Dear Parent/Carers,

We can't wait to welcome your little ones into school on Monday 7th September or Thursday 10th September. Starting school is such a big milestone for both children and parents, and the Reception team will be there to support you every step of the way.

Your child's first day
Please aim to arrive around 8:40am for the first couple of weeks, as mornings are always very busy at the start of term.
Teachers will be waiting to welcome you at the gate to the right of the main entrance (the same gate used for the play sessions).
Once you've said your goodbyes, the teachers will take your child into school and help them settle.

It's completely normal for some children to feel a little unsure at first. The team are experienced at helping children settle quickly, and if you're worried, you're welcome to call the school office later in the morning to check how they're getting on.

A few helpful reminders

🍎 Snacks: You're welcome to send an extra fruit or vegetable snack if your child may not enjoy the snack provided that day. Please remember to cut food into small pieces to reduce choking risks (for example, halve grapes and cherry tomatoes) as per government guidance. As we're a nut-free school, please don't include nuts or products containing nuts (such as Nutella).

🥪 Lunch: If you haven't ordered a hot school meal, please remember to send your child with a packed lunch.

🎒 School bags: Please don't send a backpack. Your child will receive a book bag, so it's a good idea to check it every day for reading books, phonics books, artwork and any important messages.

👟 PE: PE lessons begin on Thursday 17th September. From then on, children should come to school wearing their PE kit every Thursday.

🧥 Raincoat: Please send a raincoat each day so your child can enjoy outdoor play whatever the weather.

🕒 Home time: Collection will be at 3:05pm for children whose surnames begin A–M, and 3:10pm for those with surnames N–Z.

📚 Keeping in touch: The Reception page on the school website has lots of useful information. From the second week, when children are attending full-time, you'll receive a weekly learning overview via Tapestry every Sunday evening.

💬 We're here to help: Please use Tapestry to let us know about any questions or concerns you may have—no matter how small they might seem. We're always here to support you. If you need to speak to us, please catch us at the beginning or end of the school day whenever possible. You can also email us directly at kirsteen.mitchell@firstfederation.org.uk and sarah.saunders@firstfederation.org.uk or contact the school office on 01305 579148. If we're unable to take your call straight away, we'll get back to you as soon as we can.

Finally, if you could 'like' any messages we send on Tapestry, it really helps us know they've reached you.

We're so excited for the year ahead and can't wait to watch your children grow, learn and make wonderful new friendships. Wishing you all a fantastic start to Reception!

Meet the Reception Team

Mrs Mitchell - Early Years Lead, Class teacher 

Mrs Saunders- Class Teacher

Mrs Williams - Teaching Assistant

Miss Caroline- Teaching Assistant

Mrs Mc.Grath (Mrs Giraffe!)- Teaching Assistant and Lunchtime Assistant

Miss Collins- Teaching Assistant

Miss Evans- Lunchtime Assistant

Miss Spray- Childcare college student

Jigsaw (Personal, social, health, and emotional education) 

This half term, the Jigsaw puzzle piece is 'Being me in my World'. We will learn about-

• Help others to feel welcome
• Try to make our school community a better place
• Think about everyone's right to learn
• Care about other people's feelings
• Work well with others

CHICKERELL PRIMARY ACADEMY EARLY YEARS FOUNDATION STAGE

OUR PHILOSOPHY 

At Chickerell Primary Academy and Chickadees, our teaching staff and Early Years Practitioners deliver an EYFS (Early Years Foundation Stage) curriculum through high quality teaching and through interacting with children in ways which facilitate their learning, alongside an engaging and enriched environment. Our philosophy is to nurture every child’s curiosity and enthusiasm for learning within a safe and secure environment. We aim to develop their skills and confidence so that they are ready to take those important next steps towards a lifetime of learning.  

INTENT 

The intent for our children is to enter the next stage of their education, Year 1, with a secure foundation in learning and well-prepared to tackle new challenges with confidence and a positive mind-set. 

We engage our pupils in a stimulating environment led by the children yet carefully organised and managed by adults. We provide a text-based curriculum which is progressive and builds on children’s prior knowledge. It is an ambitious, challenging and inclusive curriculum which is responsive to children’s individual needs, fascinations and interests. We encourage our children to take the lead in their own learning, this helps to develop their confidence, to explore new ideas, to solve problems, to take risks, to make links and to seek challenge; we aim to foster their personal development from the very start. We develop children’s language and communication skills in a range of ways and we introduce and use new vocabulary with them to further develop their speaking skills. We develop high levels of engagement, curiosity, collaboration and cooperation. We encourage our children to manage their own behaviour in the classroom and in social situations. We encourage our children to express themselves with confidence in a meaningful way and to respect the opinions and values of themselves and others. 

IMPLEMENTATION 

Our approach is influenced by the work of educationalists, researchers, psychologists and practitioners who have guided our knowledge of how young children learn and how adults can support their learning.  At Chickerell Primary Academy and Chickadees, provision is underpinned by a complementary relationship between adult-led, adult-initiated and child-led learning, alongside high-quality adult-child interactions. We use a continuous cycle of observation and assessment, which informs our planning and teaching, alongside structured and systematic lessons and guided group work. In addition, summative assessments are carried out for phonic development, the stable order principle in number and an assessment of each child’s stage of development for each of the seven areas of learning. These take place every half term and are used to inform the planning of subsequent teaching and learning.

*Please refer to our curriculum overviews for Chickadees and Reception. These will show you how our curriculum progresses across the Early Years Foundation Stage, building on prior knowledge in a sequential way and using the Read, Write Inc. phonics scheme, the White Rose Maths scheme and Cornerstones to support the progression of key skills and knowledge. 

IMPACT  

The impact of our EYFS curriculum is reflected in having well-rounded, happy and confident children transitioning into Year 1. Our children enter Key Stage 1 well-prepared to begin the next chapter of their educational learning journey. They are equipped with a broad range of knowledge and skills that provide them with the right foundations for their future learning.  Our children make very good progress from their starting points; the vast majority of our children make better than expected progress with us and achieve outcomes that are at least in line with national data. Our teaching and pedagogy are reviewed and evaluated regularly through EYFS team meetings, through meeting regularly with EYFS colleagues from other schools and through meetings with Key Stage 1 staff.  We ensure that the areas we discuss and develop are reflected in changes and developments in our classroom practice. 

The Early Years provision is highly valued by school leaders, it features in all areas of our school development planning.

PLEASE READ OUR EYFS POLICY TO FIND OUT MORE ABOUT HOW OUR CHILDREN LEARN AT CHICKADEES AND IN RECEPTION. TO FIND OUT MORE ABOUT CHICKADEES, PLEASE TAKE A LOOK AT THE 'CHICKADEES PRE-SCHOOL AND CHATTICHICKS WRAP-AROUND CARE' PAGE. 

Our EYFS curriculum

Our EYFS (Early Years Foundation Stage) curriculum for both Chickadees and Reception has been guided by the EYFS Framework, Development Matters and early years pedagogy, whilst being personal to our school; it embraces the contextual learning and the cultural capital that comes from our community and our children’s home lives. It has been designed to engage and enthuse the young minds of our children, through carefully planned, play-based learning experiences. Our curriculum is rich and well-sequenced; it ensures that the skills our children require for the next stage in their education progress throughout the EYFS, so that they are ready for school after Chickadees and for Year 1 after their reception year. In reception, there is a key focus on transition to Year 1 which continually evolves throughout the year. For example, whilst teaching the children about the past and the present (Understanding the World), we will introduce the concept of a timeline and introduce some historical vocabulary such as – new, old, ago, past, order, time. In this way we teach children the foundational knowledge, and develop concepts and vocabulary, that prepare our children for their history lessons in year 1.  

Developing a good pencil grip

We continually focus on helping your child to develop an effective pencil grip; this helps them to form their letters correctly when they are writing.

Suggested Activities to help develop your child's fine motor skills, which will help them to grip their pencil and form their letters correctly.

Activities;

1. threading - beads, pasta etc.
2. tearing paper to paste onto a large picture 
3. making snips in paper using scissors and then extend to cutting in a straight line
4. making papier mache
5. using play dough to create different shapes
6. making marks in playdough using small tools
7. grating vegetables or fruit 
8. playing musical games involving fine hand control (‘open, shut them’ etc.)
9. using finger puppets to tell a story or join in a play
10. drawing faces onto fingertips then making the faces ‘kiss’
11. finding hidden small items in a bucket of rice or beans
12. hanging washing onto a clothesline - you could make one at child-height