Apple, Cherry and Fig Class Teachers

 

Our Philosophy

The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) is the stage of education for children from birth to five years (end of the Reception year).​ The EYFS Curriculum is based on the recognition that children learn best through play and active learning.​

In our Reception classes, children will learn the foundational skills and knowledge needed as the building blocks for their lives ahead. We will find out what your child enjoys, already knows and can do. This understanding will be used to help us with supporting and extending your child's learning.

Our learning is driven through rich texts that support the children to learn the world around them and introduces them to a rich, varied vocabulary. 

Learning to read and write is an important part of the foundational skills your child needs. Children begin to learn to read using the 'Read, Write Inc' phonics scheme. The texts we read and experiences the pupils have help them to be inspired to write. We practise their pencil grip and use this to help them learn how to form their letters correctly. 

Developing a sense and understanding of number and shape is one of the important foundational skills the children need to learn in Reception. We use Mastering number to guide our maths lessons, using Numicon to help the child to recognise numbers and become confident with the value of each number.

We always have opportunities for pupils to show their creativity (whether it be with paint, playdough or cutting & sticking) as these important skills help develop their gross and fine motor skills. Exploring their physicality through running, climbing and wheel play are available every day in our outside area. 

Being a school from a diverse community, we use our pupils' experiences to learn more about the world around us - encouraging all pupils to ask questions, explore and celebrate differences and recognise similarities in their lives. 

Sharing information with parents:

You can download information about our learning from the links at the bottom of the page. We use Tapestry to share the pupils' learning with parents at home. We also use Dojo to communicate with parents. Both of these apps can be downloaded for free. 

We have a 'six weeks in' meeting in October and then parents' evenings in the Autumn and Spring terms.

Helping your child at home:

All children are expected to read every day, sharing a story with parents and reading their own book.

You can practise counting with your children, recognising numbers in the world around them and spotting shapes and patterns, in and outside the home. 

Taking your child out to the park, riding bikes, singing songs, baking and being creative all help your child to learn more about the world around them and develop the communication and language skills we are working on at school. 

Forest school days:

Reception visit the forest school on Fridays throughout the year. Please ensure they have the correct forest school clothing with them. You will be informed when it is your child's class turn.

PE days:

Learning how to undress and dress themselves are one of the important skills that we can support your child to learn. Our PE days change each half term, but we ask children to bring their PE kit into school to get changed here so they can practise this skill. 

Please ensure your child has all the correct clothes for PE in school at all times. These must all be labelled clearly with your child’s name (including their shoes).

Click below to visit our Uniform page for more information about sports and PE kit.

• Uniform

If your child wears earrings it is easier to remove them before school on these days. Children will be asked to take out their own earrings for PE. If they are unable to do so, they must be covered with micro-porous tape during PE.

Water bottles

All children are encouraged to bring a water bottle to school each day to drink regularly in their classroom and maintain good hydration. Please ensure your child’s name is written clearly on their bottle.

Mid-morning snack

Fruit and milk are available daily for children to help themselves when they are hungry.

Click below for more information about fruit and milk.

• Fruit and Milk

Lunch

A healthy and nutritious lunch will help to boost your child’s energy levels for learning throughout the afternoon. We encourage all our children to eat a hot meal each day, particularly since they are provided free for pupils in Reception. However, if you choose to provide a packed lunch for your child, please remember that Northgate is a ‘nut-free’ school.