Welcome to Foundation (Class F)
In Class F we are all about learning through play. We spend a lot of our time exploring, experimenting and getting messy both inside and outside.
Foundation Team:
Our class teacher is Miss Parkin.
In her spare time Miss Parkin loves reading and spending time with her family, she often goes walking in the countryside on a weekend with family and friends.
We are supported in our learning by Mrs Spence.
Mrs Spence has two young boys and enjoys spending time away in her caravan with them and her niece and nephew. She also enjoys spending time outside exploring with the children and family dog Poppy. Her favourite place to visit is St Mary’s lighthouse where they like to go rock pooling or watch the sun rise.
The Foundation staff ask that Class F:
- Be kind – kind words and kind hands
- Listen to each other – 1 person talking at a time
- Have fun!
Our Learning
In Class F we learn a lot of our curriculum through playful interactions. We ensure that our curriculum covers all 7 areas of learning, outlined in the Early Years Foundation Stage Statutory Framework. We work towards all children achieving the 17 Early Learning Goals within each area of learning by the end of their time in Class F.
The 7 areas of learning within the EYFS curriculum are as follows:
- Communication and Language
- Personal, Social and Emotional Development
- Physical Development
- Literacy
- Mathematics
- Understanding the World
- Expressive Arts and Design
Both the indoor and outdoor classrooms are set up to support and enhance learning and development throughout the year. We use a balance of child-initiated and adult-led learning to support progress in all the 7 areas of learning. During the Autumn Term we will be focusing on the prime areas of learning, particularly looking at our emotions and well being.
Once children have settled into school life, we will begin our daily phonics sessions, where we use the Read Write Inc program. All children will have a library book to share at home to enjoy a range of stories. When children are ready, they will take home a phonics reading book as well – this book will match the sounds they have already learned in phonics.
PE and Forest School in Class F
On a Monday and Tuesday Class F have their P.E. lessons with Mr Storey
Our Topics
In Class F we use child interests to support and expand our learning during our play, using Plan Do Review, where children plan their ideas for play and then learn to ask and answer questions to review their play. We also have overarching topics throughout the year to support our learning in all areas. Click here to see our long term overview outlining what we will be learning throughout the year.
Here are our curriculum overviews for each overarching topic:
Knowledge Mats
We use knowledge mats to learn about our topics and the vocabulary and sticky knowledge we need to remember after this topic.
Here are our mathematics knowledge mats:
Autumn Term
Autumn 1:
Topic: Welcome – We will be discussing each others likes, dislikes and interests to get to know each other. We will also learn about the names of our body and explore with our senses. We will also be looking for signs of Autumn in our ongoing Seasons topic.
Art: Our first piece of art will be a self portrait sketch using pencil.
Computing: We will be using familiar technology to play age appropriate games.
Music: We will be exploring music through everyday sounds in our environment
Autumn 2:
Topic: Celebrations – we will be learning about how people celebrate Diwali and Christmas. We will also be looking for signs of Winter in our ongoing Seasons topic. We will also be looking at different people who help us in our society this half term.
Art: We will be pinching, rolling and painting clay to make Diva lamps as part of our Celebrating Diwali topic.
Computing: We will be learning how to log in to a computer in school. We will also be developing our skills of using a mouse to create pictures on paint.
Music: We will be exploring celebration music from Diwali, Christmas and Kwanza to explore using instruments and finding a beat to music.
Spring Term
Spring 1:
Topic: Our World – Where we live. This half term we will be exploring our immediate environment and where we live. We will explore the past and present using a range of media to compare schools, our village and Durham from the past to now. We will also explore environments using maps to learn about the kind of environment we live in as well as learning about wildlife and habitats in our country.
Celebrations – we will be looking and exploring celebrations for Chinese New Year.
Seasons – we will continue to explore how the seasons and daily weather changes.
Art/DT: In DT this half term we will be developing our skills to join materials together in a range of ways through our continuous provision in the classroom. At the end of the half term we will be doing a small art project – where we will create mining inspired collages with black paper/card.
Computing: We will be learning how to follow and give a set of instructions, as well as developing our mouse control skills from last half term.
Music: We will be exploring how sounds can be made in a range of different ways, using voice, body percussion and instruments. We will be making our own sound compilations to match the sounds we hear in nature.
Spring 2:
Topic: This half term we will be continuing to look at the different seasons through our Signs of Spring topic. We will be observing changes for animals, plants and changes in our environment. We will be having a go at growing our own plants and talking about what they need in order to grow. We will also be expanding our knowledge of different celebrations by looking at how people celebrate Holi and Easter.
Art/DT: This half term we will be looking at using textiles in our art to weave different patterns. We will also be looking at drawing and painting plants and flowers we observe in our environment.
Computing: We will be learning about different computer hardware through tinkering and exploring. We will also be learning how to operate a camera.
Music: We will be coming up with our own actions to well known songs. We will also be learning how to move to a beat and express feelings and emotions through movement to music.
Summer Term
Summer 1:
Topic: This half term we will be starting a new overarching topic about Kings and Queens. In light of the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee this year, we are excited to find out about kings and queens through stories and learn about our royal family.
Art/DT: This half term we will be looking at our painting skills to paint portraits. We will also be looking at designing and building with junk modelling.
Computing: We will be learning how to program a BeeBot to move and follow instructions.
Music: We will be using traditional tales and songs to move to music with instruction and learn how to change our movements to match the tempo, pitch and dynamic of a piece. We will also begin using musical instruments to portray different moods.
Summer 2:
Topic: This half term we will be starting a new overarching topic about the seaside. We will be looking at what is a seaside, which animals liver at the seaside and under the sea. We will also talk about how the seaside has changed over time. As we come into a new season, we will also be talking about signs of summer and getting ready for Year 1.
Art/DT: This half term we will be focusing on our drawing skills as well as exploring all of the art skills we have learned so far this year.
Computing: We will be beginning to look at sorting data using pictograms.
Music: We will be looking at what make a musical instrument, different groups of musical instruments and exploring sound from tuned and untuned percussion instruments.
Homework
Children should be reading as regularly as possible throughout the week (at least 3 times) with an adult and ensure it is recorded in their reading records – initially this will be children listening to parents read to them then discussing the language in the story. Children will have a school library book that is for ‘reading for pleasure’ that can be shared with their family at home, this is swapped every Friday during library time. Children will also have a phonics book or activity that will reflect their phonics level that they should be able to read fluently. Phonics sounds for each week will be shared so that children can practise the recognition of new sounds at home.
Adobe Reader
You may need a product like Adobe Reader (free download) to view our PDF documents on our website.
