Reception

In Reception, we focus on promoting an enthusiasm for knowledge and learning and a self confidence in their ability to be successful learners. We provide opportunities that enable children to learn how to co-operate and work harmoniously alongside and with each other and listen to one another.

We encourage the children to concentrate on their own group tasks and play.

In Reception at Forest, we foster the children’s developing competence in reading and writing. We encourage language and conversation in the role-play corner, which is a new environment each term. Linking sounds to letters; initial phonemes / graphemes (phonics), cvc (3 letter) word building, encouraging the children to use their knowledge in their reading and writing. Writing in a wide range of genres for a variety of purposes: postcards, zig zag books, poetry, instructions, posters, lists, captions.

In the Reception classroom, our children have access to a rich variety of books and texts; fiction and non fiction and are encouraged to show an understanding of the main elements of stories, characters and sequencing events. At Forest the children in Reception read on a one-to-one basis with the teacher or teaching assistant three times a week, and take a reading book and high frequency words home each night.

Forest Reception children develop an understanding of number, measurement, pattern, shape and space through a range of activities.

Numbers: number rhymes and songs, accurate counting of objects, number lines to 10, 20 and beyond, talking about if a number is more or less than an other number.

Calculating: language of addition, pictoral addition, number sentences and language of subtraction.

In Reception we encourage the children to use verbal communication to share their feelings, thoughts and experiences; retell, explain and anticipate; and ask questions and give explanations. Through lots of ‘talking’ they learn to maintain attention, listen carefully and to understand concepts and discussions.

We give all the Reception children opportunities to solve problems, make decisions, experiment, predict, plan and question, and to explore and find out about their environment and people and places that are significant in their lives. Mr Booth will be leading weekly lessons on this topic throughout the year.

In Reception we investigate materials and objects, we learn about using our senses to explore, forces and movement and living things.

In Reception we build and construct with a range of objects and materials, tools and techniques. The children will also produce 3D box models and models with moving parts.

In the Reception class at Forest the children regularly use IT, Chromebooks are used on a weekly basis and the interactive whiteboard is used daily for teaching and learning input. The children will have Computing lessons, including Coding and navigating the school Chromebooks.

The Reception children learn about ‘ourselves as babies’, weather and seasons, toys that parents played with and garden tools from the past.

The Reception children will learn all about seasonal changes in their own environment, design and plant our very own class garden, look and analyse trees, plants and bugs in the school environment.

The Reception children will learn all about a Country other than their own and will also learn all about Chinese New Year.

At Forest the Reception children develop and practise their fine motor skills and increase their understanding of how their bodies work and what they need to do to be happy and safe through a few different topics:

• Movement and Space: the weekly PE lesson with specialist teacher, Mr Rimmer.
• Health and Body Awareness: healthy eating and exercise, self care and personal hygiene.
• Using equipment and materials: play dough, tools and techniques, cutting, etc

The Reception children explore and share their thoughts, ideas and feelings through a range of art, design and technology, music, movement, dance and imaginative and role-play activities. Mrs Thomson leads a weekly session which takes place in our specialist art room with half of the Reception class at a time. We will also continue art projects within the classroom using: paint, collage, pastels, brusho, marbelling, weaving and printing.

The Reception children have two weekly sessions with a specialist teacher, Ms Wellings.