Welcome to the Early Years

Nursery Teacher: Mrs Lydia Farnell

Nursery Teaching Assistant/ Early Years Practioner: Miss Emma Owen

Nursery Teaching Assistant 30 hours: Mrs Sarah Bayliss

EYFS leader/Reception Teacher: Miss Lizzie Pascall

Reception Teaching Assistant: Miss Amelia Brown

Learning Support: Mrs Vikki Tapper and Mr Jack Wellings

A28 - I have the right to an education.

A29 - My education helps me to develop my personality, talents and abilities. 

A31 - I have the right to rest, relax, play and take part in cultural activities. 

Summer Term 1

Animals

In Reception, the children will be learning about:

• Animals from all over the world
• Their habitats and how they survive

 Each week will focus on different animals:

• Jungle animals;
• African animals;
• Sea creatures;
• Dinosaurs.

You can support your child by researching animals from around the world, creating pieces of art of different animals and visiting animal centres.

Books to support: Tyrannosaurs Drip by Julia Donaldson, Billy’s Bucket by Kes Gray, Rumble in the Jungle by Giles Andreae and Anansi and the Turtle traditional tales.

At home, pupils could visit https://www.tvokids.com/school-age/games/dino-dig-dino-dan and hunt for fossils. Can you name some different dinosaurs?

In the Nursery, the children will be learning about:

• Pets.
• Fish
• Frogs
• Farm animals

You can support your child by discussing pets in your family, looking at farm animals and sharing stories based on animals in the home.

Books to support: Hairy Maclary story set by Lynley Dodd, Old Macdonald had a farm songs and ‘Squash and a Squeeze’ by Julia Donaldson.

You can use Tapestry to upload any work completed at home.

At home, you could visit https://www.bbc.co.uk/cbeebies/games/my-pet-and-me-game and care for the pets. Tell us how you care for pets at home.

Summer Term 2

The Natural World

In Reception, the children will be learning about:

• Insects in woodlands
• Animals in woodlands
• Bears
• Trees and plants
• Summer season

You can support your child by visiting local woodlands or outdoor areas and observing the natural world in action. 

Books to support: ‘The Very Greedy Bee’ by Steve Smallman, ‘Super Worm’ by Julia Donaldson, ‘The Gruffalo’ by Julia Donaldson, non-fiction insect books and growing texts.

At home, you could make your own insect using playdough. Remember to add in key features of each insect e.g. wings, spots etc. Upload your images onto your child’s Tapestry.

In Nursery, the children will be learning about:

• Insects in garden areas such as bees, butterflies and caterpillars.
• How flowers and plants grow.
• Types of flowers.
• The season of Summer.

You can support your child with their learning by visiting local woodlands or outdoor areas and observing the natural world in action.

Books to support: ‘The Hungry Caterpillar’ by Eric Carle, ‘The Bad Tempered Ladybird’ by Eric Carle, ‘Monkey Puzzle’ by Julia Donaldson, and non-fiction insect books and growing texts.

At home, experiment with butterfly patterns by printing paint on one side of paper and folding it. Upload your images onto your child’s Tapestry.

Reception Story Cafe

Join us every Monday for our family story cafe. Each week we will share stories with you and your child and give you chance to enjoy exploring stories together. Sessions take place in the Reception classroom at 2:45pm. Please enter via the main school office. 

Nursery Story Cafe

Join us every Friday  for our family story cafe. Each week we will share stories with you and your child and give you chance to enjoy exploring stories together. Sessions take place in the library at 9:05am. Please enter via the main school office after dropping off the children in Nursery. 

Forest Session:

Our Muddy sessions focus on developing the children's physical skills. We explore how to move around the forest and also the animals that live in our forest. Children observe the changes to the environment each season. 

Forest sessions take place each Monday. 

Homework Story Sacks:

Story Sacks will be sent home every FRIDAY and must be returned every TUESDAY. Each sack includes a task sheet to choose from, key words, a storybook and resources to support you complete the tasks. Please upload any work or photos completed from your child’s story sack onto their Tapestry account. You will have received your activation email over the 6 weeks. Please contact the school office if you need to reset your account.

Parent Workshops and Trips

Reception Parent Workshop

We would like to invite Reception parents/carers to take part in a dinosaur parent workshop. Pupils and families will work together to create dinosaur habitats using a range of materials.  This Parent Workshop is taking place on Monday 19th May 2025 2:00-3:00pm. Please sign up via School Comms.

Rights Respecting School

As a UNICEF Rights Respecting School, we believe in educating children about their rights from the UN convention. Our Early Years environment helps to educate pupils about Article 31 (leisure, play and culture) “Every child has the right to relax, play and take part in a wide range of cultural and artistic activities.”