Reception 2026 - 2027

Mrs Adams

I have been working with young children for over 20 years and am passionate about giving them the best possible start to school life by learning through creative and meaningful contexts. As a Forest School teacher I love taking learning outside the classroom and introducing children to new skills, such as den building, tree climbing, campfire cookery and caring for our woodland environment.

Mrs Barnett

I have worked at Rode Heath School for many years now. I thoroughly enjoy being part of all of the exciting learning opportunities which Rode Heath has to offer. Outside of school, I love to go exploring outdoors with my two children.

Miss Street

I have worked as a TA at Rode Heath for the past 8 years, working in Key Stage 1, specialising in EYFS. I thoroughly enjoy working with the new starters, supporting them as they start on their new journey of school life. I believe all children should be treated as I would wish my own to be treated.

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Welcome to Reception! Doors open at 8.45am and we will collect you from the Key Stage 1 playground. We finish at 3.15pm and will let you out from the Pre-School door - please do not block access to the Year 1 door whilst waiting. Our first topic of the year is 'All About Me' and the topic web is available in the Files to Download section at the bottom of this page. Our Reception Class page is updated every week, so please check in regularly to keep up to date with messages, news and information about our learning.

We know the first few weeks can be a bit daunting (for grown-ups too!). Please do not hesitate to contact us if you have any queries, concerns or worries - we want your child to be happy, settled and have a fantastic year in Reception and we are really keen to work with you to make sure that happens.

Routines, Reminders & Messages

Reception Curriculum Drop-In - We are delighted to invite you to our Reception Curriculum Drop-In on Wednesday 23rd September from 4:00pm to 6:00pm.. Feel free to drop in at any time during the session to find out more about learning in Reception, explore examples of the children's work, and meet the class teachers. Please note that, as this is an informal drop-in event held within the classroom, we will not be able to discuss confidential information or your child's individual progress. Our first Parents' Evening will take place after the half-term break, providing an opportunity to discuss your child’s development and learning at a private appointment. We look forward to welcoming you.

Book Bag and Reading Diary - Your child will be given a 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, Our first books have no words to build confidence in talking and discussing what is happening in the pictures. Later on this half term we will send home two books, that match the sounds learned in phonics lessons. 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 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 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 PE day is on THURSDAY this term. Children should come to school in their PE kits (House t-shirts, school or plain black/navy shorts or tracksuit) and velcro pumps or trainers - no laces please!

Home Learning is 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,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.

School Spider - Please ensure that you have downloaded the School Spider App. We use this for communicating general school messages and information such as head bumps and changes to arrangements for clubs.

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 14th September 2026

Your home learning will be in your Home Learning Books this week. Supporting resources will be sent on Tapestry

During their first few weeks in Reception, children will take part in the Reception Baseline Assessment. This is a short, one-to-one activity with Mrs Adams & Mrs Barnett that focuses on early literacy, communication and maths skills. The purpose of the assessment is to provide a starting point for measuring the progress children make throughout their time in primary school. There is no preparation needed, results are not shared with children and there is no pass or fail. Most children simply see it as spending some special time, playing some games with their teachers.

Phonics

This week we are continuing Phase 2 of our Phonics scheme and will be learning 't' and 'p'. We will also learn our first tricky word 'I'.

Tricky words are words that cannot always be sounded out using the phonics children have learned so far. Instead, children need to learn to recognise these words by sight and remember what they look like. We practise tricky words regularly in school through games, reading and writing activities. The more often children see these words, the more confidently and fluently they will be able to read and use them in their own writing.

When children begin phonics in Reception, they start by learning individual letter sounds. They will learn to:

Recognise and say the sounds (phonemes) that the letters make in words.
Identify the letters (graphemes) that represent these sounds.
Form the letters correctly when writing.
Listen for the sounds at the beginning, middle, and end of words.
Begin blending sounds together to read simple words as they learn more letter sounds.

Through songs, games, stories, and practical activities, children build confidence in hearing and using these sounds, laying the foundations for reading and writing.

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

Phase 2 Tricky Words - I

Literacy:

This week we will continue to focus on writing our names, as well as the letters we have learned in Phonics. We will be holding our pencils effectively and forming the letters correctly.

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.

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Maths:

This week we will begin exploring how to match, sort and compare objects. We will notice similarities and differences, match objects that are the same, and sort items into groups using different features such as colour, size or shape. We will talk about our thinking and explain how we have sorted or matched objects. Through practical, hands-on activities, we will also begin comparing groups and discussing which have the same, more or fewer objects. This helps build strong early maths skills and mathematical vocabulary.

Personal, Social & Emotional Development:

This week we will be learning to identify and talk about our feelings. We will explore different emotions, such as happy, sad, excited and worried, and begin to recognise how these feelings might look and feel in ourselves and others. Through stories, discussions and activities, we will develop the confidence to name our feelings and understand that all emotions are important and normal.

Understanding the World

We will continue to find out about each other this week, by talking about our likes, dislikes and preferences. The children will have opportunities to discuss their favourite toys, foods, activities and interests, while learning that everyone is unique and may enjoy different things. Through discussions and activities, we will build confidence, develop speaking and listening skills, and encourage children to respect and celebrate each other's differences.

Physical Development:

This week we will develop our running skills by learning how to run safely and confidently while staying balanced. The children will practise changing direction, stopping and starting with control, and moving at different speeds. Through fun games and activities, they will build their coordination, body control and awareness of space while learning how to move safely around others.

Expressive Arts & Design:

This week we will explore different ways of making marks using a range of tools and materials. The children will investigate the marks they can create, talk about what they notice, and begin to use mark making to express their ideas and develop their early drawing and writing skills. In Music, we will explore the different sounds our voices can make. The children will have fun using their voices in different ways, such as speaking, singing, whispering and making sound effects. They will listen carefully to sounds and begin to develop their confidence and enjoyment in music-making.

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.

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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

Files to Download

All About Me - Autumn 2026 WELCOME NEW STARTERS 2026 An Introduction to Forest School EYFS Literacy Expectations EYFS Communication and Language Expectations EYFS Maths Expectations Rode Heath Phonics - A Guide for Parents. Lower Case Letter Formation Recommended Reads EYFS

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