Welcome to Reception, the teacher is Miss Christie, and the Teaching Assistant is Miss March.  We are excited to be teaching your children this year and are looking forward to seeing them grow and flourish…

There are seven areas of development as stated in the statutory framework for the Early Years Foundation Stage. These areas of learning and development are split into two categories, known as the ‘prime’ areas of learning and the ‘specific’ areas of learning. The three prime areas of EYFS learning and development are:

Personal, Social and Emotional Development

At Tame Valley Academy, the children are taught using the Jigsaw programme. Jigsaw is sequential, the six puzzles (units) starting with ‘Being Me in My World’ (BM) at the beginning of the school year and working through to the end of the year:

1. BM (Being Me in My World)
   ‘Who am I and how do I fit?’
2. CD (Celebrating Difference)
   Respect for similarity and difference. Anti-bullying and being unique
3. DG (Dreams and Goals)
   Aspirations, how to achieve goals and understanding the emotions that go with this
4. HM (Healthy Me)
   Being and keeping safe and healthy
5. RL (Relationships)
   Building positive, healthy relationships
6. CM (Changing Me)
   Coping positively with change

Communication & Language

The children learn to talk and share their thoughts, ideas, and emotions. They learn to take turns during conversations and express themselves using words and expressions.

We use stories and songs to support their language development over the year. They learn to listen and speak to each other during circle times

Physical Development

In this area of the curriculum, the children learn to develop both their gross motor and fine motor skills.

Gross Motor- The children learn to balance, climb, run, and hop etc. This is done outside everyday using large equipment and resources. The children also have a PE lesson once a week to support their skills. At Tame Valley Academy, we follow the Get Set 4 PE programme. The focus of learning for each half term is as follows:

Autumn 1 – Introduction to PE

Autumn 2 – Dance

Spring 1 – Fundamentals

Spring 2 – Games

Summer 1 – Gymnastics

Summer 2 – Ball skills

Fine Motor- The children learn to develop their fine motor skills which will help with pencil control. Activities that support this are tracking, colouring, playdough and using tweezers etc.

The other four remaining areas of learning and development, are known as the specific areas, and they are as follows:

Literacy

Here is an overview of the books that we use in Reception.

Autumn 1 – Starting school, Elmer, My Mom and Dad Make Me Laugh, Dear Zoo Funny Bones and Handa’s Surprise

Autumn 2 – Room On The Broom, Whatever Next! Aliens Love Underpants, We’re Going On a Bear Hunt The Jolly Christmas Postman and Dear Santa.

Spring 1 – Little Red Riding Hood, Goldilocks and the Three Bears, The Great Race, Jack and the Beanstalk and Three Billy Goats Gruff.

Spring 2 – Mad about Minibeast, The Very Hungry Caterpillar , The Very Greedy Bee, What the ladybird Heard on Holiday, Yucky Worms and Yucky Worms

Summer 1 – The Rainbow Fish, Tiddler, Commotion in the Ocean, The Singing Mermaid and Sharing a Shell

Summer 2 – Farmer Duck, Duck in The Truck, Cock-a-doodle-doo Farmyard Hullaballoo, Kipper’s Beach Ball, Rumble In The Jungle and Giraffes Cant Dance.

Phonics- The children take part in a daily phonics lesson using the Read Write Inc Scheme.- Parents and Carers – Ruth Miskin Literacy

Mathematics

At the end of the reception year, children are assessed against the early learning goals (ELGs). There are two elements for the Mathematics ELGs: Number and Numerical Pattern. The mathematics ELGs are as follows.

ELG: Number

Children at the expected level of development will:

• Have a deep understanding of number 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 double facts.

ELG: Numerical Patterns

Children at the expected level of development will:

• 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.

As well as having a deep understanding of number, the children will learn to sequence events, sort objects, and begin to learn some simple facts about 2D and 3D shapes.

Understanding the World

There are three elements to the ELGs for UW: Past and Present, People, Culture and Communities, and The Natural World. The ELGs for each element are:

ELG: Past and Present Children will:

• 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.

ELG: People, Culture and Communities

• 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.

ELG: The Natural World

• 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.

At Tame Valley Academy, the children will learn to explore the world around them. They will learn about a variety of cultures and events around the world such as Eid, Diwali, and Chinese New Year. They will learn about the weather and seasons and discuss how the world changes by observing plants and animals.

Expressive Arts and Design- This covers music, art, design, and dance.

‘Creating with materials’ focuses on how children use tools, materials, and resources to be creative, including the techniques they use to paint, how they use construction materials such as bricks and how they use objects as props during role play.

‘Being imaginative and expressive’ is about how children use their imagination in a variety of ways and learning a range of songs and stories.

The children at Tame Valley Academy have access daily to a creative area where they can explore colour and textures. They learn to use a variety of tools and understand when to use them independently. They explore drawing, painting, collage and 3d modelling. Outside they have access to a stage, musical instruments, and props.

Reception Themes

Autumn 1 – Marvellous Me

In this term the children get to know the teachers, make friends, and learn the school routines. They talk about their favourite things and discuss their families. This helps the children settle in and gives them the opportunity to share their likes and dislikes with the rest of the class.

Autumn 2 – Celebrations

In this term the children explore different celebrations such as Diwali, Bonfire Night, and Christmas. They also learn about light and dark and look at the wonders of Space by pretending to visit the moon.

Spring 1 – Once upon a Time…

During this term, the children learn about various Traditional tales, they learn to use language associated with story- telling, act out different stories and draw story maps.  We also look for signs of spring, take part in the Big Bird watch and plant beans and seeds.

Spring 2– Animal Magic

In this half term, the children learn all about growing, changing and lifecycles. The children will look at the seeds they planted before the holiday. They learn all about insects and even watch a caterpillar turn into a butterfly! This is also the time of year when they learn about Easter and have a bonnet parade.

Summer 1– Under the Sea

During this term, the children learn about creatures that live in the sea. They explore water and look for signs of Summer.

Summer 2– Where in the World

In our final term, the children use their prior learning to explore where animals live in the world. The children explore maps and globes to find countries and continents and sort animals into groups.