Welcome to Reception Cygnets Class. On this page you will find information about how we organise teaching and learning our reception class at Highfields Spencer Academy and see highlights, through photos and videos, of the things we have done as we move through the school year. We will use Class Dojo as our main method of communication with parents and to reward pupils via dojos for their hard work in school.
Class Organisation in Reception
We have one Reception class at Highfields Spencer Academy, with a maximum of 30 children in the class. If you would like a place or would like to visit the school and see our wonderful Foundation Stage provision we aim to hold open mornings every Wednesday at 9.15am. Please contact the school office to arrange your visit.
Reception Staff Team
Meet our Reception team:
- Mrs Huntingford – EYFS Lead, Deputy Designated Safeguarding Lead, Cygnets Class Teacher
- Reception Teaching assistant- TBC
Some pupils may require additional support due to SEND (Special Educational Needs or Disability) – it may be for example that the pupil has an EHCP (Educational Health Care Plan). This may mean that there are additional adults working within the class to help specific pupils to access the learning. We aim to provide a supportive, tailored environment in all our classrooms to help all our pupils to access the curriculum.
Links with Parents and Carers
All parents and carers are welcome to join us at our weekly drop-in sessions. We aim to hold ‘Share a Story’ sessions every Tuesday and ‘Pencil Skills’ sessions every Thursday. Both these sessions are held from 8.45am – 9.05am.
Weekly Timetable and Teaching in Reception
In the Early Years Foundation Stage children learn best when they experience learning first hand, through meaningful interactions with others, through physical activity and through play. The Early Years curriculum emphasises three prime areas of learning:
- Personal, social and emotional
- Communication and Language
- Physical
The curriculum breaks down into four further areas of learning:
- Literacy
- Mathematics
- Understanding the world
- Expressive arts and design
Teaching in Reception is organised through a range of approaches and provides a balance of child initiated and adult-led activities:
- Planned focused activities where adults work with a small group of children at a time. Teachers will differentiate the activity to meet the needs of every child participating.
- Small group teaching of early reading and writing through a phonics- based programme for pupils
- Whole class teaching for short periods of time such as shared storytime, direct teaching (for example of maths, phonics, writing), songs and rhymes, discussions and sharing work.
- Opportunities for teachers to work alongside children as they develop their own interests in particular areas of the curriculum.
English
Arabic
Bengali
Chinese (Simplified)
Chinese (Traditional)
Czech
Danish
Dutch
French
German
Gujarati
Hindi
Hungarian
Italian
Japanese
Kannada
Malayalam
Marathi
Polish
Portuguese
Punjabi
Romanian
Russian
Spanish
Tamil
Urdu