Sparrows 2026 - 2027

Sparrows Class

We are a Reception class, taught by Mrs Armitt and Mrs Buckley.

Here is what we are learning this term.

Communication and Language - 

The children will learn to listen carefully to a range of stories, rhymes and poems and will be encouraged to join in with repeated words and phrases. They will develop their vocabulary through our core texts, play and everyday experiences. Children will have lots of opportunities to talk with a partner and in small groups, learning to listen, respond, ask questions and share their ideas. We will build their confidence in speaking to others and retelling familiar stories.

Physical Development - 

The children will be encouraged to become increasingly independent with their own self-care, including toileting, washing hands, dressing and putting on their own coats. We will develop fine motor strength and control through activities such as Dough Disco, mark making, threading, cutting and using tools. Gross motor skills will be developed daily through outdoor play, movement and dance activities. Our weekly PE lesson (Friday) will develop fundamental movement skills including running, balancing, jumping, throwing and catching.

Personal, Social and Emotional Development - 

During the first term, there will be a strong focus on helping the children feel safe, happy and confident at school. They will learn our classroom routines and expectations, develop independence and build relationships with adults and their new classmates. Through stories, play and discussion, children will explore feelings, friendships, turn-taking and how to join in with others. They will be encouraged to express their needs, share ideas and become increasingly confident and resilient.

Literacy -

Our learning will be led by carefully chosen stories. We begin with our Belonging and Starting School chapter, exploring stories including The Colour Monster Goes to School, Owl Babies, All Are Welcome and The Suitcase. Later in the term, we will explore Celebrations and Autumn. Children will join in with repeated language, talk about characters and events, sequence and retell stories and begin to create their own ideas. They will develop early writing through mark making, name writing and forming letters and sounds.

Read, Write Inc Phonics - 

The children will take part in a daily Read Write Inc. phonics session. During the Autumn term, they will learn the Set 1 sounds and practise recognising, saying and writing them. As their sound knowledge develops, children will begin to blend sounds together to read simple words (e.g. c-a-t → cat) and segment words for spelling. Sessions also include handwriting and regular opportunities to revisit previously taught sounds and words. We will share information about the sounds being taught so that you can support your child at home.

Mathematics - 

The children will develop a secure understanding of numbers to 5, exploring how numbers can be represented in different ways. They will practise counting accurately, recognising numerals, comparing quantities and understanding that the final number counted tells us how many there are altogether. Through our Power Maths sessions and continuous provision, children will also explore matching, sorting, comparing, patterns, shape and measure.

Understanding the World - 

The children will begin by learning about themselves and what makes them unique, exploring their bodies and using their five senses to investigate the world around them. We will talk about our families, homes and experiences, noticing similarities and differences between ourselves and others. Children will learn about their school and local community and explore the different families, cultures, traditions and beliefs within our wider community. As the seasons change, we will observe Autumn and Winter, explore the natural world and learn about different celebrations and traditions, including Harvest, Diwali and Christmas.

Expressive Arts and Design - 

The children will have lots of opportunities to explore and create using a range of materials, tools and techniques. They will develop skills through drawing, painting, collage, modelling and working with natural materials. Children will explore colour, texture and pattern and create artwork linked to themselves, Autumn and our core stories. They will also learn songs and rhymes, explore music and movement and develop their imagination through role play and small-world play.

P.E. - 

The children will take part in a structured PE lesson every Friday. During the Autumn term, we will focus on developing fundamental movement skills including running, jumping, balancing, throwing and catching. Children will learn to move safely and confidently in different ways, follow instructions and develop their coordination and spatial awareness. Gross motor development will also take place every day through our outdoor provision and active play.

Home Learning -

We encourage children to read every night, whether this is a school reading book, a favourite book from home or sharing a story with an adult. Regular reading has a huge impact on children’s language, confidence and learning. Over the next couple of weeks, children will bring home a reading folder containing a small phonics book, which they can have a go at reading themselves, and a pink-banded book to share with an adult to develop comprehension and storytelling skills. We also welcome children reading other suitable books from home. Please record all reading in your child’s reading record. Books will be changed every Monday, so reading folders and book bags must be returned to school each Monday.

Each Monday, we will share a simple home-learning activity via Class Dojo to help consolidate learning from school. We may also send home an activity sheet that may help with this. Activities will be fun, manageable and designed to involve the family. Please share photos or updates with us on Class Dojo portfolio page – we love seeing what the children get up to at home!

Snack & Lunch - 

We offer a healthy snack each day, which will be a piece of fruit or vegetable. We all sit down together to share our snack, giving the children time to chat, listen to one another and enjoy this social part of our day. Children are also welcome to bring their own healthy snack from home, such as fruit, vegetable sticks, crackers, breadsticks, cheese or low-sugar rice cakes. Please remember we are an allergy aware school so no nuts or products that contain nuts.

If your child is finding lunchtime choices tricky, we recommend looking at the menu together and choosing their meal in advance through ParentPay. This helps children know what to expect and choose something they are more likely to enjoy and eat.