Welcome to F2 - Reception! 

We are delighted to welcome you to our Foundation Stage unit. Our children learn, explore and grow together in a shared indoor and outdoor environment. 

Foundation Stage is made up of Nursery (F1) and Reception (F2). Our Nursery class, Sweet Peas is taught by Mrs Cottingham. In Reception, Mrs Finch, our Foundation Stage Lead, teaches Bluebells and Miss Thomas teaches Primroses. 

We are also supported by our Teaching Assistants, Mr Barber and Mrs Bailey and our Personal Care Assistant, Mrs Brown. 

 

Meet the team 

 

 

Welcome to our Foundation Stage Unit  

Our reception children learn through a carefully planned balance of adult-led teaching, play and exploration. Our shared Foundation Stage environment provides lots of opportunities to investigate, create, imagine, practise new skills and learn alongside friends. 

 

 

Our School Day 

Foundation Stage Gates 

Drop-off: 8.40–8.50 am 
Collection: 3.15–3.30 pm 

 

Children will need: 

 

 

PE kit includes:  

  • Hive colour T-shirt  

  • Black shorts/leggings or tracksuit bottoms  

  • Plain black top or your school sweatshirt/fleece  

  • Trainers  

  • Hair should be tied back with practical hair accessories  

  • No football kits  

  • No branded clothing  

  • No earrings or other jewellery  

 

A Few Useful Reminders  

  • We change reading books on Fridays so please ensure your child has their named plastic wallet in their bag with their reading book and Rainbow Reading sheet in on Fridays. 

  • Label everything! Please make sure that coats, jumpers, cardigans, PE kits, water bottles and lunchboxes etc are clearly named.  

  • Our PE days are Tuesdays and Fridays. 

  • Outdoor Learning with Mr Lee is alternate Tuesdays. 

  • We are a nut-free school, so please do not send any nuts or products containing nuts into school. 

  • Sign up for Cool Milk here if you would like your child to receive milk at school.  

  • Ensure children come prepared for the weather.  

  • Please check your child's book bag regularly.  

 

This half term – Autumn 1 

This half term our topic is ‘My History’. We will be asking the question, ‘How have I changed from a baby to a four-year-old?’ 

 

Key dates 

PE days are Tuesdays and Fridays 

Outdoor Learning (out of our unit) is alternate Tuesdays 

 

Our focus texts 

Our two key focus texts are ‘Once there were giants’ by Martin Waddell and ‘The Growing Story’ by Ruth Krauss and Helen Oxenbury. 

 

What are we learning about? 

This half term, we will explore how we have changed since we were babies. We will look at photographs and objects from the past, talk about things that have changed in our lives, including technology, and begin to understand that change is a natural part of life. 

 

Phonics 

In Phonics we follow the Essential Letters and Sounds scheme and will be starting Phase 2, learning the following sounds this half term: s, a, t, p, i, n, m, d, g, o, c, k, ck, e, u, r, ss, h, b, f, ff, l, ll. 

Phonics information, support and pronunciations can be found here.  

 

Maths  

This half term, we will develop our counting skills and explore numbers to 5. We will investigate how numbers can be made in different ways, practise recognising small amounts without counting, and compare groups of objects using mathematical language such as more, fewer and the same. 

 

Homework in Reception 

Reading – We ask that children share a book at home with somebody five times a week. This will help develop a love of reading, as well as supporting children’s listening, comprehension and language skills. 

Before sending home decodable books for children to read independently, we will send home the sounds they have been learning, along with some corresponding words to practise oral blending.