Curriculum overview

We warmly welcome you to Chestnut Class and are really looking forward to getting to know you all.

In Reception, children follow the Early Years Foundation Stage Curriculum, which provides an inviting and stimulating environment where play, exploration and practical activities form a foundation for all learning.

The children are helped to learn, play together, relate to each other, share, listen and co-operate. They are given opportunities to learn through access to sand and water play, books, painting and craft materials, computers, puzzles, construction kits, small-world play and outdoor equipment.

Structured activities are planned to develop early reading, writing and numeracy skills.

By the end of Reception, most children are beginning to read and write independently and to use numbers to solve written and practical problems.

RE

The Aim of Religious Education at St Peter-in-Chains is to produce religiously literate children who have the knowledge, understanding and skills to think spiritually, ethically, theologically and who are aware of the demands of religious commitment in everyday life.

Our objectives as religious educators are:

• To develop children’s knowledge and understanding of God, Jesus his son and the Holy Spirit
• To develop an appreciation and awareness of this faith and how to live it
• To foster children’s spiritual and moral development
• To celebrate together as a community, through prayer, worship and liturgy
• To support the teaching of British values by fostering appropriate attitudes: respect for truth, respect for others, and to prepare the children for living in a multicultural, multi-faith society.

As the children settle into school, we will teach them our school mission statement and daily prayers. We pray together at the start of the day, at lunchtime and at the end of the day.
We follow the ‘Come and See’ scheme of work to teach RE. Each topic usually lasts for four weeks. Our first RE topic in Reception is ‘Myself’. Children will be doing lots of work about themselves and their family. They will learn how their name is important to them and others, and will talk about how they feel when they are known and called by their name. Our second topic will be ‘Welcoming’. Here, the children will learn about the religious signs and symbols used in baptism, and will use some religious words and phrases from the rite. Children will discuss their own experiences and feelings of being welcomed.

English

Comprehension, Word Reading and Writing

Comprehension

Children will learn to: 

• demonstrate understanding of what has been read to them by retelling stories and narratives using their own words and recently introduced vocabulary;
• anticipate – where appropriate – key events in stories;
• use and understand recently introduced vocabulary during role-play and in discussions about stories, non-fiction, rhymes and poems.

Word Reading

Children will learn to: 

• say a sound for each letter in the alphabet and at least 10 digraphs;
• read words consistent with their phonic knowledge by sound-blending;
• read aloud simple sentences and books that are consistent with their phonic knowledge, including some common exception words.

Writing

Children will learn to: 

• write recognisable letters, most of which are correctly formed;
• spell words by identifying sounds in them and representing the sounds with a letter or letters;
• write simple phrases and sentences that can be read by others.

For the first half term, we will be doing lots of creative activities around Nursery Rhymes. We will be focussing on Humpty Dumpty, Jack and Jill, Little Miss Muffet and Hickory Dickory Dock. We will begin shared reading every day from a big book or Nursery Rhyme, and the children will begin to focus on key words. We will be sharing lots of stories in class and discussing what has happened in them, how the characters are feeling, where the story takes place etc. We will begin individual reading sessions, in which the children will be encouraged to talk about the pictures, characters and sequence of events.

We shall be doing sound work on Letters and Sounds phase one, and will have fun phonic activities every day. Phase 1 is the very start of your child’s journey. It is all about listening to sounds and learning to discriminate between different sounds. The Phase focuses on sounds in everyday life rather than sounds in words. Phase 1 lays the essential foundations for all the learning that follows. If you would like some ideas of what you may do at home, please find a link at the bottom of the page. All the children will be encouraged to share their thoughts and ideas with their classmates.

The children will be given lots of opportunities to write and draw, and we shall be encouraging them to form all the letters correctly. If you would like to help your child with letter formation, please refer to the pre-school booklet you were given. Those children who are not quite ready for writing will practise fine motor control and mark making in a variety of media.

Communication and Language

Speaking, Listening, Attention and Understanding

Speaking

Children will learn to: 

• participate in small-group, class and one-to-one discussions, offering their own ideas, using recently introduced vocabulary;
• offer explanations for why things might happen, making use of recently introduced vocabulary from stories, non-fiction, rhymes and poems when appropriate;
• express their ideas and feelings about their experiences using full sentences, including use of past, present and future tenses and making use of conjunctions, with modelling and support from their teacher.

Listening, Attention and Understanding

Children will learn to: 

• listen attentively and respond to what they hear with relevant questions, comments and actions when being read to and during whole-class discussions and small-group interactions;
• make comments about what they have heard and ask questions to clarify their understanding;
• hold conversation when engaged in back-and-forth exchanges with their teacher and peers.

We encourage the children to develop their speaking skills through a wide range of activities across the curriculum, including storytelling, singing and role play. We support them in modelling language and using new vocabulary as they play. Children will be supported to speak in full sentences and use as much interesting vocabulary as possible. They will be encouraged to share their thoughts and ideas with their classmates. Our talk topics for this half term are ‘New Beginnings’ and ‘Being a Good Learner’.

Mathematics

Number and Numerical Patterns

Number

Children will learn to: 

• have a deep understanding of numbers to 10, including the composition of each number;
• subitise (recognise quantities without counting) up to 5;
• automatically recall (without reference to rhymes, counting or other aids) number bonds up to 5 (including subtraction facts) and some number bonds to 10, including doubling facts.

Numerical Patterns

Children will learn to: 

• verbally count beyond 20, recognising the pattern of the counting system;
• compare quantities up to 10 in different contexts, recognising when one quantity is greater than, less than or the same as the other quantity;
• explore and represent patterns within numbers up to 10, including evens and odds, double facts and how quantities can be distributed equally.

Every day we will be doing practical problem solving, reasoning and numeracy activities. This half term we will be encouraging the children to: recognise, say and use numbers to 10 in the correct order, copy and make their own repeating patterns, make sets of different objects and discuss the methods that they have used. We will also explore and talk about 2D shapes and their properties. Please take any opportunity to practise practical number recognition and counting with your child at home.

Understanding of the World

Past and Present, People, Culture and Communities, The Natural World

Past and Present

Children will learn to: 

• talk about the lives of the people around them and their roles in society;
• know some similarities and differences between things in the past and now, drawing on their experiences and what has been read in class;
• understand the past through settings, characters and events encountered in books read in class and storytelling.

People, Culture and Communities

Children will learn to: 

• describe their immediate environment using knowledge from observation, discussion, stories, non-fiction texts and maps;
• know some similarities and differences between different religious and cultural communities in this country, drawing on their experiences and what has been read in class;
• explain some similarities and differences between life in this country and life in other countries, drawing on knowledge from stories, non-fiction texts and – when appropriate – maps.

The Natural World

Children will learn to: 

• explore the natural world around them, making observations and drawing pictures of animals and plants;
• know some similarities and differences between the natural world around them and contrasting environments, drawing on their experiences and what has been read in class;
• understand some important processes and changes in the natural world around them, including the seasons and changing states of matter.

As autumn has begun we are learning lots about this season. We have encouraged the children to bring in autumn leaves, conkers and acorns for our autumn table. We will also be doing lots of creative work around autumn, such as leaf printing and crayon rubbings.

Expressive Arts and Design

Creating with Materials and Being Imaginative and Expressive

Creating with Materials

Children will learn to: 

• safely use and explore a variety of materials, tools and techniques, experimenting with colour, design, texture, form and function;
• share their creations, explaining the process they have used;
• make use of props and materials when role playing characters in narratives and stories.

Being Imaginative and Expressive

Children will learn to: 

• invent, adapt and recount narratives and stories with peers and their teacher;
• sing a range of well-known nursery rhymes and songs;
• perform songs, rhymes, poems and stories with others, and – when appropriate – try to move in time with music.

This half term we will be exploring many painting techniques such as printing, marble painting, blow painting etc. Children will also be given the opportunity to use different creative materials and tools such as crayons, chalks and scissors to create their artwork.

Physical Development

Gross Motor Skills and Fine Motor Skills

Gross Motor Skills

Children will learn to: 

• negotiate space and obstacles safely, with consideration for themselves and others;
• demonstrate strength, balance and coordination when playing;
• move energetically, such as running, jumping, dancing, hopping, skipping and climbing.

Fine Motor Skills

Children will learn to: 

• hold a pencil effectively in preparation for fluent writing – using the tripod grip in almost all cases;
• use a range of small tools, including scissors, paint brushes and cutlery;
• begin to show accuracy and care when drawing.

In the first half term of reception we encourage the children to become more independent, by learning to put on their shoes, jumpers and cardigans on, and as it gets colder, their coats. We facilitate them to develop their gross motor skills outdoors, through activities such as riding bikes and scooters, skipping and ball games. We provide learning opportunities for developing fine motor skills as well, such as threading, using scissors, playdough activities and much more.

Personal, Social and Emotional

Self-Regulation, Managing Self and Building Relationships

Self-Regulation

Children will learn to: 

• show an understanding of their own feelings and those of others, and begin to regulate their behaviour accordingly;
• set and work towards simple goals, being able to wait for what they want and control their immediate impulses when appropriate;
• give focused attention to what the teacher says, responding appropriately even when engaged in activity, and show an ability to follow instructions involving several ideas or actions.

Managing Self

Children will learn to: 

• be confident to try new activities and show independence, resilience and perseverance in the face of challenge;
• explain the reasons for rules, know right from wrong and try to behave accordingly;
• manage their own basic hygiene and personal needs, including dressing, going to the toilet and understanding the importance of healthy food choices.

Building Relationships

Children will learn to: 

• work and play cooperatively and take turns with others;
• form positive attachments to adults and friendships with peers;
• show sensitivity to their own needs and those of others.

We will be encouraging the children to make new friendships within the class and will be playing name games and friendship games to support them with this. We will be helping the children to familiarise themselves with the rules of the classroom and our school. We will also be encouraging the children to talk about how they feel and will give them strategies to use to deal with their feelings.

Children are provided with fresh fruit as a mid-morning snack and have access to water throughout the day. On their first day of school your child will be given a water bottle to keep in class. Please refill this daily and make sure they remember to bring it to school.

Other Information

We will use the online learning journal Tapestry to record your child’s learning journey and development in Reception. Remember that you access this from home at any time to look at photographs, videos and notes following your child’s time at school.

Please ensure that all uniform is clearly labelled with your child’s name. Children have constant access to their water bottle throughout the school day, so it is important to wash and refill your child’s bottle every day.

If you have any questions or queries, please feel free talk to us after school or arrange an appointment at your convenience.