Swing Gate Infant School and Nursery

         Welcome to our Reception Classes

Teaching Team

Miss Oliver

Mrs Fitzgerald

Mrs Paynter

 

Support Staff

Miss Hardwick

Miss Shaw

Mrs Gardener

Mrs Edwards

Miss Draper

Week beginning: 10th February 2025

Squirrels Class weekly theme

The deep dark wood

Free Forest Path Woodland photo and picture

 

The children really enjoyed last week's story focus on The Gruffalo. We talked a lot about what he looked like and we had some inspiring writing during play time. This week we continue this theme, looking at where the story was set - in the deep, dark wood. 

Owls Class weekly theme

My tummy is beginning to rumble, my favourite food is Gruffalo crumble! 

Free Food Drinks photo and picture

Our children have really enjoyed making biscuits this week and they have chosen as their pasta point treat to decorate gingerbread men. We will also set up the classroom to practise making our own ‘gruffalo crumble’ too. 

 

Our Learning this week includes:

Literacy - Last week we focused on writing sentences to describe one of the characters of the Gruffalo. This week we will all be making up our own made up creature and think about what kind of head, body, tail, it has. Does it have fur, feathers, scales, a horn, tusks etc. 

We will have a go at drawing our own creature and writing our own sentences to describe the creature. We will remind ourselves of the parts a sentence needs and over the course of the week we will be practising writing sentences, spotting mistakes and attempting plausible spelling using our segmenting fingers. In our final day our game we will think about a part of our creature, e.g. the head is a fish and the children will have a go at writing fish and sound talking their word to a partner. Can their partner guess what kind of head their creature has? The children will think they are playing a game but will be practising spelling, using a sound mat for support and re-reading their work which will help them check for mistakes.

Maths - This week we will be focusing on the comparison of numbers. When comparing, children notice attributes and begin to understand differences and similarities. The activities this week will focus on further developing this innate skill as the children are encouraged to focus exclusively on the numerosity of sets, without being diverted by colour, shape or size. They will then be encouraged to notice when quantities are equal or unequal, and will begin to consider how they can manipulate the number of objects in 2 sets to make them equal.

Language will be a key focus. The children will use the language of ‘more than’, ‘fewer than’ and ‘an equal number’ to describe how many objects there are in each set.

UW - This week we will be thinking about our natural world, getting outdoors and exploring our environment. We will visit the 'deep, dark wood' on our school field and see what we can find. The focus being on discussions about caring for our natural world. Why do we need to care for it? What are the implications if we don't? Whilst outside we will talk about how we can play our part in caring for the environment.  

Phonics Sounds of the Week

Poem of the Week

Word(s) of the Week Song of the Week

Phonics Assessment Week 

Stepping Stones

more than, fewer than, equal to

5 Currant Buns

 

Our termly Class letter is viewable here

 

What the children say... 

In our EYFS unit we plan according to the children's interests. We spend time talking to the children, asking them what they already know and what they would like to find out.

 Our weekly themes are led by the children. Each week we share ideas and then pick a theme for the coming week.

Our PE days are:

  • Wednesday (am) Squirrels
  • Thursday (am) Owls 
  • Friday (am) both classes

 

RE learning 

In Religious Education, we will be learning about different celebrations and festivals which link to the heritage of some of the children. 

Swing Gate Lane, Berkhamsted, Hertfordshire HP4 2LJ

01442 863913

admin@swinggate.herts.sch.uk