Welcome
In reception we love to learn, play and explore. We love to be independent and curious learners as we progress at Shirley Primary School. We hope you enjoy finding out about what we do at school.
We start our day with ‘Busy Fingers’ activities. The aim of this is to develop hand and arm muscles ready for writing and to focus on letter formation. The activities are interesting and fun and are often linked to a theme such as animals or under the sea.
Each day we have a phonics session in the morning. In reception we use a validated scheme called 'Little Wandle'. The children learn their sounds which help them to read and write. Each week we are visited by special guests who bring us new sounds with a story, This week we met an octopus who taught us the 'o' sound under the sea. The children engage with stories and practise writing their sounds and words every day. We also have our daily English and Maths lessons where the children learn new stories, develop their writing skills and learn about number, shape and measure throughout the year.
Forest School is very important to us at Shirley Primary School. Both reception classes visit the nature area on our school grounds. We love being outdoors! we put our wellies and waterproofs on and learn outdoors in all weathers. Pond dipping, bird food, digging, gardening and tree climbing are just a few of the activities we have tried so far this year.
In reception, we are always learning and exploring in our environment. We have focused learning time where the class teacher works with a group of children each day. We also have various challenges out in the classroom and outside area for our continuous provision, which we are able to access independently. These vary from writing to Maths as well as the small-world tray, roleplay area, reading corner, phonics table and creative station. We take into consideration the needs and interests of all children and have an inclusive ethos. We support each other and share each others successes.
In Reception we follow our Golden Rules. These are: We are kind, We work hard, We listen, We look after our things, We are honest, We are gentle. When we follow our golden rules and make good choices, we get marbles. When our marble jar is full we have a 5 minute class treat with the teacher which we love!