Reception 2025 - 2026

We will continue with settling in, getting to know each other and becoming familiar with our daily routines and will start our Autumn topic 'All About Me'.  A topic web with more information about our learning is available in the 'Files to Download' at the bottom of this page.

Please don't hesitate to contact us, should you have any questions or worries.  We are usually available once we have let the children out in the afternoon (mornings tend to be very busy!) or you can call / email the office.  

We hope you have a great weekend and look forward to seeing you back on Monday. Doors open at 8.45am an we will continue to bring the children down at 3.10pm just before Key Stage 1 finish for the day.

Mrs Adams, Mrs Barnett & the Reception Team.

Routines, Reminders & Messages

Reception Curriculum Evening - Is on Weds 24th Sept from 5.30-6.30pm.  We look forward to welcoming you to an informal drop-in session to see the classroom, find out more about how we learn in Reception and meet the class teachers in a more social context.  This is not a formal Parents Evening and, as no private appointments are bookable, we will be unable to discuss individual children's progress. A formal Parents Evening will be arranged for later in the term and we will update you when the details have been confirmed.

Book Bag and Reading Diary - Your child was given their book bag and reading folder on their first day.  The folder contains their reading diary and phonics reading books.  Please look through the diary and complete the permissions pages as soon as possible (we can't put any lovely photos on our webpage until we have your consent).  

Please record in the diary each time you read with your child.  We will make a note of when we have read in school too.  You can use the diary to pass notes to us but please remember that they are not checked daily.  If your message is urgent or very important then please telephone or email the school office instead.

Phonics Reading Books - Your child will initially bring home one book per week. This will increase to two books, that match the sounds learned in phonics lessons, before half-term. It is important for the children to re-read the books - at least 3 times at home - to help them become more fluent, begin to recognise words and to feel successful as a reader. We encourage the children to read once to sound out and blend all of the words, a second time to remember and begin to read a little more confidently and a third time to help their understanding of the book and be able to talk about it. 

Please ensure all books and the reading diary are kept in your child's folder in their book bag and brought in to school every day, as we also read these books in class. Books are changed on Mondays - we have very limited supplies so please ensure they are in school and availiable to be passed on to the next child.

'Reading for Pleasure' books -  Your child will choose a Reading for Pleasure book during their first week.  These are lovely books for you to share with your child at home. Your child is not expected to read these for themselves but they are wonderful as a bedtime story or snuggled up on the sofa to read together. These books are also changed on Mondays and again we have a limited supply, so would appreciate your support in ensuring they are returned on time to be available for another child.

P.E. -  Our P.E. day for the first half-term is a Thursday. Children should come to school in their PE kits (House t-shirts, school or plain black/navy tracksuit) and velcro pumps or trainers - no laces please!

Home Learning will be sent home on Fridays from Week 2.  This will be a mixture of activities in Home Learning books, online or via Tapestry. Please ensure it is completed and, where applicable, books are returned by the following Wednesday, when we collect them in. 

Tapestry - we use this to share highlights of your child's learning, send messages and set some home learning tasks.  If your child attended our Pre-School then your existing login details are still valid.  If you are new to Rode Heath then you should have received an email with instructions on how to get started (check your junk folder if you don't receive an email). As always, please let us know if you have any problems.

Ensuring that our children are happy, safe and secure in school is very important to us.  We follow our Hearts and Minds curriculum to ensure children's personal, social and emotional development is central to our practice.  More information about our Hearts and Minds curriculum and the weekly Hearts and Mind planning can be found using this link: Hearts and Minds. 

To find year group expectations for Maths, please click here, scroll down and click on the overview. 

For year group expectations for English, please click here, scroll down and click on the overview. 

The expectations for Science and the Foundation subjects can be found by selecting the relevant heading from here.

Our Learning Journey: Monday 15th September 2025

This week, Home learning will be sent in book bags on Friday 19th Sepetember. Additional resources and supporting videos will be available on Tapestry.  Please ensure the home learning is completed and books are returned by the following Wednesday.

Phonics:

We will be learning the letters t and p this week.  We will begin to recognise the letters (graphemes) and link them to the sound they make (phonemes).  We will practise hearing the sounds in short words and forming the letters correctly.

Pure Sounds - We teach the children to use 'pure' sounds (the sounds that letters make in words)  Click on the pictures below to hear the 'pure' sounds for Phase 2 and Phase 3 phonics.

Phase 2 Graphemes - s  a t p

Literacy:

We will continue to practise writing our names, using correct letter formation.

Letter Formation - We work very hard on developing a good pencil grip and forming our letters correctly in Reception. This is important because it reduces strain on the hand muscles and prepares children for joining letters and writing at greater length in Years 1 and 2. The pictures below show the correct formation for each letter and the rhymes we use to support the children to recall them.

  Maths:

This week we are exploring sorting.  The children will use the simple sorting skills they have developed so far to now explore different sorting techniques and begin to generate their own rules for sorting objects.

   Personal, Social & Emotional Development:

This week we are learning how to identify and name different feelings.

   Understanding the World

We are continuing to find out about each other this week, and will be creating 'All About Me' pages in our Learning Journals.

  Physical Development:

This week, we are learning to run safely, remaining in balance.

    Expressive Arts & Design:

We will continue with creating our first self-portraits and begin to explore mark-making, using different media.

Engineering:

Don't forget to visit our Think Like an Engineer website regularly to see what we're all busy doing: 

https://thinklikeanengineerproject.com

Our door is always open, please contact us for help at any time. 

At busy times, please telephone to leave a message or email and we will respond as soon as we can.

If you are worried about how to keep your child safe online, please follow the following link:.

https://www.thinkuknow.co.uk/parents/articles/keeping-your-under-five-safe-online