Pupil Work

On this page is a selection of photos and videos to demonstrate the learning that takes place in Reception Class across the seven areas of learning. We have included a variety of learning moments across the year to show the wide range of opportunities and curriculum enrichment activities the children take part in.

A day in the life of Reception Class

A video to show a typical day of learning in the life of a Reception child at Gurnard Primary School.

A day in the life of reception.mp4

Personal and social education development

Personal and social education is part of everything we do each day with the children, and changes and develops as the academic year progresses.

Through teachable moments, children at Gurnard Primary School are supported to manage emotions, develop a positive sense of self, set themselves simple goals, have confidence in their own abilities, to persist and wait for what they want and direct attention as necessary. Through adult modelling and guidance, children learn how to look after their bodies, including living a healthy lifestyle. Through supported interaction with other children they learn how to make good friendships, co-operate and resolve conflicts peaceably. These attributes provide a secure platform from which children can achieve at school and in later life.

We use resources from the whole school scheme '1Decision' to help children understand different aspects of social behaviour and we use the 'Zones of Development' to help children articulate and understand their feelings.

Throughout the year we support children to learn about the overall factor that effect their health and wellbeing; regular physical activity, healthy eating, toothbrushing, sensible amounts of ‘screen time’, having a good sleep routine and being a safe pedestrian

Communication and Language

In Reception communication and language underpins all seven areas of learning. Reading frequently to children, and engaging them actively in stories, non-fiction, rhymes and poems, and then providing them with extensive opportunities to use and embed new words in a range of contexts, give children the opportunity to thrive.

Through conversation, storytelling and role play, children share their ideas with support and modelling from the teacher. Sensitive questioning invites them to elaborate, and children become comfortable using a rich range of vocabulary and language structures.

Adults use their time effectively in the provision to ensure there are a number of language rich quality conversations, as we know this is crucial to children's language development. By commenting on what children are interested in or doing, and echoing back what they say with new vocabulary added, practitioners can build children’s language effectively.

We dedicate time to Communication and Language at specific times during the day, we use our 'Rhyme Bag' to introduce new rhymes and have at least two story-telling sessions each day. We also plan a 'talk box' session linked to our topic learning to introduce new vocabulary.

Physical Development

Physical activity is vital in children’s all-round development, enabling them to pursue happy, healthy and active lives. through games and planned activities, adults support children to develop their core strength, stability, balance, spatial awareness, co-ordination and agility.

Gross motor skills provide the foundation for developing healthy bodies and social and emotional well-being. Fine motor control and precision helps with hand-eye co-ordination which is vital to develop pencil control.

Providing children with opportunities indoor and outdoors, develop their physical development is a core part of our Early Years provision, from climbing onto the swing, pushing their friends, digging, sweeping, scrubbing, riding bikes and scooters or taking part in irresistible 'Funky Fingers' challenges.

The children also love to take part in our daily 'Squiggle while you Wiggle' sessions, which help to develop neural pathways in the brain linked to coordination and letter formation.

Children are also given the opportunity to take part in weekly PE sessions, which cover Balancability, Gymnastics, Ball Skills and Dance.

Literacy

At Gurnard we promote a life-long love of reading. Reading consists of two dimensions: language comprehension and word reading. We teach language comprehension through 'hooks into books' making stories come to life with exciting hooks that create irresistible purposes for reading and writing. Over the year we explore a number of story books, non-fiction, poems and rhymes. Skilled word reading, involves both the speedy working out of the pronunciation of unfamiliar printed words (decoding) and the speedy recognition of familiar printed words. (tricky words), we use our phonics scheme 'Song of sounds' to help the children learn to read words. Writing involves transcription (spelling and handwriting) and composition (articulating ideas and structuring them in speech, before writing). We work hard on letter formation in Reception to lay a good foundation for future learning.

Mathematics

Developing a strong grounding in number is essential so that all children at Gurnard develop the necessary building blocks to excel mathematically. By the end of Reception children are able to count confidently, they have developed a deep understanding of the numbers to 10, the relationships between them and the patterns within those numbers.

We use concrete and pictorial ways of representing numbers to ensure children grasp a firm understanding of the composition of numbers.

We also explore shape, space and measures through practical challenges and real-life experiences.

At Gurnard we encourage children to develop positive attitudes and interests in mathematics, to look for patterns and relationships, to spot connections, ‘have a go’, talk to adults and peers about what they notice and not be afraid to make mistakes.

Understanding the world

Understanding the world involves guiding our children to make sense of their physical world and their community. We provide many experiences which increase their knowledge and sense of the world around them – from visiting the local church, libraries. Taking part in historical workshops, dance workshops, watching performance art, and having artists in to work with the children to meeting important members of society such as police officers, firefighters and people from different cultures and religions. In addition, we ensure children listen to a broad selection of stories, non-fiction, rhymes and poems which foster their understanding of our culturally, socially, technologically and ecologically diverse world.

As well as building important knowledge, this extends their familiarity with words that support understanding across domains. Enriching and widening children’s vocabulary will support later reading comprehension.

We also take part in weekly 'Forest School' sessions to help deliver our geography and science curriculum. In the Summer Term forest school transforms in Beach school at our local beach which is a stones throw from the school site.

Expressive Arts and Design

Our Expressive Arts and Design curriculum encompasses music, dance, role play and storytelling, art and design technology.

At Gurnard we ensure children have regular opportunities to engage with the arts, enabling them to explore and play with a wide range of media and materials.

The children take part in various music and dance workshops across the year and enjoy performing themselves on our very own Gurnard Globe stage.

Inside the classroom we have a workshop area and a dedicated painting area which the children have access to at all times. The children can be very creative with the bags of recycling we get sent into school!