Welcome to Foundation Stage 1!

In the Foundation stage 1 team there is Mrs Begum, Miss Wylie, Mrs Hostead, Mrs Barras, Mrs Booker and Miss Garner.

We are here to help you with child's first step of their learning journey.  You can always speak to us at the gate, leave a message with the school office or use Class Dojo.

Summer 1

We hope that you were able to enjoy the holidays together. We are very excited about another term of seeing your children make progress in so many key skills for life. They are growing in independence for example putting on coats, learning to follow instructions, learning to share and take turns.

Learning Journey

Maths

• We will introduce some concepts and activities in a group and practice them through games, physical activities, and creative activities like playdough.

  Counting Eg: counting items to be recycled, bean seeds, leaves on beanstalks.

  Pattern and shape Eg: repeating patterns with seeds on playdough, sorting leaves by shape.

  Size and weight Eg: comparing root vegetables on weighing scales. Ordering potatoes by size. Finding the longest carrot.

  Examples include:

• One, two, three, four five once I caught…
• 5/10 ten green bottles standing on the wall…
• 5 little men in a flying saucer…

We will also look at shapes, recognising, naming them and making links with what we see in our environment.

Literacy

Phonics: We teach the children the letter sounds (phonemes) rather than the letter names using a scheme called Little Wandle. Some of the children are starting to recognise a few of the letter shapes (graphemes) and say the corresponding sound (phoneme). We are revisiting the phase 2 sounds we have already looked at and extend by sorting objects with 2 or 4 different initial sounds. You can help by using these sounds when you see letters with your children. You can watch videos on the Little Wandle website to help you understand.

Word of the Day: We have 3 or 4 words which we revisit throughout the week to extend the children’s vocabulary, linked to the topics we are learning about. Mark making: We encourage the children to make marks with pencils, crayons and paints. We also look at correct letter formation for the letters in their name.

Squiggle while you wiggle: We use ribbons and fabric to dance and practise the gross motor movements for writing.

Dough Disco: We have lots of fun squeezing and rolling the dough in time to the music. This strengthens our fingers to help with mark making. Story scribing: The children have lots of ideas and where we can understand them, we are writing down their stories and celebrating them by performing them.

We will continue to send a book bag with your child’s name on it, it will have a book, which we will change every Tuesday. Please help us with this, by bringing the book back to change every Tuesday.

Home Learning

• Talking is SO important. Talk to your children and encourage them to tell you about their day and other things that interest them. Research shows that if your home language is not English, it is best to speak in your home language at home. Children will learn English at Nursery.
• Look at books together. Get your children to tell you what they can see in the pictures, talk about who the characters are and predict what will happen next.
• Practising counting objects around the house like cups on the table or steps upstairs. Point out numbers on houses and gates.
• Exercise and move your bodies’ daily-look at the Go noodle and Imoves videos or go for a walk or to the park.
• Phonic games - https://www.phonicsplay.co.uk/
• IXL https://uk.ixl.com/
• Spelling Shed https://www.spellingshed.com/en-gb/
• Purple Mash https://www.purplemash.com/sch/phillimore                                          

Spring 2

Learning Journey

We are going to be learning about Adventures!! We will be answering the question “What adventure is waiting for you? Through sharing books and poems, we will imagine having adventures across the world, under the sea and what adventures we can have with our families. We will be asking lots of questions including, “Where in the world would you like to have your adventure? We will have a huge focus on sharing and reading books, especially as On Thursday 3^rd March, we will be celebrating World Book Day. We want to ask you grown-ups, if you can read a book in another language? And if so, would you read and share a story during World Book day, either in FS1 or we can share the stories with children on class dojo. Go on grown-ups see it as having an adventure…

On the 1^st or 2^nd of April Ramadan will start for lots of our families. We will be learning all about Ramadan and asking how Ramadan is celebrated and why do people fast?

Lots of learning in FS1 will be child led. This means, “It is instigated by the child’s own innate curiosity, motivation and drive. It is sparked by an experience,” Children experience the world through their senses: by seeing, feeling, smelling, tasting, moving, balancing, hearing Nursery practitioners will build on their learning by supporting and questioning and “sowing the seeds “ for new learning so that children make progress.

Maths

• In maths through songs, rhymes and games we will be counting to 5 and then to 10 and beyond.
• We will play a range of dice games to reinforce our understanding of numbers, amounts and learn to make marks that represent numbers.
• In thinking about our families, we will add two small numbers together for example, mum and dad add me equals 3. (2+1 =3).
• Using the language of size we will talk about whether we are tall or short. We will compare Parents and grown-ups, and say who is tall or short.
• We will look at positional language in stories.

Examples include:

• One, two, three, four five once I caught…
• 5/10 ten green bottles standing on the wall…
• 5 little men in a flying saucer…

We will also look at shapes, recognising, naming them and making links with what we see in our environment.

Literacy

“Scribble while you Wiggle” We will be using dance and large movements to help children develop the fine muscle control and help become writers! We will share this with you on class dojo.

In literacy, we will be reading a whole range of fiction and non-fiction books which will include The Colour Monster during World Book week. We will be sharing “We’re going on a Bear hunt” “We’re going on a book hunt”. We’re going on a lion hunt. The books are set in different parts of the world, but have similar repeated rhymes the children can learn and confidently recall! We will also read for books pleasure which will include, Tip Tap went the crab…

We will be also be retelling our stories orally and our teachers will “scribe” them for us.

Taking every opportunity for mark making (early writing) we will make job labels and name labels, draw our favourite things of interest to us using a range of media including chalk, paint and other mark making tools.

We will continue to send a book bag with your child’s name on it, it will have a book, which we will change every Tuesday. Please help us with this, by bringing the book back to change every Tuesday.

“Scribble while you Wiggle” We will be using dance and large movements to help children develop the fine muscle control and help become writers! We will share this with you on class dojo.

In literacy, we will be reading a whole range of fiction and non-fiction books which will include The Colour Monster during World Book week. We will be sharing “We’re going on a Bear hunt” “We’re going on a book hunt”. We’re going on a lion hunt. The books are set in different parts of the world, but have similar repeated rhymes the children can learn and confidently recall! We will also read for books pleasure which will include, Tip Tap went the crab…

We will be also be retelling our stories orally and our teachers will “scribe” them for us.

Taking every opportunity for mark making (early writing) we will make job labels and name labels, draw our favourite things of interest to us using a range of media including chalk, paint and other mark making tools.

We will continue to send a book bag with your child’s name on it, it will have a book, which we will change every Tuesday. Please help us with this, by bringing the book back to change every Tuesday.

Home Learning

• Talk to your children and encourage them to tell you about their day and other things that interest them.
• Share a book daily. Talk about who the characters are, what are they like? where is the story set? Describe…the woods, the sea etc.
• Practising counting objects around the house and when you are out and about.
• Exercise and move your bodies’ daily-look at the Go noodle and Imoves videos.
• Phonic games - https://www.phonicsplay.co.uk/

Spring 1

Our Learning Journey

We will be exploring Fantasy and fairy stories. We will use our imaginations.

We will be exploring “Human Rights” as part of our Global Curriculum. Good citizen' means developing self-awareness and self-confidence, learning how to play and work well with others and recognising one's place in the wider community. Lots of learning in FS1 will be child led. This means, “It is instigated by the child’s own innate curiosity, motivation and drive. It is sparked by an experience,” Children experience the world through their senses: by seeing, feeling, smelling, tasting, moving, balancing, hearing Nursery practitioners will build on their learning by supporting and questioning and “sowing the seeds “ for new learning so that children make progress.

Maths

In maths, we will continue exploring numbers up to 10 and continue to use numbers in our play through playing games like hopscotch and snakes and ladders.

Through saying number rhymes we will count, add and subtract.

Examples include:

• One, two, three, four five once I caught…
• 5/10 ten green bottles standing on the wall…
• 5 little men in a flying saucer…

We will also look at shapes, recognising, naming them and making links with what we see in our environment.

Literacy

In Literacy, this half term we will be reading lots of books related to our topic of “What do you celebrate?” and lots of other books that interest us.

Sharing and reading books will help children become better readers and writers. We will send a book bag with your child’s name on it, it will have a book, which we will change every Tuesday. Please help us with this, by bringing the book back to change every Tuesday.   

We will have a focus on mark making, and those able to form letters we will encourage them to write their names in daily provision.

Phonics:

Phonics will continue cascade through all areas of our learning including saying nursery rhymes, and reading. We will continue with Phase 1 phonics which includes listening to rhyming words and saying familiar rhymes like Twinkle Twinkle Little Star how I wonder what you are…. We will stress that star and are rhyme. We will be continue to build on our phonic knowledge using sound talk to read and write new words using Little Wandle

Just some of the books we will be reading:

Autumn 2

Our Learning Journey

 We will be asking the question “What do you celebrate?"

 We will be “exploring Identity and diversity” as part of our Global Curriculum. 

Maths

In maths, we will be exploring numbers up to 10 and continue to use numbers in our play through playing games like hopscotch and snakes and ladders.

Through saying number rhymes we will count, add and subtract.

Examples include:

• One, two, three, four five once I caught…
• 5/10 ten green bottles standing on the wall…
• 5 little men in a flying saucer…

We will also look at shapes, recognising, naming them and making links with what we see in our environment.

Literacy

In Literacy, this half term we will be reading lots of books related to our topic of “What do you celebrate?” and lots of other books that interest us.

Sharing and reading books will help children become better readers and writers. We will send a book bag with your child’s name on it, it will have a book, which we will change every Tuesday. Please help us with this, by bringing the book back to change every Tuesday.

We will have a focus on mark making, and those able to form letters we will encourage them to write their names in daily provision.   

We will have a focus on mark making, and those able to form letters we will encourage them to write their names in daily provision.

Phonics:

Phonics will continue cascade through all areas of our learning including saying nursery rhymes, and reading. We will continue with Phase 1 phonics which includes listening to rhyming words and saying familiar rhymes like Twinkle Twinkle Little Star how I wonder what you are…. We will stress that star and are rhyme. We will be continue to build on our phonic knowledge using sound talk to read and write new words using Little Wandle

Just some of the books we will be reading:

Autumn 1

Our Learning Journey

We will be learning ‘about ourselves and open our topic with the question;

“What is special about me” and exploring Identity and diversity as part of our Global Curriculum.

Maths

In maths, we will be exploring numbers up to 5 and using numbers in our play. Through saying number rhymes; we will count, add and subtract numbers.

Examples include:

• Five little ducks went swimming one day…
• Five little speckled frogs…
• Ten little men in a flying saucer…

We will also look at shapes, recognising, naming them and making links with what we see in our environment.

Literacy

In Literacy, this half term we will be reading lots of books related to our topic of ourselves, autumn and other books that interest us.

Parents please help us with. Sharing and reading books will help us become better readers and writers. We will have a focus on mark making, and those able to form letters we will encourage them to write their names in daily provision.

Phonics:

Phonics will cascade through all areas of our learning including saying nursery rhymes and reading. We will start with Phase 1 phonics which includes listening to rhyming words and saying familiar rhymes like Humpty Dumpty sat on a wall. Humpty Dumpty had a great fall. We will stress that wall and fall rhyme.

Just some of the books we will be reading:

Important Information

At admission we will share your user name and password to connect to class dojo. Please check it regularly as we will share learning ideas with you. You can also communicate with us by sending us messages.

Right from the start we encourage FS1 children to wear school uniform. Please ensure your child has spare clothes including pants and socks, in a labelled bag and please make sure your child has appropriate clothing for the weather e.g. sun hats or raincoats.

Other key things to remember:

Water is essential for your body! It helps carry nutrients and oxygen to your cells. It composes 75% of our brains.

Year group expectations

I promise to always try my best

I promise to always have kind hands and feet

I promise to listen

I promise to share

I promise to say please, thank you and sorry when I need to

Home Learning

• Share stories daily; find a regular time to share stories.
• Look out for and read environmental print like the Lidl, McDonalds and Asda signs.
• When you are out, count things you see around. Encourage your child to notice numbers all around them.

Look out for shapes around the house, like the door shape can be rectangular, the window can be square etc.

Tooth Brushing Club

• Every year there are 60,000 school days lost to tooth extractions and poor oral health. Tooth decay affects a staggering 25% of 5-year olds. It remains the leading cause of hospitalisation in children aged 5-9. 
• We are going to take part in an NHS funded tooth brushing club.
• In FS1 we will practise tooth brushing in the spring or summer term. Every child will be given their own new toothbrush starting from each term, which will be stored under controlled conditions. All children will supervised while brushing their teeth. Children will need parental permission to join the club.
• In the meantime, we will be sending toothbrushes home for children to practise how to use them.