Reception Information to Parents 2020/21 - Channing School
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Reception
Information to
Parents
2020/21Reception Information to Parents
September 2020
Welcome
Welcome to Reception! We are very excited to be teaching your daughter in her first year at Channing.
We understand that the step from playgroup, nursery or home to full time attendance in a Reception class
is an important one. Thus, we try to make the transition as smooth as possible by ensuring that the girls
are prepared and that parents are informed about what to expect. We are keen to make your daughter
feel welcome, happy, secure and valued.
Staff
The following staff will be working with your daughters this year:
Reception B
The following staff will be working with your daughters this year:
Class Teacher (and Key Worker) Miss Baker
Teaching Assistants Miss Kalli, Miss Nelson and Miss Paterson
Drama Miss Conway
Librarian Ms Jupp
Music Ms Rattenbury
PE Mrs Jarman and Miss Bolton
Spanish Miss Glennon
Reception S
Class Teacher (and Key Worker) Mrs Sillitoe
Teaching Assistants Mrs Ibrekic, Miss Paterson and Miss Sarkar
Drama Miss Conway
Librarian Ms Jupp
Music Ms Rattenbury
PE Mrs Jarman and Miss Bolton
Spanish Miss Glennon
At Channing, the Reception classes form our Early Years Foundations Stage (EYFS) unit. Under the EYFS
regulations, we are required to inform you that each child in Reception has a designated Key Worker. The
role of the Key Worker is to ensure that your daughter is familiar with the school and to feel safe and
secure within it, developing a bond with her and you and offering a settled, close relationship. She will keep
up-to-date with your daughter’s development within our setting using observation sheets, assessments and
group activities. She will also ensure that the needs of your daughter are met and will respond sensitively
to her ideas, feelings and behaviour. The EYFS regulations also require that your daughter’s Key Worker
ensures she is being cared for appropriately in the family situation.
Expectations
Reception is a time for the girls to become confident in their own abilities, make friends, learn different
skills and gain new knowledge. This year they are expected to become independent in certain areas. This
includes looking after their own personal hygiene, packing their book bags in class and taking care of their
own possessions. Please help by labelling all clothing that is brought into school. We start to develop good
learning habits, including concentrating for small periods, participating in class discussions and activities,
1bringing in items from home which relate to the curriculum and beginning to develop the ability to follow
instructions and complete work with some adult supervision. To help your daughter settle in, we ask that
you encourage her to walk into the classroom on her own, hang up her coat and unpack her book bag each
morning. During the first term, the girls are getting used to the routine of the day and we encourage them
to use their break times to establish friendships; consequently, they do not partake in lunchtime clubs until
the Spring term.
Firefly
We have a school-wide learning platform called Firefly that we use to share information with the girls and
parents. It is not visible to the public; every girl has a username and password which allows them access.
You will be given your daughter’s password in due course. Key information, such as the class timetable is
available and we also share photos. Please make sure that the girls log into the Junior Firefly page, not the
Senior page. It can be found at: https://juniorchanning.fireflycloud.net/login
Seesaw
Seesaw is a platform for pupil engagement. We use Seesaw to enable the girls to create, reflect, share, and
collaborate. The girls in Reception can “show what they know” using photos, videos, drawings, text, PDFs,
and links. To login, you will need the class QR code which you can find on Firefly. Seesaw is a valuable
virtual learning platform to gather each girls’ work in one place. This can then be shared easily with families,
and nothing is shared without teacher approval.
Curriculum
We provide a wide range of learning opportunities to enable the girls to access a variety of experiences.
Every child starts Reception at a different stage of development. Their individual needs are assessed and
staff plan appropriately to meet those needs, providing suitable resources and activities which allow for
progression.
Our provision is based on the Early Years Foundation Stage which sets the standards for learning,
development and care for children from birth to five. It stresses the importance of providing well-planned
experiences based on children’s spontaneous play, both indoors and outdoors.
The EYFS curriculum states that the ways in which children engage with other people and their
environment - playing and exploring, active learning, and creating and thinking critically - all underpin
learning and support the child to remain an effective and motivated learner.
The EYFS describes Prime Areas of learning, which are fundamental and develop quickly in response to
relationships and experiences and therefore support all other areas. These areas are:
• Communication and Language development involves giving children opportunities to experience a
rich language environment; to develop their confidence and skills in expressing themselves; and to speak
and listen in a range of situations.
• Physical Development involves providing opportunities for young children to be active and interactive;
and to develop their coordination, control, and movement. Children must also be helped to understand the
importance of physical activity and to make healthy choices in relation to food.
• Personal, Social and Emotional Development involves helping children to develop a positive sense
of themselves, and others; to form positive relationships and develop respect for others; to develop social
skills and learn how to manage their feelings; to understand appropriate behaviour in groups; and to have
2confidence in their own abilities.
The Early Years Framework also talks about Specific Areas of learning, which include essential skills and
knowledge. They develop from the prime areas and provide important context for learning. These are:
• Literacy Development involves encouraging children to link sounds and letters and to begin to read
and write. Children must be given access to a wide range of reading materials (books, poems, and other
written materials) to ignite their interest.
• Mathematics involves providing children with opportunities to develop and improve their skills in
counting, understanding and using numbers, calculating simple addition and subtraction problems; and to
describe shapes, spaces, and measures.
• Understanding the World involves guiding children to make sense of their physical world and their
community through opportunities to explore, observe and find out about people, places, technology and
the environment.
• Expressive Arts and Design involves enabling children to explore and play with a wide range of media
and materials, as well as providing opportunities and encouragement for sharing their thoughts, ideas and
feelings through a variety of activities in art, music, movement, dance, role-play, and design and technology.
We recognise and support the unique differences in children and develop their self- confidence by building
on what they can do. We also encourage children to become decision makers and problem solvers who
can plan, carry out their chosen activities and later reflect on their play and learning. Children are
encouraged to play individually and in cooperation with other children and adults.
Our days consist of Literacy, Mathematics and topic work. This is taught through whole class sessions,
group work and child initiated play. The girls also have specialist teaching in Music, Drama, Spanish and P.E.
We have a weekly Computing lesson, using Chromebooks and iPads. We are an Apple School; the girls will
utilise iPads frequently across their curriculum.
Phonics
We teach phonics sessions four times a week. The girls are taught the sounds of the letters of the alphabet
and different digraphs/trigraphs. We follow the scheme ‘Read Write Inc’. They are taught to blend and
segment a range of CVC (consonant, vowel, consonant) and CVCC/CCVC words. They are also
encouraged to recognise and develop a sight vocabulary of a range of ‘tricky’ and high frequency words. It is
very important for the sounds to be pronounced correctly and that they are ‘pure’. There are various
video clips online by Ruth Miskin on how to support your child. This link below demonstrates how to
pronounce each sound: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TkXcabDUg7Q
Reading
All girls will partake in adult-led focused reading activities at least twice a week. These will include: 1-1
reading, practising high frequency words and individual phonics practice. In addition, they will be practising
their reading and comprehension skills through the Read, Write Inc phonics programme, shared stories and
word reading embedded throughout the curriculum. Our reading scheme is progressive through Reception
to Year 2; girls should have a book that suits their level of ability and comprehension. We use a Reading
Record book to communicate with you about your daughter’s reading. Please ensure you leave a comment
in her Reading Record when you hear her read. The girls will change their books at least once every week.
Please ensure your daughter brings her book and Reading Record to school every day. Each girl will receive
3a ‘word train’ to help her learn high frequency words by sight. These will be sent home on a Friday to
practise at home throughout the week.
Please read, or work on word trains with your daughter every night. Below are some helpful hints for
when you listen to her read.
Strategies:
• Picture cue
• Sounding out
• Leave it out
How to Help
• Set aside time just for reading together
• Encourage positive reading habits by letting your daughter see you enjoying books
• Read to your daughter
• Use different voices and add sound effects
• Get everyone involved e.g. Grandma, Uncle
• Keep calm and keep going!
What a Reading Session Should Look Like
• Look and talk about the title and the pictures on the front cover
• Discuss what you think the story might be about
• Read the story together, inviting your daughter to read as much as she can
• Throughout the story, ask questions to check her understanding and inference, for example how a
character might be feeling and why
• Use the strategy most suited to a word if your daughter gets stuck
• Don’t spend too long before telling your daughter the word and repeating the strategy
• If there are lots of new/tricky words, read the sentence to your daughter first
• Reread the book later to build confidence
• Give lots of praise for effort and success!
What to Write in the Reading Record
• Comment on strategy used, e.g. good sounding out, segmented words
• Note of punctuation, e.g. stopped for full stops correctly, used questioning voice for questions
• Fluency, e.g. a little hesitant today, read fluently
• Character voice, e.g. appropriate change of voice for characters in story
• Struggled with new vocabulary
• Talked about front cover and made links to personal experience/other books
Fun Games to Help
• Make up silly sentences where every word starts with the same sound e.g. Sally smelt six sizzling
spicy sausages.
• Play I-Spy and give lots of clues e.g. I spy with my little eye something you wear on your head and
starts with ‘h’ (letter sound used rather than name).
• Say a list of words beginning with the same sound but include one that doesn’t fit. Can they spot
the odd one out? Try it with picture cards, objects or written words too.
• Put lots of objects in a bag and then pull one out at a time, ask what they are and which letter they
start with. Initially use items that start with the same letter.
4• Make a shopping list and get them to follow it as you read it out at the shops.
• Everywhere you go, spot things to read, e.g. at the shops, on the bus, Dr’s waiting room
High Frequency Word Trains
Each week your daughter will be sent home six high frequency words to learn to read. Please support her
by practising these words using games, such as pairs, snap, making flashcards, etc. The girls will be assessed
weekly and when they are confidently reading the words (without sounding out) they will be given a new
set.
Handwriting
We will be learning the correct letter formation during Literacy and Phonics sessions. During independent
learning, the girls will be encouraged to copy, trace and practise different letters and patterns. They work
on whiteboards, use paint, sand, giant chalks and use various other media on large and small scale, both
inside and outside.
Mathematics
We follow Inspire Maths, which is based on the Singapore Maths model. Activities are always practical and
differentiated according to the individual ability level of each pupil. The girls will be working with numbers
every day in a range of different ways. They will be using familiar objects to help them learn about how
numbers are used in everyday life and they will also be linking numbers to topic work; for example, if they
are learning about dinosaurs they could be making dinosaur pictures out of shapes. They will be encouraged
to be curious and explore numbers. They will be playing number games, singing counting songs, making
models and using the role-play area, as well as being introduced to the ideas of addition and subtraction. By
the end of Reception, the girls will be expected to have a secure understanding of numbers to 10. This will
include knowing the value of each number, number bonds to 10 and solving simple problems. At home, try
to talk about numbers – it’s important for children to see just how much Maths is used in everyday life.
Support your daughter by playing fun games:
● Listening to Maths songs
● Using equipment to measure when cooking
● Practise counting – you can do this anywhere: count toys, books, how many buses you can see
● Play hide and seek – again, good practice for counting
● Save your cereal boxes and cardboard tubes for making models. Your daughter will think they’re
making a castle; you’ll know they’re learning about shapes!
● Do a jigsaw together – a fun way to develop spatial awareness and matching skills
● Play card games – even a simple game of snap helps to develop number recognition
● Have a teddy bears’ picnic: count out toys, place settings, and share out the cakes
● Put up a height chart and mark each member of the family's height
● At bath time, play with different-sized containers
PSHE
This year, we are introducing Jigsaw, the mindful approach to PSHE. Jigsaw is a progressive and spiral
scheme of learning. Jigsaw PSHE ensures that learning from previous years is revisited and extended, adding
new concepts, knowledge and skills, year on year as appropriate. Parents are encouraged to view the spiral
of knowledge and skills progression within each of the Jigsaw units of work, on your daughter's class page
on Firefly. This information includes the key vocabulary used in each year group and suggestions for Family
Learning.
Equipment and Uniform
5Girls are provided with all the stationery they need by the school. The girls have PE twice a week. On their
PE days, the girls will come into school in uniform, and change into their PE kit at school. PE days are
Tuesdays and Thursdays for Reception B, Tuesdays and Fridays for Reception S. Please bring to school a
spare bag with a spare set of clothes and underwear in case of accidents. You will need to provide a pair of
wellington boots for the girls to use in our outdoor classroom. In addition to their uniform, please ensure
that your daughter has a named art apron at school at the start of each term. If the weather is hot and
sunny, we ask that you bring in a pair of school white shorts and a school sun hat for your daughter. When
the weather is bad, wellington boots or snow boots may also be helpful. Your daughter should also have a
coat at school every day. Please clearly label everything your daughter brings to school.
Special Educational Needs
The school follows the DfE Code of Practice on the Identification and Assessment of Special Education
Needs. We recognise that the term special educational needs encompasses those who are exceptionally
gifted, those who have specific learning difficulties, those who have short or long term physical disabilities
and those for whom English is an additional language. All teachers at Channing aim to stretch the most able
girls while meeting the needs of those who may face difficulties in their learning. The policy for Additional
Learning including EAL and LDD can be found on the school website.
Assessments
During the time your daughter spends in Reception, we keep a record of her achievements. We take
photos, make observations and include examples of a range of learning. We do this to give you a full picture
of what your daughter is doing and to help us to complete the Early Years Foundation Stage Profile. A
formal report will go out at the end of the Summer Term. Girls are continually assessed throughout the
year against the Early Learning Goals. All of this evidence is collected and kept on a digital profile for each
girl, which will be shared with you at the end of the year. You are also welcome to request to see your
daughter’s work at any other point throughout the year.
Music and Performance Opportunities
The girls have two class music lessons each week. Parents are invited to watch assembly performances and
the EY and KS1 Christmas Production.
Dismissal Times
Monday - Thursday 2.55pm
Friday 2.40pm
Birds and Owls
Birds and Owls is supervised, secure, welcoming and stimulating before/after-school care for children. It is
a great provision for parents who wish for their daughters to arrive before 8.00am, or who are unable to
collect them at the end of the school day. Due to recent government guidance, we ask that you sign up in
advance.
Early Birds
Early Birds (Before School) The girls can be dropped off at the main gate/’old’ dining hall between 7.30am
and 7.55am. They will be given a healthy breakfast and a choice of activities. The girls will be able to stay
until their class entry time. There is no charge for this.
Owls
6Mini Owls (After School) This runs from 3.05pm-3.50pm. The girls will be taken by their Form teacher ten
minutes after their pick up time. There will be no charge for girls who are waiting for their sister to finish
school.
Late Owls (After School) This runs from 3.50pm - 5.50pm (4.50pm on Fridays). From 4.30-5.15pm (3.30-
4.15pm Fridays) there will be a structured activity for the girls. At 5.15pm (4.15pm Fridays) the girls will be
offered a snack of soup or a sandwich. The girls can be picked up anytime from 5.30pm (4.30pm on
Fridays). Normal charges apply. You will need to collect your daughter from the ‘old’ dining room .
Girls are taken to the designated classroom and signed in by a member of staff. You may collect your
daughter no later than 5.50pm (Monday to Thursday) and 4.50pm (Friday). Parents agree to sign and date a
record of attendance when they drop off and collect their child; they must also undertake to pay for this
facility.
At Birds and Owls, there are a range of suitable activities for the ages and abilities of girls attending. Each
session begins with a register and a healthy range of snacks provided, such as fruit and biscuits, juice, milk
or water. Each Early Bird and Late Owl session has a nurturing and relaxing environment where staff
monitor and guide the girls’ chosen activities rather than enforcing strict routines or expectations.
The activities include:
● A range of differentiated reading material and response packs containing a range of book
response prompts.
● Seasonally themed craft activities, including painting, collage, drawing using different media, card
craft, puppet making, crochet, knitting and sewing.
● Computer available for educational games and apps that support the children’s learning in class,
which can be shared and explored.
● Board games which require skills of logic and processing, such as chess, draughts and
backgammon.
● Construction based games, such as more advanced ‘lego’, are also played.
Each activity is led and managed by a member of staff.
Policies
Many of the school’s policies are on the website under ‘Information’ including the Additional Learning
including EAL and LDD Policy, the Missing Child Policy and the Pupil not Collected from School Policy.
More Information About the EYFS
If you would like to know more about the EYFS, please do feel free to ask the Reception teachers, or Mrs
Eliad (Head of Early Years and Key Stage One), who will be very happy to talk to you about this time in
your daughter’s education.
Food and Drink
Please provide your daughter with a clearly labelled water bottle. At break time, the girls are offered a
selection of snacks, such as croissants, flapjacks, bread and a wide variety of fruit. The lunch menu is on the
website for the week for you to consult and discuss with your daughter.
Birthdays
7We relish celebrating the girls’ birthdays. Cakes should be no bigger than a child’s hand and any large,
whole cakes need to be cut into child-sized slices in advance. Please note that we have girls with nut
allergies in each class and we are a nut free school.
Finally…
You can arrange an appointment to discuss progress or areas of concern with members of staff via the
School Office.
Once a week, ‘Show and Tell’ will provide an opportunity for your daughter to share something that is of
interest to her. Before half term, we will send out a ‘Show and Tell’ timetable, when your daughter will
have the opportunity to share an item or prepare a presentation relating to our topic. We will arrange one
trip or workshop each term to enrich the focus of the curriculum.
Please email the School Office to inform us of any going home arrangements and any questions that you
may have.
We very much look forward to working with you to make Reception an exciting, rewarding and successful
year ahead for your daughters.
Miss Baker and Mrs Sillitoe
Reception Class Teachers
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