already learnt. 

Linked to our topic on the farm, we have included a video of the text that we will be learning about next week 'What the Ladybird Heard' by Julia Donaldson. Talk to your child about who is in the story and where it is set. 

We hope you have fun in the snow and have a lovely weekend! Thank you for your continued support. 

Reception Spring Term

Outdoor Day - 30.1.23

During our Outdoor day the children had lots of fun learning about the Gruffalo. We went on a Gruffalo hunt around the forest then built new homes for fox, owl and snake.

In the afternoon we enjoyed learning about orienteering and followed the markers to see which animal from the story was hiding around school.

Spring 1- Week Beginning 16.1.23

This week we had a visit from the dentist on Monday to help us learn about how to keep our teeth healthy.

On Tuesday, we had a visit from Phil who was teaching us about how to protect the animals in our ocean. We used recycled materials to make our own beautiful fish to remind us how precious God's creation is. We finished off by making a beautiful display using recycled materials.

On Wednesday we enjoyed exploring the snow and what happens to water when it freezes in Winter.

On Thursday we continued our learning about the Sacrament of baptism by taking part in a role play. We learnt that when we are baptised we are welcomed into God’s family.

Our story of the week this week is the Gruffalo and we enjoyed learning the Gruffalo song to help us write descriptions of the Gruffalo.  Our word of the week was ‘after’ and we enjoyed singing the nursery rhyme Jack and Jill to demonstrate the word after. Our number of the week this week was number 9.

Spring 1 - Week Beginning 9th January 

It has been another busy week in Reception this week! On Monday, the children had the opportunity to meet fighters from the West Midlands Fire Service. They spoke to us about how they help people in our community and showed us their fire engine. They also talked about the equipment they use and why they need it. The children loved listening to them and enjoyed looking at the equipment and fire engine.

Spring 1 - Week beginning 4.1.23

It was lovely to welcome the children back after the Christmas break. The children enjoyed talking to us about their holidays and playing with their friends again. They have settled back in to our class routines and we are all looking forward to the new year ahead. 
 

In phonics we have been re-capping all of the sounds we have learnt so far and practising our tricky words. Please check your child’s book bag for the tricky word reading homework. We would really appreciate your support with helping your child to learn to read these words. In Maths we have begun to think about the whole of a number and parts of a number. We have discussed what parts can make a given number and have used unifix cubes and Numicon to demonstrate this.
 

Our word of the week this week was 'New'. We have learnt the Makaton sign for this and have talked about what new means in different contexts. In R.E. we have been making birthday cards for baby Jesus and retelling the Christmas story. We have also been practising saying our class prayers. 

Autumn 2 - Week Beginning 28th November 2022

This week we had fun meeting our Buddies on Friday as part of our Rudolph Run. The Year 5 children supported and took part in the run with reception. Thank you for your sponsorship and generosity. It is much appreciated and is going to a good cause that has helped many of the families in our school community. 

Our word of the week was 'Advent.' Advent is a time for preparing and getting ready for Jesus' birthday at Christmas. The children took part in an Advent craft afternoon and enjoyed making an advent wreath to decorate our classrooms. It was a lovely afternoon and we all enjoyed getting into the Christmas spirit. 

This week our nursery rhyme of the week was ‘Days of the Week.' In phonics we have been focusing on reading and writing words that have s on the end. 

In mathematics we have been focusing on the number 7. The children are practising subitising (recognising the number of things without counting), touch counting by lining the objects up, making Numberblock 7 and different representations of 7.

Autumn 2 - Week Beginning 21st November 2022

This week we have been learning all about owls and have enjoyed listening to our new class text 'Owl Babies.' The children have been joining in with the repeated refrains and have been talking about where the owls live. We have watched videos about different types of owls and explored an owl home in our investigation area. 

Our word of the week was 'different' and the children have also learnt the makaton sign for this. We talked about how we are all different but equal. The children discussed how their homes are different to the owls home. 

This week our nursery rhyme of the week was ‘Sing a Song of Six Pence'. In phonics we have been focusing on the following phonemes -  sh, th, ng and nk. The children are continuing to practise oral blending and how to independently read CVC words. The tricky word of this week was she, he, of and go.

In mathematics we have been focusing on the number 6. The children are practising subitising (recognising the number of things without counting), touch counting by lining the objects up, making Numberblock 6 and different representations of 6. We have also introduce one more and one less to the children using numbers 1-6. The children have introduced to the following vocabulary - one more, one less, amount, total, more and fewer. 

On Monday the children enjoyed watching some of England's first match in the World Cup. They had fun making flags and cheering on country. 

Autumn 2 - Week Beginning 14th November 

This week was Anti-Bullying and Road Safety Week. The children enjoyed learning about how we can be a good friend and how we can look after others in school. The children discussed examples of what makes a good friend and not a good friend. On Friday it was 'Friendship Friday' and we celebrated friendship throughout the day. We read stories about friendship e.g. Elmer and talked about how we are all different but can still be friends. The children created cards for their friends, shared toys and created their own Elmer based art work celebrating our friendships. It was a lovely day! 

During the week we also learnt about Road Safety. The children created posters, sang the Safe Cross Code and discussed how we can be safe by the road. We also learnt about the role of our lollypop lady Barbara. We also role played crossing the road safely - holding hands, stopping, looking and listening before crossing at a safe point. The children learnt about zebra/pelican crossings and the features of traffic and pedestrian lights. 

In phonics this week, we have been learning the following sounds - z, qu and ch. We have also been learning lots of new tricky words and been trying to remember them by sight. New tricky words this week included - no, go, to, into. The children are also learning to orally blend and read CVC words with s on the end. We have talked about reading the word first and then adding on the s. In mathematics we have been recapping our learning up to 5 and have been discussing what is the same or different when looking at amounts.

Our Nursery Rhyme of the Week was 'Five Currant Buns' and our Word of the Week was 'friend.'

Retreat Day - 15th November 2022

On Tuesday we were really lucky to have a whole school retreat day with Dan and Emily from OneLifeMusic. We really enjoyed learning about God's amazing creations. Our focus in Reception was on God's creation of land animals. We talked about all the creatures God had created and filled out our own creation booklets. We enjoyed coming together as a school to learn and sing new songs and take part in lots of fun quizzes!

Autumn 2 - Week Beginning 7th November 

This week we have begun our new topic of 'People Who Help Us.' We have been talking about who help and care for us at home. The children have shared lots of ways they are helped at home and have now started to think about people who help others as part of their job. On Thursday, the children visited the Children's Play Village in Warwick. They had the opportunity to role play lots of different occupations and think about all of the different people who help us. It was a wonderful trip and we would like to thank all of the parents who attended. The children had lots of fun and look forward to learning more about people who help us.

In phonics this week, we have been learning the following sounds - v, w, x and y. We have also been learning lots of new tricky words and been trying to remember them by sight. New tricky words this week included - and, has, his, her. The children are also learning to orally blend and read CVC words with s on the end. We have talked about reading the word first and then adding on the s. In mathematics we have been learning about number 5 and how to form the numeral. Our nursery rhyme of the week was linked to our mathematics learning and was 'Five Little Peas in a Pod.'

Our word of the week was last and was taught through using Concept Cat. The children enjoy using the Makaton sign and sharing their understanding of the concept 'last' throughout the week. 

Autumn 2 - Week Beginning 31st October 2022

This has been a very busy week! We have have been learning all about celebrations and have enjoyed talking about all of the different things we celebrate e.g. birthdays, Christmas and New Years. We learnt about different celebrations across the world and had fun learning about Diwali. On Monday we enjoyed our Diwali Dance Workshop and had fun learning a new dance routine.  Our word of the week was celebrations and the children have also learnt the makaton sign for this.

This week our nursery rhyme of the week was ‘Hey Diddle Diddle'. We have also enjoyed reading the story ‘Pumpkin Soup' and have been discussing friendship and all of the different things we would put in a soup of our creation. The children have been practising writing initial sounds and CVC words as part of lists. We are very proud of their writing and the effort all of the children have put in. In phonics we have been focusing on the following phonemes -  ff, ll, ss and j. The children are continuing to practise oral blending and how to independently read CVC words. The tricky word of this week was 'as.'

In mathematics we have been focusing on the number 4. The children are practising subitising (recognising the number of things without counting), touch counting by lining the objects up, making Numberblock 4 and different representations of 4. They have showed a keen interest in Numberblocks and have been enjoying learning about the number 4 through continuous provision and also adult led tasks.

On Thursday we had a visit from the Animal Man. The children had the opportunity to touch the beautiful animals that came to visit. We were so proud of how kind and respectful the children were towards the animals. Well done children!

Week 6 (W.B. 17th October)  - Happy Half Term! 

This week we concluded our topic of ‘Marvellous Me’.

We read the book 'Funnybones' and discussed the different parts of our skeletal system. The children enjoyed finding out about some of the bones in our bodies and had a go at labelling a skeleton using their phonics knowledge. We also talked about who the author of the book was and what other authors they have heard of. 

To support the children's language and vocabulary development we have been using 'Concept Cat.' Concept Cat is used to teach concept words daily. Concepts are words that shape how we think about the world and include words such as ‘different’, ‘many’ and ‘large’. Having a good understanding of concepts is fundamental for later learning in subjects such as mathematics, science and history. This week we focused on the concept of 'first' and reinforced the understanding of this concept through symbols, visual reminders, saying the word, singing and also application activities. 

In mathematics we have been learning the number 3 and have been exploring what 3 means. The children have enjoyed looking at different representations of 3 and have been ordering numbers and subitising amounts. Our Nursery Rhyme of the Week was also linked to number 3  and was 'Three Blind Mice.' In phonics we have been learning the following phonemes - h, b, f and l. The tricky word of the week was 'the.' 

As we come to the end of a busy half term, we want to say a big well done to all the children. They have all worked really hard this term and we are so proud of their resilience, creativity and enthusiasm to learn. Have a wonderful break everyone and we will see you soon!

Autumn 1 - Week 5 (W.B. 10th October)

This week our nursery rhyme of the week was ‘Two Little Dickie Birds.’ We have also enjoyed reading the story ‘You Choose' and have been discussing the different choices we make every day. We talked about good choices and choices that are not so good. The children also discussed imaginative choices e.g. If you could choose any pet in the world what animal would you choose? In phonics we have been focusing on the following phonemes -  ck (rock that sock), e, u and r. The children are continuing to practise oral blending and how to independently blend CVC words. The tricky word of this week was 'I.'

In mathematics we have been focusing on the number 2. The children are practising subitising (recognising the number of things without counting), touch counting by lining the objects up, making Numberblock 2 and different representations of 2. We encourage the children to show their understanding through both adult and child led activities.

Throughout the week the children have been practising for their Blessing Mass, which took place on Thursday in St Edward's Church. We have been so proud of the children's effort and behaviour during practice and the Blessing itself. They have worked hard to learn new songs with Makaton, created some beautiful paintings and read well with their Year 5 Buddy. A big thank you to all of the parents and family members that supported by attending and also walking to church with us. It was a very special occasion. 

Also this week the children enjoyed their first Outdoor Day. We spent part of the day in the school forest and explored this new environment. The children took part in a range of activities (e.g. leaf hunt, leaf rubbings, creating leaf/nature animals and characters, making the numerals/letters using natural resources and also playing in the mud kitchen) and demonstrated good team work skills. It was a lovely way to spend a Monday! 

Outdoor Day - Monday 10th October

Reception have Outdoor Day on Monday 10th October and will be spending part of the day in the Forest School. The children can come to school in their own clothes and can also wear wellies/trainers with spare footwear (e.g. school shoes/trainers) in a bag for when they are indoors. Please ensure that your child is dressed appropriately for being outdoors. 

For example: 

•  Old t-shirt or comfortable long sleeve top
•  Wellingtons or sturdy trainers
•  Waterproof trousers or spare trousers (i.e. jogging bottoms - PE kit joggers are fine)
•  Waterproof jacket/ Warm fleece/ Warm coat if the weather is cold

Spare clothing can also be brought into school in a bag so your child can  be changed during the day if necessary.

Autumn 1 - Week 4 (W.B. 3rd October)

A big well done to our Reception and Year 5 children who were fantastic during our Buddy Assembly on Wednesday. We were so proud of your beautiful singing, signing and impeccable behaviour. It has been lovely to watch the children interacting with each other and creating such positive friendships. The children are looking forward to meeting their Buddy again next week for the Reception Blessing. Thank you to all of the parents, carers and family members who attended the assembly; it was lovely to have your support!

This week our nursery rhyme of the week was ‘Wind the Bobbin Up’ and our Makaton sign of the week was ‘good afternoon.’ We have also enjoyed reading the story ‘Little Acorn’ and have begun exploring signs of autumn around our school. We have created nature tables in our classrooms and have been learning to use magnifying glasses correctly to examine our autumn treasure.  In phonics the children have begun learning the following sounds: g, o, c and k and have brought home phonics homework to be completed by next Thursday - 13th October. The tricky word taught this week was 'is.' Tricky words are read by sight and do not need to be sounded out. We would appreciate any support you can give with helping your child with phonics. 

In mathematics our Number of the Week is number one. We have been learning about the ‘oneness of one’ and how we can represent this number e.g. using our fingers, on a tens frame, on a number line and through Numberblocks. The children have also been practising touch counting and have been helping our class puppets to touch each object as they count, saying the number aloud. We have been practising lining the objects up to support accuracy in our counting.

We have also started our RE unit on Creation. The children have been learning about the Bible and how it is a special book containing stories about God and Jesus. We have been discussing God’s creations and have been on a walk around our school looking for all of the things God created in nature. The children have also been practising for their upcoming blessing in church. They have been learning the sign of the cross and have been practising genuflecting too. We would really appreciate if you could support at home with practising the sign of the cross.

Autumn 1- Week 3 (W.B. 26th September)

It has been another wonderful week in Reception. The children have had an opportunity to meet with their Year 5 buddy again and have enjoyed sharing books with them. We have also been practising for our Buddy Assembly which will take place on Wednesday 5th in the hall at 3pm.

This week the children  have enjoyed learning our Nursery Rhyme of the week: 'Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes' and listening to lots of stories. The children have begun learning the following sounds: i, n, m and d and have brought home phonics homework to be completed by next Thursday - 6th October. We would appreciate any support you can give with helping your child with phonics. 

Autumn 1- Week 2 (W.B. 19th September)

This week the children  have enjoyed learning our Nursery Rhyme of the week: '1,2,3,4,5 Once I caught a fish alive' and listening to the story 'We're going on a Bear Hunt'. We had great fun acting out the story and making our own sound effects. The children have  begun learning the following sounds: s,a,t and p and have brought home phonics homework to be completed by next Thursday - 29th September. We would appreciate any support you can give with helping your child with phonics.

The children are more becoming more settled and even had a tour of the rest of the school.

We have introduced the children to the Year 5 children who will become their buddies and we are looking to the Buddy Assembly on Wednesday 5th October at 3pm in the school hall. This will be an opportunity for them to formally meet their buddy who they will get to know and work with during the year. Parents are welcome to attend the assembly.

Autumn 1 - Week 1 (W.B. 12th September)

The children have had a fantastic first week in Reception. We are very proud of how quickly they have settled into the classroom routines and it is lovely to observe how confident the children have been. They are already showing great independence in the classroom and enthusiasm to try new things. We look forward to seeing them all again on Tuesday and hope they have a wonderful weekend. 

Welcome to Reception 2022-2023

We are looking forward to an exciting Autumn Term.

If you have any questions, you may find the answers you need below. If there is anything else you would like to ask or comment on, please speak to a member of staff in the mornings or at collection time.

Staff 

Mrs Carr  - R1 Class Teacher and Early Years Lead     

Mrs Bailey - R2 Class Teacher

Miss Jones - Teaching Assistant 

Miss Akhtar - Teaching Assistant

Timings for School Day 

• Monday to Thursday - 8:30am - 3:30pm
• Fridays - 8:30am - 1:30pm

Literacy

We will teach a daily phonic session using the Little Wandle Letters and Sounds Revised phonics programme. The children will learn 4 new phonemes (sounds) per week. The sessions will start with a recap of the phonemes  already taught and then will have a new one introduced. We will read, write and use the phonemes to make simple CVC words. Once your child is confident at blending to read we will share a decodable book with your child that can be practised at home. 

We will practise letter formation and encourage children to become independent writers.  Please encourage your child to use lower case letters when writing their name, with the initial letter only, a capital.

We will be reading daily to encourage a love of books. We will be looking at the characters and settings in each story and discussing the  structure of the stories. Your child will bring home a library book every week on a Friday (to be returned on a Thursday). We will expect that this book is shared during the week and a note added to their reading record. 

Mathematics

In Reception we will be working on numbers to 10. We are exploring number knowledge and making sure the children are secure in the basic mathematic concepts.  By concentrating on these the children will have a secure base on which to build on. The children will be counting, adding, subtracting and subitising. We will also be looking at patterns, shapes, measure and time.

General information

We would like to take this opportunity to inform/remind you of some key information.

• On a normal week children should arrive between 8:30-8:40am and are to be collected at 3:30pm, except on a Friday as there is early collection at 1:30pm. Please notify the school office if your child is going to be absent due to illness.
• A Walking Bus meets at St Paul's Convent at 8:10am every morning. 
• Earrings are not allowed in school.
• Please write your child's name on their uniform and spare clothing. Spare clothing can be left on your child's peg in the classroom.
• PE lessons will not begin for Reception children until later in the term.
• A £20 donation for Reception resources/ replenishments would be greatly appreciated. This can be paid in cash to the front office or into the school account. 
• Bank account name: St Edward’s Catholic Primary School Fund Account number: 20197068 Sort code: 20-08-64

We would like to thank you for your support are very much looking forward to working with you and your child.

Reception Team 

​​​​

​​

The year that was 2021-22!

Welcome to the Reception web page 2021-22

On here you will find lots of information about our weekly routines and details about the exciting learning that will be taking place both indoors and outdoors this term. 

The Reception year is a very exciting time for both parents and children. During this year we will all work together to ensure that your child has a wonderful learning experience and reaches their full potential in all aspects of the curriculum.

At St Edward's we aim to provide a fun, exciting learning environment for the children where they can feel confident to make their own choices, take risks and be independent. Children will have the opportunity to build on their nursery and home experiences and take part in a wide variety of multi-sensory activities in both the classrooms and outdoors. Learning opportunities are planned around different themes as well as the children's interests, with lots of practical experiences. They will be provided with a balance between adult and child led activities. Visits and visitors help enrich the curriculum and parents are encouraged to play an active role in their child's learning. 

We hope your child's first year at school will be both rewarding and enjoyable. If you have any questions or worries please don't hesitate to come and speak to the Reception staff!

Our Reception team will all work together to ensure all the  children are happy, engaged, supported and challenged.

Preparing your child for homework...

To help your child with their home learning you can:

• Plan a homework timetable for your child and agree the time they will complete it;
• Provide a quiet place at home to be used as a homework area and ensure it has a good light source;
• Provide all the required equipment to complete the homework, such as pens, pencils, notebooks, etc.;
• Provide your child with something nutritious to eat before starting their homework to ensure they have enough energy to complete the task;
• Turn off the TV and put aside any potential distracting devices to increase their concentration;
• Discuss any homework tasks with your child and how this relates to what they have learned at school;
• Do not help your child by giving them the answer; instead, explain or model how to complete the task in order to reach their own conclusions;
• Try to make their homework as engaging as possible, as a fun activity that they would look forward to;

Reception Homework 8/7/22

Next week the children will be taking part in a prayer service to thank God for all the wonderful things we have done this year. We would like the children to draw a picture and write about their favourite memory from this year. You may want to show them the photos on the web page to jog their memories.

Thank you for your continued support.

Reception Homework 27.6.22

Our homework this week is linked to Science Week in school. We would like the children to find out what they can about our class scientist Professor Brian Cox. They can draw pictures write and write sentences to show us what they have found out.

We would also like the children to continue to access their online reading books.

Thank you for your support.

Reception homework 20.6.22

This week we would like you to complete the resource sheets associated with the reading book your child has been set.

You will need to Login to your child's account on Collins ebooks, using the details provided by the teachers. The resources can be accessed by clicking on the 3 small dots in the bottom right corner of the book tab (see below)

Please also continue with correct number formation.

Thank you for your support.

Reception Homework 13/6/22

This week we would like the children to focus on correct formation of their letters and numbers, ready for Year 1. We have attached sheets below to help you see where each should start and finish. We would also like the children to read at least one of the books we have set on the online reading scheme. If you have any problems with this please let us know.

Thank you for your support.

Reception Homework- May Half Term

Over the holidays we would like the children to continue to make decorations for our Commonwealth display in class- R1 have England and R2 have Scotland.

We would also like to see the different ways that the children celebrate the Jubilee at home with their families. Please send us any photos of your celebrations to the year group email:  yearrec@stedward.bham.sch.uk.

If you have any problems accessing the new online reading system, please let us know and we will do our best to fix it for you. We would love to know your thoughts on the new system, good or bad, and you can send us these by email also

Many Thanks

The Reception Team

Reception homework 23/5/22

In preparation for learning about the Commonwealth Games, we will be joining the rest of the school and decorating our classrooms on Friday. We would like the children to prepare some decorations at home to help us win ‘best classroom’. R1 have England and R2 have Scotland. Please research the flags and colours of these countries to help the children design their decorations.

Reception homework 20/5/22

This week we would like the children to Ruby the dragon to say thank you for letting us visit Tamworth Castle. We would like them to tell Ruby what their favourite part of the day was and what they learnt. They make want to take a look at the photographs in our weekly round up below to remind them about the day and to help them talk to you about it. Remember we are looking for capital letters, full stops and correctly formed letters.

Reception Homework 2.5.22

As we are not in school on Monday we have already uploaded the homework for this week. We would like the children to retell the story of Monkey Puzzle, using their phonics sounds and tricky words. They should know the story really well, as we have been practicing it for our performance, but we have included some pictures below to help them if needed.

Reception Easter Homework

Reception Homework 28.3.22

Reception Homework 21.3.22

Reception homework 14.3.22

Reception Homework 7.3.22

Phonics workshop for parents

Thank to all the parents who attended today. We hope you found it useful and we know the children really enjoyed showing you their classroom. 

Here is a copy of the power point we used in the session.

Reception Medium Term Planning Spring 2

Reception Medium Term Plan Summer 1

Reception Medium Term Planning Summer 2

Reception Summer Term weeks 9 and 10

We have been incredibly busy in school over the last 2 weeks.  We really enjoyed taking part in school Sports Day on Thursday. The children were amazing and showed real determination and enthusiasm.

This week the children celebrated a beautiful Mass with the new parents for September. It was a lovely way to offer thanks to God for our year together and welcome our new families into the Saint Edward's school family. 

In RSE we enjoyed going on a treasure hunt to look for pictures to remind us that God loves us all.

In Maths and Literacy we have been consolidating the skills we have learnt over the course of the year, making sure we are all ready for Year 1 in September.

Reception Summer Term week 8

This week we have been celebrating Science Week in school. We took part in a whole school investigation using biscuits. Our jobs as scientists was to discover what would happen to the Gingerbread Man if he got stuck in the rain. We made predictions, completed the test and talked about what happened. "He's gone all mushy and soggy." " We can't eat him now, he's too squidgy."

We then linked this into our Forest School lesson where we tested materials to see f they were waterproof and built shelters to keep him safe. We also enjoyed joining in with the story. "Run, run as fast as you can, you can't catch me I'm the Gingerbread Man!".

In Maths, we used the rhyme 10 Fat Sausages to help us make representations of 10, using the stem sentence " 10 is made from___ and ___"

As it was also Refugee Week in school, we focused on the book 'My Name is Not Refugee' by Kate Milner. We discussed what we would take in our backpacks and how we could make people joining our school feel welcome.

Summer Term Weeks 6 and 7

Wow, we have had an incredibly busy start to the half term. 

The children have been learning lots about the Queen's jubilee and  who the Queen is and why she is important. We had lots of fun celebrating our jubilee picnic with the whole school last Thursday. 

We have also been celebrating Art Week in school and the children created their own portraits of the queen and learnt about the famous artist Mondrian. We used his work as inspiration for our own artwork using the Queen's head as an outline. We liked the colours and shapes that he used in his pictures.

In Maths we have been using the song '5 Naughty Monkeys' to help us think about the composition of number 5. We have used tens frames, dice patterns and part-part-whole models to represent the different ways to make 5.

In RE we enjoyed learning about the celebration of Pentecost. We made our own flames and then took them outside to see what happened in the wind. We also looked in the forest for a safe place for the Disciples to wait in safety for the Holy Spirit. 

Summer Term week 5

This week the children have been writing about our trip to Tamworth castle and learning about Buckingham Palace and making comparisons between the two. In Maths we have been learning to count sets of objects beyond 10 and thinking about the different strategies we could use to help us to count them all. 

We have continued to read the story 'George and the Dragon' and written descriptions of the dragon.

On Thursday we had our final session with Villa coach James and we used balloons to work on all the skills we have learnt over the last term. It was great fun!

On Friday we began our work learning about the Commonwealth Games and made flags for our class countries- England and Scotland.

We hope that the children , and their families have a wonderful half term break and that the weather is kind to us over the Bank Holiday weekend. We would love to see photos of your celebrations!

Summer term week 4

This week the children had a wonderful week exploring the world around them.

On Tuesday we had outdoor day where the children became scientists and explored different materials. When we got into the forest we found a dragon's egg with a note asking us to take care of it and keep it safe. The children then had to explore different materials to see which would keep the egg safe. They made their own clay dragons, describing what was happening to the clay as they worked with it, and looked for natural materials in the forest to make their own brooms to keep the nest clean.

On Friday we went on a trip to Tamworth Castle. We had a great day learning about the castle and looking for Ruby the dragon. We followed the trail of gems and dragon scales and eventually found her hiding in the bedroom. We even found a dragon poo or two on the way!

The children were very well behaved and a credit to the school. We would like to thank the parents who came with us and supported us on the trip, we hope you had fun too.

Have a lovely weekend.

The Reception team

Summer Term Week 2

This week was only a short week, with the Bank holiday and voting day, but we still managed to pack a lot in. On Tuesday we learnt about Eid and some of the children in Reception taught us how they had celebrated with their families.

On Wednesday the children did an amazing job in their performance of the Monkey Puzzle story for our assembly. We hope the adults who came to watch enjoyed it as much as we did.

Summer Term week 1

The children have made a great start to the Summer term and we loved reading the homework that the children brought in of their 'Adventures with Chickstick.'. Well done to all the children who have sent theirs in you will get a treat next week and there is still time for homework to be handed in next week.

In phonics this week we have been reading writing adjacent consonants in words and sentences.

In Maths we have been learning about doubles and how to duble a number by adding the same number again.

In RE we talked about how we celebrate Easter with our Families and learnt about the Resurrection.

In PSED, we re-visited our Safe guarding hands and chose our 5 people in school that can help us if we need it.

We have been working hard on our performance of Monkey Puzzle and can't wait to show it to you next week. (Wednesday  at 2.30)

Today we took part in our sponsored move completing 14 different activities for 1 and a half minutes each. It was hard work but the children didn't give up and we were very proud of their determination.

Thank you to the parents from Mrs Bailey's class who came in to join us this week, we hope you enjoyed it and found it useful. We would really appreciate if you could complete the survey that has been sent to you to give us your views.

We hope you have a lovely long weekend.

The Reception Team

Spring Term -week 1

We were so excited to welcome the children back to school this week and hear all their wonderful holiday news.

In Phonics we have been revisiting the digraphs 'ck', 'll', 'ss' and 'ff' and using the sounds to write new words.

In Maths we have been working on our subitising skills and we are getting quicker at recognising how many there are in a small set without having to count.

In R.E we learnt about the Christmas story and who were the first visitors to see Baby Jesus. We also celebrated the Feast of the Epiphany by learning about the 3 Wise Men.

When it snowed, on Thursday, we went outside to see what it felt like then we came inside and made our own snow scene pictures using chalks.

In PSED we thought about our safe-guarding hands and named 5 adults in school who could help us if we were feeling sad or worried about something.

What a busy 3 days we have had!

Have a lovely weekend. The Reception Team

Spring term week 2

This week the children have been really interested in cake sales. They were making cakes in the playdough, designing posters and even making our own money to buy the cakes. The children would like to follow this up by having a real cake sale next Monday. Please send your child into school with 50p and some cakes to sell (NO NUTS PLEASE due to allergies)

In phonics were learnt the tricky word 'has' and the sounds j, v and w. Please help us to practice these in our homework.

In Maths we have been learning about number 5  and singing the ryhme '5 Little Peas in a Pea Pod Pressed'. Can the children show you 5 at home?

In English we have started reading the book 'The Snail and the Whale' by Julia Donaldson. We talked about the 2 characters in the story and learnt some facts about whales.

In Music we had fun listening to some African 'Call and repeat' songs to celebrate the African festival of Kwanzaa. We  make our own drums to join in with music. It was wonderful and loud!

In Forest school the children exlpored what had happened to the ground in the cold weather. They were investigating the ice and the patterns in it.

Spring Term week 4

Another amazing week where the children have worked very hard.

In Phonics, we were practicing the tricky words we have learnt so far. We were also learning the digraphs qu, ch, sh and th. We learnt to recognise the sounds, read them in words and write them in short sentences.

In Maths, the children were introduced to the words 'part' and 'whole'. We talked about how some parts can be moved and some can't. The children learnt the stem sentence 'my____ is a part of me and the whole of me is______'. Can the children find any toys at home that have parts that can be joined to make a whole?

In Literacy, we have been looking at the book Handa's Surprise. We have thought about how Handa's home is different and similar to ours. We also looked at the fruits in Handa's basket  and investigated them using our senses.

In Forest school this week the children learnt about the different animals we might find living in our  forest. They looked at the types of houses these animals live in and what they are made of. Then they worked together to build their own animal homes, choosing a sensible and safe place to build it and thinking carefully about the materials they would need.

In Art, we began looking at spiral patterns. We learnt how to make a spiral without taking our pen off the page. We made large scale spirals in  the air, then used our fine motor skills to create our own spirals on paper. We had lots of fun.

In Music, we learnt about the Jewish celebration of Hannukah. We listened to the different instruments we could hear in the music and learnt a traditional Jewish dance called the Hora. We had lots of fun dancing in time to the music.

Please remember to send your child in with a coat and hat for our walk around the local area on Monday. Also, another reminder that Forest school is now on TUESDAY afternoon, instead of FRIDAY and children should come to school in their P.E kit (including trainers) with their wellies for Forest School in a seperate bag (if not already left in school).

Many thanks for your support.

Have a lovely weekend.

The Reception Team

Spring Term week 5

The children started this week with a walk around our local area to look at the buildings and landmarks around our school. The children were looking closely at what they could see all around them. Thank you to the adults who came with us and helped us stay safe on our journey. 

When we got back to school, we worked together to make our maps of the route.

On Tuesday, we learnt about Chinese New Year. We learnt about some of the ways people celebrate the festival around the world and created our own dragon dances in the hall.

On Wednesday it was our Year group Mass. The children celebrated the Feast of Candlemas with Father Denis  and were respectful and reverent throughout.

In Phonics we have learnt the tricky word 'he' and the sounds 'oa, ai and igh.' Please help your child to practise reading and writing words with these sounds in them.

In Maths, we continued our work on the composition of numbers and looked at different ways of making the same number ,thinking about the whole number and it's parts.

In Forest school, we built on our work from last week about animal habitats and looked for suitable materials to build a nest for the owls in 'Owl Babies.'

As you can see, it was another super busy week and the children have worked very hard and deserve a rest this weekend!

See you on Monday, the Reception Team

Spring Term Week 6

In Phonics this week we have been learning the sounds ar, or, and oo. We practised writing the sounds and writing them in words and sentences.

In Maths we have been thinking about what the word 'equal' means and showing an equal number of objects to the number shown. We have also learnt how to count things that can't be fixed, for example jumps, claps, hops etc.

In Art we continued our work on Spirals by looking at Matisse's 'The Snail and using his paper cutting technique to create our own snails. We also read the story 'Matisse's Magical Trail' and talked about how we can all be artists.

To celebrate Children's Mental Health week we read the story 'The Very Hungry Caterpillar' and talked about how the caterpillar grew and changed. We then thought about how we have grown since we were babies and the things we have learnt to do. We also talked about things that we enjoy doing and chose our favourite dances to copy on the whiteboard.

It was Safer Internet day on Tuesday and we started the day by taking part in an assembly led by the Year 6 Digital Leaders . We discussed what we like to use the internet for and how we can keep ourselves safe online. We learnt what a 'pop-up' is and what we should do if we see one on our computer.

In English we continued our work on Handa's Surprise by learning about the country that Handa lives in and comparing it to where we live.

Phew! What a jam-packed week of learning!

We look forward to seeing all the children again on Monday.

REMINDER: school Photographs will take place on Tuesday and children should wear FULL WINTER uniform. We will be having outdoor day on Thursday this week instead.

Spring week 7

Love was well and truely in the air this week in Reception as we learnt about Valentine's Day by reading the story 'Guess How Much I Love You'. We talked about the people who love us  and made cards for them.

In Phonics we have learnt  the 'oo, oi and ur' digraphs and the tricky word 'was'.

In Maths we have been increasing our speed at subitising a standard arrangement of dots. We sang the song '5 elephants went out to play on a spider's web' and practised our number recognition.

We had a wonderful outdoor day on Thursday exploring Winter themed activities, focussing on ice and it's properties. In the afternoon, we moved into looking for signs of Spring. We found some daisies, flower buds, insects and a nest.

In Literacy we learnt about speech bubbles and wrote down what we thought Handa and her friend Akeyo might be saying.

We also enjoyed using the computer to make fruit kebabs for Handa and using our fine motor skills to weave new baskets for Handa.

We hope the children have a lovely rest for half term and we can't wait to see the children's costumes for World Book Day on Thursday 3rd. 

Many Thanks

The Reception Team

Spring Week 8

It was lovely to see the children back again after the half term holidays and what a busy first week we had!

On Tuesday, we celebrated Pancake day by talking about why it is a special day. We read the story 'Mr Wolf's Pancakes' and had our own pancake races outside.

On Wednesday, we marked the start of the beginning of Lent by watching Mass and receiving our ashes in school. We wrote our own Lenten Promises to help us prepare for Easter.

On Thursday, we had lots of fun celebrating World Book Day. The children looked amazing in their costumes and enjoyed talking about their favourite characters.

We had our first coaching session with James from Aston Villa where we were moving like the Animals in our story 'Monkey Puzzle.  We also spent time reading stories with our friends.

We hope the children have a lovely weekend and look forward to seeing them again on Monday.

The Reception Team

Spring Week 9

In Forest School this week the children worked in teams to make rain gauges and decide where would be the best place to put them to collect the rain. How much rain will be in there when we check on them next week? We also spotted more signs of Spring as the flowers start to grow.

On Friday we had our first trip to the infant library. The children were very excited to choose their books and read them with their friends. Please can the children bring them back ready to change for a new book next Friday.

In R.E lessons we have been thinking about the wonderful world God created for us and the gifts he has given us. 

In PSED we started talking about the war in Ukraine and prayed for peace as soon as possible.

Spring Term week 10

This week the children were learning the rhyme '5 Little Men in their Flying Saucers' to help them to understand the composition of 5 and then the die frames to see how we can share '5 and a few more' on to the frames.

In RE, we wrote our sorry prayers to show that we are thinking carefully about our Lenten preparations.

In Forest School we made Spring vases and then collected signs of Spring to put into them.

Reminder next Friday is Fancy dress day. The children can come to school dressed as either a princess or superhero and bring in £1 to go to our Lenten charities.

Spring Term Week 11

This week has been a really fun week in Reception. 

In science, linked to Science week, we made and evaluated our own smoothies, thinking about the fruits we put into them and where they came from.

In Forest school we had great fun working as a team to build our own

obstacle courses. The grown ups then tested them to make sure they were stable.

In Maths we have been learning about numbers 6 and 7 and how they are made. We learnt the stem sentences " 5 and one more is 6", " 5 and 2 more is 7."

In Phonics we have been increasing our reading and  writing speed and writing words with adjacent consonants in them such as 'st' and 'nk'. 

Spring Term weeks 12 and 13

Wow! We have had an incredibly busy last two weeks of the term! 

We have been learning all about the events of Holy Week and learnt about why Easter is such a special celebration for us. 

In Outdoor day on Tuesday we worked in teams to make our own free-standing structures. Teams were given points for creativity, teamwork and how stable the structures were. Well done to the winning team.

We enjoyed taking part in the Easter Bonnett Parade this week, showing off our wonderful creations. Thank you to the parents who came to support us and help raise money  for our Lenten charities.

We would also like to thank the parents from Mrs Hill's class who came in this week to see their children's work and help the children with their learning. Mrs Bailey is looking forward to welcoming her parents in after the holidays.

On behalf of all the Reception Team we would like to wish you all a happy and healthy Easter holiday and we look forward to seeing you all back on Monday 25th April

Reception week 1

The Reception children have had a wonderful first week in school, full of fun and excitement.

We have experienced smiles, laughter, fun and a few tears, which quickly disappeared once the children were in school.

We are extremely proud of the way that they have settled in and begun to form friendships, that will help them to grow and learn together in the future.

The children deserve a rest with some family time over the weekend and we look forward to welcoming them all back again on Monday.

Reception week 2 

The children have had a great second week in school. They are beginning to make more new friends and try new activities.

We have been learning about 'Ourselves' and talking about the people in our families. We enjoyed using the Play-dough to make portraits of people in our family.

Reception Week 3

This week the children have been learning how to make self-portraits. We have been looking closely at ourselves in the mirror and talking about what we can see. We discussed skin colour and the children were sensitive to the differences between us. The children enjoyed mixing the paint to get just the right shade.

We also listened to a story about Noah and the Great Flood after we had our own flood in the classroom.

Targets for next week: 

Please help your child to practice putting on their own coat and doing up the zip.

Please be aware that we have a number of children  in unit with allergies so please check carefully the labels on the food you send in your child's lunchbox. The allergies are nuts and cows milk. Thank you

Reception week 4

We have had a really busy week in Reception this week. We started off the week with a wonderful African dance workshop where all the children enjoyed learning a new dance routine and dancing in time to the music.

In RE we have been learning about Jesus' family and comparing them to our own families. We talked about how our families show love and care for us and how we can show love and care to them.

We have also been busy learning about our senses. We went on a senses walk around the school and used our sense of taste to see if we could guess the flavour of the baby food!

Reception Week 5

What a busy week we have had in Reception!

We have begun our daily phonics sessions and the children have learnt the sounds 's', 'a' and 't', the tricky word 'I' and the high frequency word 'a'. We explained to the children that when you see 'a' in a word it's a sound and when it is on it's own it is the HFW 'a' Please help you child to spot objects that begin with these sounds in your home and, when reading stories, encourage them to identify the difference between 'a' in a word and 'a' in a sentence.

We have worked hard on our 1:1 correspondence, encouraging children to touch and move each object as they are counting.

The highlight of our week was celebrating St. Edward's day on Wednesday where we learnt some facts about him and the children have created a wonderful display of artwork based on him.

Reception Week 6

This week the children made us extremely proud as we went on our first school trip to The Black Country Living Museum. They behaved beautifully, asking lots of questions about what they could see, and we have all learnt about homes from the past so that we can compare them to our own homes. We even learnt what it was like in a Victorian school and some of our teachers got told off for wearing nail polish! Thank you to all the adults to came with us and helped us on our trip.

We hope you all have a restful half term and look forward to seeing you all after the holiday.

Reception week 7

This week we have had another busy week full of learning and fun. We started the week with our buddy assembly and really enjoyed getting to meet our Year 5 buddies. We are looking forward to them coming to work with us every week.

In RE we have been learning about the sacrament of Baptism and how we receive the light of Jesus to share with other through our good choices. 

Linked to the topic of light, we also learnt about the Hindu festival of Diwali and enjoyed making our own colourful Rangoli patterns. 

We also enjoyed using LOTS of glitter to make our fireworks pictures and talked about the fireworks that we had seen with our families.

Please can we ask that any parents who haven't returned their reply slips for our open sessions return them on Monday thank you. Have a lovely weekend.

The Reception Team

Week 8 8.11.21

This week the children were really excited to show their grown ups how hard they have been working in class. Thank you to all the parents who attended our phonics and reading workshop, and for the feedback you gave us, we hope you found it useful and enjoyed spending time with your child.

In phonics, we have been learning the sounds 'g', 'o' and 'c' and the tricky word 'no'.

In Maths this week, we took our learning outside to see where we could find numbers. We were surprised to see that numbers are all around us.

The children learnt about Remembrance Day by watching a video from CBeebies and talking about how the soldiers would have felt.

On Friday, it was our first Forest School session and the children thoroughly enjoyed being outside and exploring more of our wonderful school grounds. The children worked together to build homes and obstacles courses. We also enjoyed having our snack and milk outside.

Please can we ask that all children have a spare pair of shoes to change into after Forest School for next week. Thank you. Have a lovely weekend. The Reception Team 

Week 9 15.11.21

This week the children have been learning the sounds k,ck and e in our Phonics lessons. We are trying really hard to use the sounds we know to help us with our reading and writing.

In Maths we have been looking at the composition of numbers and learning the stem sentences " 1 and another 1 makes 2" and "1 and 1 and 1 makes 3". We then looked for collections of objects to show 2 and 3.

We were very lucky to have 2 outdoor days this week and the children thought about the message of anti-bullying week 'One kind word'. We thought about how we could be kind to each other in the forest and what we could make to be kind to the fairies that are hiding in the forest. We decided to make them some new magic wands.

In PSED we also talked about Road Safety Week and how important it is to be safe.

Week 22.11.21

This week the children walked to Saint Edward's Church to look at all the different artefacts and talk about the role of Father Denis in the Church.

In Phonics, we learnt the new sounds 'b', 'r' and 'h' and practised reading and writing words with them in.

In Maths we were think in about the numbers 3 and 4 and how they can show the numbers in different ways with the objects.

The children have continued to show an interest in fairies and have enjoyed making fairy puppets and writing letters to the fairies.

This Sunday marks the start of the season of Advent, please talk to your child about how we can celebrate Advent at home.

Have a lovely weekend. The Reception team

Week 6.12.21

In Phonics this week we have been learning the sounds 'f,ff,l,and ll'. The children have worked really hard to write words with these sounds in.

In Maths, we having been using the stem sentence '........ has more than....'. Can you practice this at home by sharing out the toys to see who has more.

We have been getting ready for Christmas by making lots of secret Christmas crafts which we hope you will enjoy looking at next week.

We have also been learning the songs for our Nativity . Can you help the children learn the words by watching the video the videos below.

Reception week 13.12.21

What an amazing week the children have had this week! They sang beautifully in our Nativity on Tuesday and Wednesday and made all of the staff very proud with their sensible behaviour throughout. We hope you enjoyed it as much as the children did. 

We had a great time at our Christmas party and really enjoyed dancing with the entertainer in the hall.

We hope that you all have a happy and peaceful Christmas holiday filled with lots of special time with your families and loved ones. 

Merry Christmas we look forward to welcoming you all back in the New Year- The Reception team

Welcome to our Reception 2020/2021 web page

On here you will find lots of information about our weekly routines and details about the exciting learning that will be taking place both indoors and outdoors this term. 

The Reception year is a very exciting time for both parents and children. During this year we will all work together to ensure that your child has a wonderful learning experience and reaches their full potential in all aspects of the curriculum.

At St Edward's we aim to provide a fun, exciting learning environment for the children where they can feel confident to make their own choices, take risks and be independent. Children will have the opportunity to build on their nursery and home experiences and take part in a wide variety of multi-sensory activities in both the classrooms and outdoors. Learning opportunities are planned around different themes as well as the children's interests, with lots of practical experiences. They will be provided with a balance between adult and child led activities. Visits and visitors help enrich the curriculum and parents are encouraged to play an active role in their child's learning. 

We hope your child's first year at school will be both rewarding and enjoyable. If you have any questions or worries please don't hesitate to come and speak to the Reception staff!

Our Reception team are Mrs Hill and Mrs Bailey (class teachers), Mrs Naylor and Miss Jones  (teaching assistants). We are a big team who all work together to ensure all the Reception children are happy, engaged, supported and challenged.

Teacher Biographies

Here are the biographies we have written to tell you more about ourselves.

Our daily routines

Here is an outline of how our day looks in Reception

Helping at home

Please have a look to see how you can help with your child's learning at home.

Parents Phonics Loom

Below you will find a PowerPoint to explain the world of phonics. As we are moving into phase 2, we would like you at home to pick up phase 1 which runs alongside all the other phases.

We are experiencing technical issues in uploading the video with the teachers explaining each slide, so we have put the PowerPoint on for you to access and enable you to get started in helping your child. Thanks.

Summer Term 2021

We hope you have all had a lovely holiday and enjoyed the sunshine.

We have a busy half term with lots of fun and exciting learning opportunities for the children. Starting with Maths week and  Friday 11th June as Rockstar Day where children can dress up as a rockstar.

We're Going on a Bear Hunt

This week the children have had lots of fun reading the story 'We're going on a Bear Hunt'. We went on a 'barefoot' walk to explore the different obstacles the family had to go through to find the bear. We described them using our senses and wrote about them in our books. "The mud felt squishy", "The grass is prickly." "The snow is like ice-skating."

Sports Week 28th June- 2nd July

The children in Reception celebrated Sports week by taking part in lots of outdoor activities which included our coaching session with Coach James, from Aston Villa, and our Sports day running races. The children all did extremely well and enjoyed cheering on their friends.

New timetable for Summer term 2

Please see  an updated timetable for this half term..

Monday- Forest School:

Navy or black joggers (even in hot weather),

St. Edward's crew neck PE shirt with school logo,

school jumper with logo

white/dark plain trainers (if raining please send wellies)

Tuesday:

PE day is moving to THURSDAY, as we are having Aston Villa coaching sessions, so children are required to wear normal school uniform on Tuesday

Wednesday and Friday: full school 

Thursday:- PE day:

White St Edward's crew neck PE shirt with school logo,

royal blue shorts,

school jumper with logo ,

white/dark plain trainers

If you have any questions about this please see a member of staff. Thank you

Spring Term 2 

We are delighted to welcome everybody back to school this week. The children have been amazing and were overjoyed to see each other.

Our timetable has been refreshed in light of the lockdown experiences the children have had (see timetable below).

You will notice that we have ensured the children are receiving a broad and balanced curriculum with a focus on the children's well-being.

This week we have focused on reviewing digraphs and numbers within ten. We have noticed the children are becoming more skilled in the use of a tens frame and their writing is beginning to take off.

Spring term 2021

The Year, and indeed the new school term, hasn't quite started as we had hoped but the children have all been amazing over the last few weeks, adapting to the changes and challenges of either home learning or being in school as a Key Worker child.

They are embracing their learning with enthusiasm and it is lovely to see how much they are enjoying and engaging with the home learning tasks we are setting for them. Please continue to upload their work so we can see how well they are doing.

The children all look so happy on our daily Zoom sessions and are proud to show us all the work they have been doing.

Here are just a few photos of the work the children have been doing, both at home and in school. We will try and keep and adding to the gallery each week.

Many thanks for your continued support, stay safe

The Reception team

Autumn 2- week beginning 14.12.20

Wow! What a busy, fun-filled week we have had this week.

The children did an amazing job in the Infant Nativity and we were really proud of how they performed using their big confident voices. They also really enjoyed watching themselves on the big screen in our Nativity premier. We hope you enjoy watching it too.

In Forest School we were having fun running in the rain and splashing in muddy puddles. We were trying to see if we could find the deepest puddle and how we could make our splashes bigger.

On Thursday we started the day with a visit form our very own 'Santa Paws' Ralph and then we tried out our best dance moves at the Christmas party. We enjoyed eating some yummy party food and playing games like 'Pass the Parcel' and 'Santa's Coming'.

We finished off the week joining in with a prayer service led by Year 6 and a live Zoom from a very special visitor.

We hope you all have a magical Christmas with your families and look forward to seeing you all in the New Year. 

Christmas Blessings from the Reception Team

Next Steps for learning:

Over the Christmas holidays we would like you to help the children to decorate the reading journal they have brought home today. They can draw pictures of their favourite characters/ stories and decorate with stickers, glitters or anything else they would like to add. Maybe you might like to share with them some of your favourite stories too.

Autumn 2 - week beginning 7th December

 This week we have been preparing for our Christmas Nativity, which we will be filming next week and really looking forward to showing you. We have also been learning the sounds e,u,r and h in our phonics lessons.

Next steps for learning:

You can help your child progress with their learning by:

Making sure they can do their coats up by themselves (we will be sending a text reminder to the parents of the children who still can't do this to practice over the holidays)

Encouraging children to look for words that begin our phonics sounds from this week.

Continue to help children to write their own name (Capital letters at the beginning only please)

Thank you for your continued support.                                                                                                          Reminder: Next Thursday is a non- uniform day and Christmas party day 

Our Home learning -week 2

The children were amazing again in their 2nd week of home learning. They were learning about the numbers 4 and 5 in Maths. In phonics they learnt how to write the letters g,o,c and k and how to say the sounds they make.

In RE, the children were learning about how we can prepare for baby Jesus during advent and wrote some beautiful, thoughtful prayers to help us to get ready.

We would like to say a massive thank you to all the children and parents for their continued support with out home learning.

Our home learning- week 1

The children have been working so hard this week on their home learning and it is lovely to see so many of them on our daily zoom sessions, and seeing the photos of the work they are doing at home. Take a look at some of their photos here. Thank you parents for your continued support. We miss them all, we are very proud of them and can't wait to see them again in school next Thursday .

Home learning update -26/11/20

Well done to the children for all their amazing work so far. Here is a copy of our phonics sheets, if anyone has not got one.

Home learning update -23.11.2020

Moving forward for the next 9 days, our daily schedule will be as follows:

1st lesson Phonics (this will be a pre-recorded Loom for you to access) followed by child's free play with writing in various media eg- chalk , flour on the windows etc.

2nd lesson Maths (suggested time 10.30) This will be a pre-recorded video from the White Rose website, so you won't see the teachers. There is a video to watch and a follow up activity.

3rd lesson -RE/PSED or Outdoor Learning (suggested time 12.30) You will find the details for this on BGFL- J2Homework page listed for that day.

Mrs Hill will start each day with a live 'Zoom' at 9 am, welcoming the children and explaining the work for the day.

Mrs Bailey will end each day with a live 'Zoom' looking at the work the children have done and reading a story (all children will be muted until we un-mute them individually)

All lessons can be accessed via the BGFL-J2Homework page. You will need the passwords sent home last week to access this. Any problems logging on, please let us know and we will try to fix it as soon as possible. See you all on the 3rd December

Autumn 2 week beginning 16th November 

We have had another amazing week in Reception where the children have all been working really hard.

This week, linked to the children's interests, we had a Paw Patrol theme to our activities. The children enjoyed playing in the Lookout, making paw biscuits, helping Rocky with his recycling and rescuing the sea animals with Zuma.

In Maths we were building on our knowledge of the numbers 1,2 and 3 by looking at shapes with 1,2 and 3 sides (circle, semi-circle and triangle). We learnt the words 'straight' and 'curved' and introduce the language of 'one more' and 'one less'.

In Phonics we revisited the letters S,A,T and P, focusing on the sweep needed to start each of these letters when we write them in precursive. We practiced blending these sounds to make words.

It was also anti-bullying week and road safety week in school this week.

We thought about how we are different to each other and how important it is to be kind to each other even though we are different.

The children watched a video and talked about the rules we need to have to keep us safe on the road. 

Next steps for learning:

You can help your child with their learning by:

• Look for circles and triangles in your home. Can the children draw the objects and label them?
• Make a poster to show how to be safe on the road.
• Paint hand prints for all the people in your family and bring them into school. We can them use these for our 'Kind Hands' anti-bullying display.
• Paint or draw your Christmas card design for Mrs Kennett's Christmas card competition.

Thank you for your suppport. Have a lovely weekend. The Reception team

Home learning 16.11.20

Please find below some ideas for those children who are isolating at home, linked to what we will be learning about in school this week.  Please remember to help your child to write their name on all thier work, using the correct letter formation. Thank you for your support. Any questions, please email us:

yearrec@stedward.bham.sch.uk

Maths- This week we will be learning about circles (a one sided shape) and triangles (3 sided).Have a look at the picture below and see how any circles and triangles you can spot.

Phonics- Revise the S,A,T,P sounds we looked at last week. Can you find objects around the house that begin with these sounds and label them?

PSHE- The focus of our PSHE lessons this week is exercise, and why it is important. Look at th -e activities below and see which you can do. Can you create a poster to encourage people to exercise?

Anti-bullying week  - As this week is Anti-bullying week we will be focusing on how we can show kindness to one another. Can you paint your hand and think of ways to have 'Kind hands.' 

Autumn 2 week beginning 9.11.20

We began this week learning about Remembrance Sunday and Armistice Day. We made poppies and thought about why we wear them. On Wednesday, the children took part in the whole school 2 minutes silence very respectfully, and we were very proud of them.

In Maths we have been learning about the numbers 1, 2 and 3. We tried our best to write the numbers correctly and how to count a collection of 1,2 or 3 objects. We also went on a number hunt around our classroom looking for the numbers. We discovered numbers are everywhere!

In RE we have begun learning about the special celebration of Baptism. We thought about our Christian names and why they are special. Then we began to look at the symbols of baptism and what they mean.

We also learnt about the Hindu Festival of Diwali and had a very special teacher in our class teaching us all about their celebrations at home.

In Phonics we have been working super hard to read and write the letters s,a, t and p. We have been learning the jolly phonics songs and actions to go with each letter.

In Forest School we went on a mini beast hunt, thinking about where we might find mini beasts, and why they might like to live where they do.

Next steps for learning:

This week you can help your child to progress by:

• Completing the final letter in their homework booklet (p)
• Looking for numbers 1,2 and 3 around the house. Can the children write the numbers they have found?
• Watching the videos below to reinforce the learning from our phonics lessons this week.
• If your child has been baptised, or you have been to a baptism, look at photographs and talk about the special day. We would love to see any photographs you have.

Thank you for your continued support, have a lovely weekend.

The Reception team

Autumn 2- week beginning 2.11.20

This week the children in Reception had to become detectives when we discovered that there was a chocolate thief in Reception. We looked for clues, questioned suspects  and made wanted posters to display around the school. Luckily, with our hard work, and a little help form the police, we found the thief. We then wrote letters to them to give them advice about their bad choice and what to do next. We talked about how saying sorry is a very important thing to do and how we should show forgiveness to someone when they do say 'sorry'.

In Maths, we have been learning about simple repeating patterns and how to describe objects and people by their size, using vocabulary such as 'big', 'small' 'tall' and 'short'.

On Monday we learnt about Fireworks night and made our own fireworks in the water tray, created some beautiful fireworks pictures, and made some very tasty fireworks biscuits. This was a very popular activity with the children!

In forest school, we built nests for Sarah, Percy and Bill from our story 'Owl Babies'. We looked at the best places to build a nest and decided that a tree would keep the nest safe. Then we looked closely at the trees in our forest, learning their name, making rubbings of their bark, and even giving them a hug!

There was also lots of home learning by the children who had to isolate this week and we are very grateful to their parents for their support. Well done children!

Take a look below at the photos of all the fun we have been having.

Next steps for learning:

This week you can help your child to progress by:

•  Completing the homework sheets we will be sending home next week (a copy is also attached below)
• Continuing to help them write their name, sitting on the line and using pre-cursive letters.
• Talking about conflict resolution. We have been learning about this in school and the children should be able to tell you how we decided to solve problems (sharing, using a timer to wait their turn or using their words to explain what they want)

Thank you as always for your continued support, have a lovely weekend. The Reception team