Autumn 1 – 2024

Launch
The children received a home visit in week 1 where the teacher took a photo of them and their family present.
We will be adding your family photos to our home corners to make the children feel welcome and as a discussion point whilst our children settle. This will encourage the children to talk about themselves and their families. This will hopefully ensure the classroom feels safe and a bit more like home. Throughout MOLE (my own learning experience) in the first week, we will allow the children to lead their learning so that they are in charge and we can get to know them as individuals.

Landing
Over this half term, we will have a look at the roles of adults in our community, focusing on those who help us e.g. paramedics, vets, police officers etc. We will be discussing what our children would like to be when they grow up. To land our topic, we would like to have ‘what I want to be’ dress up day to round off our learning. This will be on Thursday 17th October.

Key events

• Monday 9th September Year R children start
• Thursday 19th September Year R parent workshop 7pm
• Friday 11th October INSET day
• Monday 14th October INSET day
• Thursday 17th October ‘What I Want To Be’ dress up day

Communication and Language
In Autumn 1 we will be supporting children in gaining confidence to talk and listen to friends both old and new, sharing ideas and thoughts about their play. We will focus on our foxy rules and how we are going to work together to stay safe and happy at school. We will be working hard on our listening through carpet time, stories and during play. We will begin our phonics learning and will be encouraging children to talk with clear pronunciation, in full sentences and using newly obtained vocabulary.

Writing
To begin our writing journey, we will be working with children to ensure they can sit correctly at the table, holding their pencil with increasing strength to begin mark making and writing taught letters in the correct formation. We hope children will further practice writing and using other tools in their dominant hand. Children will have the opportunity to write initial sounds (the first sound within a word) and will be able to orally blend, listening carefully to identify these sounds. The concept in writing is writing to communicate, allowing children to see that there is a purpose to the sounds and writing they are learning. We will also be supporting children in successful name writing, using capital letters at the start and correct formation throughout.

Physical development

Throughout physical development, we will focus on the children’s gross motor control. Whilst outside the children will explore the bikes, scooters and trim trail to encourage the large muscles to move. As we explore a new space in the school, the children will be encouraged to negotiate space and obstacles safely with consideration for themselves and others. The children will also use their communication and language skills or listening and talking skills to ensure they stay safe. We will also provide plenty of opportunities for our children to develop their fine motor skills in preparation for writing, this will be through activities such as threading, playdough, crafts, cutting and messy play.

PSED
As children begin in reception we will support them in forming new relationships and developing those from previous settings. They will learn the names of their new teachers, other adults in school and classmates. We will focus on turn taking and forming positive relationships. We will encourage children to be independent as they organise their own belongings and access resources and play during MOLE time. The children will experience having to be resilient and keep trying to succeed. They will begin to think what makes them unique and why this is important.

Maths
Following the baseline assessments, the children will begin their number learning journey. The children will discuss significant numbers to them and in turn learn that numbers have meaning. The children will explore a number a week. Throughout the week, the children will learn how to recognise the numeral of that number. Underpinning the learning journey is the knowledge that the numbers increase in the number system and 1:1 correspondence through counting, “careful counting”. The children will be encouraged to explore the number of the week throughout the provision both independently and during some adult led activities. We will also begin to look at our space learning journey in connection to shape, space and measure. The children will begin to describe the position of objects and describe a familiar route. Understanding the world Throughout our topic of Marvellous Me, the children will be encouraged to talk about their immediate family and community. We will be visiting the nature trail so the children can explore the natural world and describe what they see, smell, hear and feel whilst outside. Within this, the children will discuss the difference between our inside and outside environments. Throughout marvellous me, the children will identify their own body parts and how they can use their nose, eyes, ears etc in connection with their senses. We will also be looking at plants. They will notice and name plants in their local environment.

Expressive arts and design
In Autumn 1, the children will explore duration and timbre. They wil enjoy creating sound effects to re-tell well-
known story ‘Rosie’s Walk’.