Welcome to Year R!

2025-26

In Year R, our teachers are Mrs Jandula (Class 1), Mrs Baker (Class 2), and Mr Tagarsi (Class 3). We are also supported by our dedicated Learning Support Assistants (LSAs): Miss Cameron, Miss Drury, Miss Speller, Miss Croft, Mrs Eldridge, Miss Wheeler and Mrs Howlett. 

If you have any questions, please get in touch with your child's teacher. If they are not around at pick-up, you can speak to them by phoning the school office and requesting an appointment.

Keep referring back to this page for regular updates about the children's learning. 

Curriculum Newsletters

Year R Autumn1 - Curriculum Newsletter

Update - Friday 17th October 2025

This week, the children learnt the phonemes f, h, b and l. The tricky word this week was the. The children had a go at reading words like red, hat, lip and fin. Everyone completed activities to consolidate what they had learnt. This included matching, cutting and sorting.

Our Topic Time book was called "We Are Going to Find the Monster." The children had a go at forming sentences orally and practised writing CVC words connected to the book.

Our Maths focus was on exploring simple patterns, continuing them, and observing patterns in the world around us. The children made patterns using concrete materials, pictures and completed some worksheets.

In the creative area, we made monsters using junk modelling. The children also painted different jars half full, full and empty. In the tuff tray, we made play-dough monsters, bringing them to life by giving them names and role-playing with them.

Update - Friday 10th October 2025

This week, we have started to celebrate Black History Month. We started by reading the book ‘My Hair’  by Hannah Lee.

We used the book to help us with our reading and writing lessons. Some children were able to write CVC words, e.g cat, dad, dog and pan. Others were able to hear and write some of the phonemes in these words.  We practised our oral blending and used colour semantics to help us speak in fully formed sentences. Colourful semantics is a colour coded system that helps children construct sentences by visually breaking them down into their component parts, such as ‘who’, ‘what doing’, ‘what’ and ‘’where’. 

We practised writing some of the graphemes we have learnt on the art table and writing table. Also, to help us with writing, we have been doing ‘Write dance’, which is a music and movement programme that uses large-scale body movements, which helps build a strong foundation for writing.

In maths, we have been focusing on capacity,  mass and pattern. We worked with a partner weighing objects and identifying which was the heaviest and which was the lightest.

We continue to practise writing our names, please encourage your child write lower case letters after their initial capital letter if they are writing their name at home.

        

Update - Friday 3rd October 2025

This week, we have been celebrating our similarities and differences.  We read the book 'We are all different', where we looked at ways we can be different, e.g favourite foods, colours, things we like to do. We learnt that it is ok to be different, and just because our friends like something doesn't mean that we have to.  

We have also explored different celebrations. We have discussed the celebrations that we take part in and what this looks like.

In phonics we have learnt new phonemes for the letters d, g, o, c and k, we have also learnt the tricky word 'is'.  We learnt that it is tricky because the 's' wants us to make a 'z' sound. We continue to use what we have learnt in phonics to inform classroom activities on the writing table, cutting table and the tuff tray.

In maths, we have been practising sorting in different ways and explaining our sorting rules to others.  We have also been identifying sorting rules in daily maths sessions.  We have been making sure we speak in full sentences when responding, e.g. these are the same because they are all green, I have sorted by colour.

Please remember to send your child in with their reading diary and library book on Monday.

          

Update - Thursday 25th September 2025

This week in phonics, we looked at the new phonemes i, n, m and d. We also revisited s , a, t and p. The children then had a go at orally blending words such as: sat, pin and tip. We also had a go at reading words such as tap, sat and sit. The children segmented and then blended these words. 

Our Topic Time focus was around the book Have You Filled a Bucket Today? We talked about how we can be bucket fillers (being nice) and what it means to be a bucket dipper (being unkind). The children had a go at sorting pictures into the right place, whether it was showing someone being a bucket filler or a dipper. 

In maths, we had a look at matching and creating sets of different objects. The children explored through our enhanced provision around this theme. 

In the creative area, the children created their own buckets out of toilet roll tubes, mixed blue and yellow to make green buckets and cut out stars to fill their buckets. 

The children did some more name writing, making sure they were forming their letters correctly, whether this was by copying their name, going over highlighted letters or by memory. 

Update - Friday 19th September 2025

This week in phonics, we looked at the phonemes s, t, a and p. We also practised being able to orally blend words like sit and pat. 

In maths, we began counting objects, matching numerals to pictorial representations and singing various number songs. 

The children had a go at writing their names and practising their letter formation. 

Our Topic Time focus was the book Colour Monster. We looked at the different emotions that we may experience. We spoke about how we can share our emotions by using our feelings display or talking to a friend or adult. We completed various activities, including sorting, matching, cutting and sticking, around the theme of the colour monster. 

In our creative area, the children have been creating a collage of the different colour monsters, making colour monster headbands and creating their own drawings around this theme. 

Year R also had their first PE session this week. We were pleased to see so many children being independent in getting changed into their kits. Just as a reminder, please could we encourage children to learn to change themselves, so the transition in the morning can run as smoothly as possible. PE kits need to be left in school as the children have it every Wednesday. The children can keep this on their peg along with their outdoor learning kits. 

Well done for an amazing week. Feel free to share what you get up to at the weekend. We love to see it!

       

Update – Friday 12th September 2025

Our first week has been a combination of fun and learning new rules and routines.

We have learnt and have been following the ‘Rainbow Rules’, which are important rules that are followed throughout the infant and junior school. I wonder if your child can remember any of them.

We have been learning about each other, and the children have been making new friendships. We used plastic knives and forks, and play-dough to practise our cutting skills to help us at lunchtime.

We have shared lots of stories, and the children have demonstrated good sitting and good listening.  The children have been practising writing their names and their scissor skills. If you are going to help your child write their name at home, please remember to write only the first letter as a capital and the rest in lowercase.

We have been playing games together, practising sharing and our social skills. We introduced the feelings display, and everyone had a chance to tell and show us how they were feeling and why.

Have a lovely weekend. Please don’t forget to send in reading diaries on Monday.

Thank you for your patience this week.