Reception is also Early Years Foundation Stage (or EYFS), and that is exactly what we are – the foundation for your child’s learning journey!
In Reception, children get used to being at school and being a member of a large class. We start to learn about school routines and we continue to develop independent skills.
Tapestry
We keep families informed about their child’s progress through a learning journal online through Tapestry. It’s a really effective way for parents and teachers to communicate about their child’s learning. You’ll get your own login and will be notified via email when an observation has been posted. We also encourage parents to add to the Tapestry journal, we love to see what the children get up to at home!
Phonics
As the children learn their individual phonic sounds they will bring home lots of things that they can practise.
Reading
Similarly they will be expected to practise their reading on a daily basis. Each child will have library books that they can share at home and these will be changed regularly.
Individual home learning
We’ll let you know if there is anything else that you child would benefit from practising at home.
What to expect in Year 1
Year 1 is a really exciting time for you and your child. Moving from Reception into the first year of the National Curriculum can feel like a big step, but please don’t worry, some of the Early Years Foundation Stage curriculum may be carried on with your child as they move to Year 1. As you know we run mixed EYFS and Y1/ Y1 and Y2 classes. This allows us to be flexible and to meet the needs of each child.
Your child’s day will be more structured than it was in Reception but we love storytelling, practical maths and exploring topics.
We are very lucky that both KS1 classes have direct access to our garden area. This means the children will be learning through play – exploring, discovering and plenty of role-play, both indoors and out.
There is a Year 1 statutory phonics screening test in June. This will identify if your child can read phonically decodable words. Your child will have a daily phonics session to teach them how to blend to read and segment to spell.
Support your child’s learning at home
Reading
Reading at home with your child is so important. It helps them to develop their learning in lots of areas. We expect you to hear your child read aloud every night. You may not always have time to read the whole book (we completely understand home life is busy – we are parents too) but just a few pages a day can increase your child’s confidence and get them into the routine of practising and applying their phonic knowledge.
Sometimes your child may want to read a book from home. As long as they are reading, that’s fantastic. Most children this age really love to read new and familiar stories as well as comic books and magazines. Please make sure you sign the Reading Diary otherwise we’ll assume that your child has not read to an adult at home.
Spellings
In Year 1, as well as phonics, we learn a number of common exception words. Download this list to practice at home: Year 1 common exception words.
Maths
The end of year 1 expectation is to be able to;
- count forwards and backwards to 100,
- recognise 1 more/1 less,
- recognise odd and even numbers,
- count in 2, 5 and 10
- and know their number bonds to 10 (pairs of numbers that make 10) and then to 20.
You can help your child in a variety of ways. The most powerful way will be through discrete and fun activities such as counting out the cutlery for dinner. Disguise the learning! Whilst in the car read a number from a number plate and ask your child to find 1 more and 1 less.
Most importantly…
Try to keep any home learning light, and don’t push it if they seem tired or reluctant. The most important thing is to talk with your child about their learning and enjoy seeing the enthusiasm on their face.
