Autumn Term 2026

Week commencing 28th September:

This week, we focused on counting to 3 and developing our understanding of quantity. We practised counting out 3 of each item as we prepared for our Teddy Bears’ Picnic.

We continued practising letter formation and worked on strengthening our fingers and hands through Dough Disco activities. We also developed our fine motor skills by practising cutting.

Through role play, the children enjoyed exploring familiar roles such as families and teachers. This encouraged communication, cooperation and imagination. We also worked on problem-solving and resolving conflicts, learning how to share ideas and work together.

We enjoyed bat and ball games, developing our gross motor skills, hand-eye coordination and spatial awareness. We also focused on teamwork, taking turns and working together during physical activities.

Week commencing 21st September:

We have been developing our counting skills and learning that the last number we say when counting tells us how many we have altogether. We have been practising moving objects from a pile into a line to help us count carefully and correctly. We have also been learning to count slowly and touch each object as we count, making sure we don’t miss any or count an object twice.

We have been enjoying the story Owl Babies. We talked about where owls live and discovered that they make their homes in holes in the trunks of trees. We thought about who else might live in the woods and discussed what owls eat and where Mummy Owl might have gone.

The children enjoyed drawing their own owl babies and woodland pictures. We also used owl baby puppets to retell and act out the story, helping us to develop our understanding of the characters and events.

We have been playing lots of fun games to practise recognising initial sounds. At our writing table, the children identified sounds and coloured them in. How you can help at home: Try playing a simple “I spy” game focusing on sounds rather than letter names. For example, “I spy something beginning with ssss.” You could also look around your home for objects beginning with a particular sound, such as m for mug, mat and milk.

We have been strengthening our fingers and hands through lots of practical activities. The children have been creating faces using playdough, rolling, squishing, pinching and manipulating the dough to develop their hand strength.

We have also been practising pencil control by drawing along lines before developing our scissor skills and carefully cutting along lines.

We had our first PE session this week! The children did a fantastic job getting changed independently and then enjoyed taking part in a few fun games. There were lots of smiles and plenty of enthusiasm!

During Our World time, we have been thinking about what it means to belong. We talked about how our school uniform helps us know that we belong to Church Lane. We also looked at uniforms worn by people in different jobs and discussed why they might wear them.

We explored clothes that people might wear for special occasions, including going to church, parties and weddings. We talked about what makes something feel special and shared our own ideas and experiences.

We have also been thinking about how we have changed since we were babies. We looked at photographs of ourselves as babies and compared them with how we look now. We talked about the different things we can do now that we couldn't do when we were babies and explored our facial features, including our eyes, nose, mouth, ears and hair. The children enjoyed noticing similarities and differences between themselves and their friends.

Week commencing 14th September:

What an amazing week we have had!

The progress the children have made over the last three weeks has been incredible. They are becoming more confident every day, following our rules and expectations, and most importantly, having lots of fun while learning!

This week in phonics, we have introduced the sounds i, n, p, g and o.

Identifying these sounds at home would really help to support your child’s phonics learning. Their Fred Talk (oral blending) is developing so well too! Please continue to practise Fred Talking at home by speaking like a robot and encouraging your child to blend the sounds together.

any objects there are without having to count them. The children have become very speedy at this!

We have also explored what we can see 1 of, 2 of and 3 of.

As part of our space, shape and measure learning, we have been grouping objects by type. We looked at groups where one group was dinosaurs and the other group was not dinosaurs. The children then had a go at creating their own groups while the rest of us tried to guess how they had sorted the objects.

We had some fantastic ideas! Some children sorted objects by colour, some by animals, and others by transport.

We have introduced Jigsaw Jenie, who helps us with our PSHE learning. Through Jigsaw Jenie, we are learning more about ourselves, our friends and how to make the right choices.

It was lovely to see and hear the children talking to one another, sharing their thoughts, feelings and emotions. They are becoming increasingly confident when expressing themselves and listening to others.

We visited the hall with Miss Sewards to take part in some fun sports games. These activities focused on developing our listening and attention skills, and the children did a fantastic job following instructions and joining in.

We also had a special visit from the dental nurse this week! She spoke to the children about the importance of brushing their teeth and when we should brush them.

Some children have their own toothbrushes at school and will be brushing their teeth after lunch. This is a wonderful opportunity for them to develop their self-care and independence skills.

Well done, Reception, for another fantastic week!

First week:

We have had a wonderful couple of days getting to know the children. We have been introducing our Church Lane routines, working hard, and achieving greatness! The children have particularly enjoyed exploring and playing in our new outdoor area, and it has been lovely to see them starting to form great friendships with one another. We can't wait to get to know them even better and watch them grow.