Welcome to Ash Class (Reception)

A very warm welcome to you all from Mrs Wilford (Class Teacher & EYFS Lead) and Mrs Peck (Teaching Assistant). 

In Ash Class we value the different experiences and personalities of our children and enjoy watching them grow and progress throughout their reception year.  We firmly believe that every child is a unique individual, with their own story, strengths and talents and we love being part of their journey to help nurture and guide them into reaching their full potential. Our curriculum is carefully planned to give our children the skills and knowledge they need to become kind, inquisitive, thoughtful young people.

Our curriculum is based on Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS). The EYFS sets standards for the learning, development and care of children from birth to 5 years old.  The ‘Characteristics of Effective Teaching and Learning’ underpin everything we do in Early Years. These guide staff to reflect on the different ways in which children learn. 

The curriculum is delivered through continual provision, whole class teaching and small group activities, which are designed to specifically target key areas of learning.  The learning opportunities we provide to children are exciting and enriching, with a key focus on extending their physical development and vocabulary whist enabling them to make connections across their learning.

Our environment is carefully set up to provide children with access to a range of free choice learning opportunities, which are initiated from their individual interests and the topics we focus on each half term. We always ensure children have time to explore a range of aspects of learning and development, including mark making (early writing); maths; creativity; reading; communication; and personal/social development. 

During times when children have free choice of activities, our experienced staff will intervene when needed to move their learning forward and to help them make progress. Key learning points are modelled and explored during our class group times or scaffolded through group work or with individuals.

Further information regarding our Callow End EYFS Curriculum can be found below.

We have clear 'checkpoints' that we assess children against throughout the year.  These are used in school to regularly assess children's progress and to ensure the right support is given to children who are not yet meeting the checkpoints at the expected times.  

At the end of this week, we are going to introduce our ‘Reader of the Week’ reward. This very special trophy will be going home with a different child each week and will be the reward for lots of regular reading at home. Children will be able to keep the trophy at home from the Friday it given out, but it must be returned on the following Thursday please.

Children are going to start taking home a decodable reading book from this Friday, which means they will be able to use their phonics to read the words inside. However, reading and sharing other books will also count towards the regular reading they are doing at home. ☺️