Welcome to Little Squirrels reception 🐿️

🐿️ Where Our Redgate Journey Continues🐿️

A very warm welcome to Little Squirrels Reception Class at Redgate Community Primary School.

Reception is such a special time. It is where our children begin their journey into full-time school, building on the experiences they have had in their early years and developing the skills, confidence and independence they need to thrive.

At Little Squirrels, we want every child to feel safe, happy, valued and excited to come to school each day. We provide a warm, nurturing and inclusive environment where children can develop at their own pace, make friends, discover new interests and grow in confidence.

Our teacher is currently Miss Locke, who is teaching the class whilst Miss Harbottle is on maternity leave. We are also very lucky to be supported by Miss Rylands and Miss Jones, who work closely with the children throughout the school day.

🐿️ A Place to Play, Explore, Learn and Grow

We believe that children learn best when they are actively involved, curious and having fun.

Our Reception days are filled with stories, songs, conversations, creativity, exploration, outdoor adventures, purposeful play and exciting learning experiences. Alongside short teacher-led inputs, children have opportunities to work in groups, take part in adult-supported activities and follow their own interests through independent play.

Behind all the fun and exploration is carefully planned learning. We get to know each child as an individual, recognising their strengths, interests and next steps, and use these to support them in making progress and becoming confident, independent learners.

We want our Little Squirrels to be curious about the world around them, to ask questions, try new things, solve problems and develop a love of learning.

🐿️ Relationships Come First

Children learn best when they feel safe, secure and cared for, which is why strong relationships are at the heart of our classroom.

We take time to get to know every child — what makes them smile, what they enjoy, what they are curious about and what might help them when something feels tricky.

We celebrate every child's individuality and understand that children develop in different ways and at different rates. We encourage our children to become increasingly independent, while always knowing that there is a trusted adult nearby to support them.

🐿️ Every Child Belongs

Inclusion is an important part of life at Redgate.

We want every child to know that they belong, they are valued and they have something special to offer. We celebrate differences and encourage children to be kind, respectful and supportive of one another.

Our Early Years team works closely with families and other professionals when children need additional support, ensuring that every child has the opportunity to flourish.

As part of the wider Redgate family, our Reception children are also beginning to develop an understanding of the values that are at the heart of our school:

We Learn
We Collaborate
We Nurture
We Grow
We Are Safe

🐿️ Learning Through Play

Play is a very important part of Reception life.

Whether children are building, creating, investigating, role-playing, exploring outdoors or sharing a story with a friend, there are always opportunities to develop new skills and deepen their understanding.

We love those special moments when children discover something new, solve a problem independently or proudly say, "I did it!"

We also provide plenty of opportunities for children to develop the skills they need to become successful learners, including communication, independence, resilience, confidence and working together with others.

🐿️ Exploring the Great Outdoors

We are very lucky to take part in Forest School with the wonderful Mrs Davis.

Our outdoor learning provides opportunities to explore, investigate, take risks, solve problems and develop confidence in the natural environment.

We also make the most of our own outdoor area throughout the week. There may be plenty of mud, puddles and messy adventures along the way — which is why our wetsuits and wellies are so important!

🐿️ Working Together With Families

We know that parents and carers know their children best, which is why working together with families is so important to us.

We want to build positive, open relationships with our families so that we can celebrate children's achievements together, share important information and work together to support each child's development.

Starting Reception is a big milestone, and we want both children and families to feel welcomed, supported and part of the Redgate community.

🐿️ Everyday Life in Little Squirrels

Our school day starts at 8:55am and finishes at 3:10pm. Lunchtime is 11:45am–12:45pm.

Children in Reception are entitled to Free School Meals or can bring a healthy packed lunch if they wish. Children are also entitled to free milk and fruit for their snack. Additional snack can be purchased for £2 per week, payable via the SCOPAY App.

Our school uniform consists of navy joggers, red polo shirts, a navy sweatshirt and black or navy trainers.

🐿️ Come and See Our Little Squirrels in Action!

There is so much happening in Reception every day — from exciting learning discoveries and creative activities to outdoor adventures, friendships and lots of laughter.

We are incredibly proud of our Little Squirrels and love seeing them grow in confidence, develop their independence, build friendships and discover a love of learning.

To see our class in action, follow Redgate Primary on Instagram and search for:

#redgateprimary

Meet our reception Team

Our Curriculum - look how we learn!

Learning, Playing and Growing Together 🐿️

At Little Squirrels Reception, we want every child to be happy, confident, curious and excited to learn.

Our curriculum is rooted in the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) and reflects our belief that every child is unique. We recognise that children develop in different ways and at different rates, and we carefully plan experiences that build on what each child already knows and can do.

Our aim is to give every child the very best start to their school journey, helping them to develop the knowledge, skills, confidence and independence they need to flourish.

🐿️ Our ‘We Are…’ Curriculum

At the heart of Little Squirrels is our ‘We Are…’ curriculum. We think not only about what we want children to learn, but also about the confident, curious and resilient learners we want them to become.

Throughout Reception, our children learn that:

We are explorers, active learners and creative thinkers.
We are communicators and linguists.
We are kind, caring friends who are confident and empathetic.
We are active, healthy and independent.
We are developing a lifelong love of reading and writing.

Our curriculum places a strong emphasis on the Characteristics of Effective Teaching and Learning, encouraging children to explore, investigate, have a go, keep trying, develop their own ideas, make connections and solve problems.

We want our children to become confident learners who aren't afraid to make mistakes and understand that sometimes we learn the most when things don't go quite as planned.

🐿️ Learning Through Play

Play remains at the heart of learning in Reception.

Our carefully planned indoor and outdoor environments provide children with opportunities to explore, create, investigate, imagine and develop their ideas.

Our adults know when to step in and support learning, introducing new vocabulary, modelling skills, asking questions and extending children's thinking. Just as importantly, we know when to step back and allow children to take the lead, solve problems and discover things for themselves.

Alongside learning through play, children take part in carefully planned adult-led sessions and activities across the EYFS curriculum. We provide opportunities for children to develop their knowledge and skills while still allowing them plenty of time to follow their own interests.

Our curriculum is enriched through high-quality books, stories, songs, rhymes, real-life experiences, Forest School, visits, celebrations and opportunities to learn about the world around us.

🐿️ Communication, Language and a Love of Reading

Communication and language are at the heart of everything we do.

Children are surrounded by talk, stories, songs, rhymes and rich vocabulary throughout the day. Our adults model language, listen carefully to children and provide opportunities for them to share their ideas, express themselves and develop their confidence as communicators.

We want every Little Squirrel to develop a genuine love of books and reading.

In Reception, children begin their formal phonics journey using Little Wandle Letters and Sounds Revised, developing their knowledge of sounds and letters and learning to blend and segment words. Alongside phonics, children enjoy sharing stories and developing their comprehension, vocabulary and understanding of texts.

We also encourage children to develop a love of writing through meaningful and purposeful opportunities throughout the day — from making marks and writing in their play to developing their letter formation and creating their own stories and ideas.

🐿️ Knowing Every Child

Our starting point is always the individual child.

We take time to get to know each child's interests, strengths, experiences, communication, personality and next steps. This helps us to plan learning that is meaningful, engaging and appropriately challenging.

We celebrate every achievement, big or small, and encourage children to become increasingly independent, resilient and confident.

We want our Little Squirrels to leave Reception ready for the next stage of their Redgate journey — with a growing love of learning, strong friendships, confidence in themselves and the skills to tackle new challenges.

Most importantly, we want them to look back on their Reception year and remember it as a time when they learned, played, explored, laughed, grew and discovered just how much they can do. 🐿️

What a typical day in Little Squirrels reception looks like🐿️

Every day in Little Squirrels is filled with learning, exploration, creativity, stories, movement, play and lots of opportunities to develop our independence.

While our day follows a familiar routine, no two days are exactly the same! Our children are encouraged to explore, make choices, follow their interests and learn through both adult-led activities and purposeful play.

🐿️ A Warm Welcome and Getting Ready to Learn

Our day begins by welcoming the children into the classroom and helping them to settle into their morning routines.

We start by practising writing our names and developing our letter formation skills. This helps the children to build confidence with writing and develop the fine motor control needed to become successful writers.

We then get our bodies moving with Squiggle Me Into a Writer, where we develop our fine and gross motor skills through fun, energetic movements. This helps prepare our bodies for writing while building strength, coordination and control.

🐿️ Drawing Club

We then come together for our exciting Drawing Club English session.

Drawing Club combines stories, imagination, vocabulary, drawing and early writing in a fun and engaging way. Children are encouraged to use their imagination, talk about their ideas and develop their confidence as storytellers and writers.

🐿️ Time to Explore and Learn Through Provision

After our adult-led learning, children have time to access our carefully planned indoor and outdoor provision.

We are very lucky to have free-flow access to our garden, allowing children to move freely between the classroom and outdoor learning environment. This gives them the opportunity to choose where they would like to learn, explore and play, whatever their interests.

Our garden provides endless opportunities for physical development, imaginative play, exploration, investigation and problem-solving, as well as giving children the chance to enjoy fresh air and develop their confidence outdoors.

There are always lots of opportunities to explore, create, investigate and follow our own interests. Adults support children's learning through play, introducing new vocabulary, asking questions and helping children to develop their ideas.

We also have challenges available for the children to complete, helping them to practise and apply the skills they have been learning.

🐿️ Little Wandle Phonics

Before lunchtime, we come together for our Little Wandle phonics session.

We learn new sounds, practise blending and segmenting and develop the early reading skills we need to become confident readers. We make our phonics sessions fun, active and engaging while giving children plenty of opportunities to practise their new skills.

🥪 Rolling Snack

Throughout the day, we have rolling snack.

Children can choose when they are ready for their snack, helping them to develop independence and make choices for themselves. Snack time also provides a lovely opportunity to chat with friends, practise social skills and develop healthy habits.

🐿️ Lunchtime

At lunchtime, we come together to enjoy our lunch.

Lunchtime is an important part of the day where children develop their independence, social skills and confidence. We encourage children to manage as much of their lunchtime routine as possible for themselves.

🐿️ Maths

After lunch, we come together for our Maths session.

Through practical activities, discussion, songs, games and hands-on experiences, we develop our understanding of number, shape, space, measure and patterns.

We encourage children to use mathematical language, explain their thinking and explore different ways of solving problems.

🐿️ Afternoon Provision and Challenges

Following our Maths session, we have another opportunity to access our indoor and outdoor provision and challenges.

Our free-flow environment means children can continue to move between our classroom and garden, choosing where they would like to learn and play. This is a valuable part of our day where children can practise and apply their learning, develop their independence and follow their own interests.

Our adults are there to support, challenge and extend learning, while allowing children plenty of time to explore and learn through play.

📚 Ending Our Day With a Story

At the end of our busy day, we come back together to share a special story before home time.

Stories are an important part of life in Little Squirrels. They help us to develop our vocabulary, listening and comprehension skills while encouraging a lifelong love of books and reading.

We love ending our day together with a story before saying goodbye and getting ready for another exciting day.

No two days in Little Squirrels are exactly the same — and that's just how we like it! 🐿️

Important information

Little wandle phonics support

maths support

Healthy Lifestlyes