Mrs Cressingham, Miss Reed, Mrs Webster and Mrs Sewell
Welcome to Reception and Year 1 at Flitcham Primary. Your child’s well-being is at the heart of what we do. It is important to us that they are settled and happy when coming to school, and this is our main priority throughout the first half term. We endeavour to encompass the school rules of ‘Ready, Respectful, Safe’ during this time, so that school can be enjoyed by all. The children love playing and exploring in our stimulating continuous provision and are respectful of this, helping to tidy and maintain the areas. Our classroom environment supports and encourages independence. Being willing to give things a go is encouraged, along with a growth mindset and developing resilience.
Story times and nursery rhymes are valued within our setting. We prioritise communication and language and developing vocabulary. We aim to provide a successful balance between accessing the continuous provision and more formal learning inputs. This is designed to impart specific knowledge and understanding, enabling the children to learn new skills which they can transfer into their own learning and play. Our focused learning times are gradually progressed over the course of the timetable and include phonics, maths, reading and topic-based inputs. We have an open communication with parents through the online learning journal tapestry. This is used to document learning throughout the year along with some recordings in books.
The reception class starts together full time in September of the year in which they are five.
The Little Wandle phonics scheme is used to support reading and writing. Children build up a phonics library of sounds in their book bag and parents can support the classroom work by helping the child finish the colouring, learn the action that accompanies the sound and also the correct letter formation in writing.
The children learn to read using the Little Wandle books. The books are used during supported reading sessions during the school day and are sent home each day for the children to read with parents.
Most of the learning is supported through guided and child initiated play.
Children are celebrated within our class following the PATHS (Promoting Alternative Thinking Strategies) child of the week. This also supports developing confidence and children’s emotional intelligence. We have strong links with the local Church, with Father Paul regularly visiting for our collective worship. We also participate in Harvest, Christmas and Easter services, as well as the Nativity