Welcome to Class One!
Welcome to our Class One page.
I hope that the information included on this page is helpful and that you are able to find everything you need to know about what happens in Class One.
We have a mixed year group of Reception and Year 1 children. We are a happy and friendly class who like to have fun and are always ready to learn new things. We take pride in our work and always strive to achieve great things. Children are encourged and supported to be independent and build resilience through a well planned provision. Our experienced and creative team work with the interests of the children to provide activities and resources that support the learning alongside the Early Years Foundation Stage framework and Key Stage 1 year 1 curriculum.
Take a look around our class page so that you can find out more about what we get up to, and access some helpful resources to support any home learning.
Here is a picture of 'us guys, and you, Mrs Bloxham' by Reuben, aged 5.
Mrs Bloxham
Class Teacher
Who is in Class One?
Mrs Bloxham is our teacher
Mrs Garside also teaches in class 1 on a Thursday afternoon. Mr Purcell teaches music on a Wednesday afternoon.
We are supported by Mrs O'Dwyer, Mrs Hinchliffe, Mrs O'Hagan Haigh, Miss Dickinson and Miss Antoine.
As well as a teacher led PE session on a Friday, our Tuesday PE is taught by a specialist coach from 5-Sport.
What do we do?
Every morning the children are taught the core subjects; Mathematics, Read Write Inc Phonics and Literacy. Science is taught on a Tuesday afternoon. The Foundation Subjects, which covers History, Geography, Art and DT, P.E., Computing, Music, PSHE and RE are taught in the afternoons.
Our Reception and Year 1 literacy follows Greg Bottrill's Drawing Club philosophy. Whilst we still teach the National Curriculum objectives, Drawing Club provides an age appropriate approach, enhancing creativity, immersing children into a world full of imagination, whilst fostering a love of writing, and allowing children to give meaning to their drawings and mark making. Greg Bottrill is the author of 'Can I go and Play Now' and is an experienced Early Years practitioner who finds the magic in play and is a champion for adventure through imagination. In Class 1, we love Drawing Club and have been able to see clear progression in writing since adopting this approach.
To ensure a smooth transition from Reception to Year 1, all Class 1 children have access to a carefully planned Continuous Provision, indoors and outdoors, which is designed to fit the EYFS framework and the Key Stage 1 National Curriculum. The children use the outdoors in all weathers so it is important that they have appropriate clothing for this.
PE is on a Tuesday and Friday. Children should bring their PE kits to school in a drawstring pump bag, with suitable outdoor PE shoes - please note, for safety reasons, they should not wear hooded jumpers and earrings must be removed before coming to school. Please refer to the main website for specific PE Kit requirements. Kits will be kept at school, and sent home for washing at the end of each half term.
Book Change day is on Tuesday. Please return your child's book-bag containing their RWI reading and/or blending book and recommended read so that we can swap them over. There is a reading diary in the book bag for you to add your own comments for us to read at school - it can be a useful tool for home and school to communicate about ongoing reading progress. Children will read with an adult at school a minimum of once per week.
Year 1 spellings are set and will be in line with RWI sound teaching. There will also be common exception words (RWI red words) to learn.
Reception children are given opportunities to practise their sounds throughout the day - you could also do this at home by selecting a few at a time, and flash carding with cards supplied by school. Any additional support given at home can consolidate their learning and give them an extra boost in their overall progress. Please get in touch if you would like any resources to use at home or ideas of fun ways to practise at home. We will send home phonics books, and regular blending to practise. We can also share online links for RWI videos for home use, ideas and games.
In Class 1, we use 'Evidence Me' to provide you at home with an insight to what your child is doing in reception. Evidence Me tracks your child's progress against the EYFS Framework allowing us to monitor their development. We hope you will enjoy looking at what your child has been doing, and would welcome you to send us any of your own observations through the Evidence Me portal so that we can share their development both ways.
During Spring term 2, our topic will be 'Our Kingdom'. We will focus on our capital city, London, using Drawing Club to inspire our writing through a range of fiction and non-fiction books. We will also be focusing on Animals and looking at common mammals, birds, fish, reptiles and amphibians and their diets.
In 'My Happy Mind' and this term our focus will be 'Relate' - for more information on this please pop over to www.myhappymind.org and have a look.
Please take a look at our Curriculum Newsletters below to find out more about what Reception and Year 1 will be covering in Spring Term 1.
Resources to help with home-learning
In RWI the year 1 children will continue with their RWI learning. Please continue to practise sounds and blending at home, the RWI reading books and any videos that are sent home via ping.
Reception will continue with their RWI set 1 special friends sounds, and consolidation of the full set 1. Please continue to use the cards that have been sent home to support your child's learning - these have made a big difference and I have seen a positive impact from this support at home. Please continue to use the small green RWI book for practising the grapheme, and look out for the set 2 book that will come home for writing practice.
The children in year 1 will continue with the spellings to practise at home, and will be tested in class each week on these. This terms spelling patterns will be ar, or, air, ir, ou and oy.
Book change will be every Tuesday - please return books no later than Tuesdays for changing.
www.topmarks.co.uk are an excellent website where the children can play games to support their learning. Ideas of games to play are: number ordering (reception and year 1), number bonds to 10 and 20 (year 1), shape sorting (reception), counting, matching and ordering (reception and year 1), counting in 2s, 5s and 10s (year 1). There are some useful time games that would supplement our 'measure' teaching this term (year 1 only).
Please get in touch if you would like any more game ideas.
www.ilearn2.co.uk - this is the site that we use for our computing lessons. The children thoroughly enjoy computing, and with the activity codes given in class, can be accessed for free at home from either a laptop or a tablet. Using a laptop will help children to improve their manipulative/fine motor skills and hand eye coordination using the mouse or the mouse pad, as well as the computing skills taught in class. Keep an eye out for the codes that will be sent following each computing lesson (usually sent on Ping).
Recommended Reads
We love books in class 1! We regularly share stories with the class, and encourage the children to read for pleasure. The attached file is a list of our recommended reads - the children will borrow one per week with the aim of reading all the books on the list. Please use their Reading Diary to make comments about the recommended read each week as we value yours and your child's feedback. This will be in addition to their usual RWI reading book where appropriate. We would love to receive any recommendations that you have as we love to grow our collection of books - fiction and non-fiction!
Children have been provided with a named book bag. However, if you would like a red 'Wellhouse' book bag, please contact the office.
Now that we in Spring term 2, you will notice that in addition to these books, your reception child will begin to bring home Red RWI reading books. If you need any support with these, please get in touch.
World Book Day! We will be celebrating World Book Day at school on Thursday 6th March. This year's theme is Adventure. Keep an eye out for Class 1 staff team's un-birthday celebrations on that day, and our adventures through the looking glass. We can't wait to see your children's ideas and costumes, but please don't feel the pressure.
What does my child need each day?
With our wonderful, changeable weather, please ensure that your child comes to school with a suitable coat, a jumper/fleece/cardigan and a water bottle - please note; water only. The weather is now very cold with lots of very cold spells, so please be prepared! All items of clothing must be named to avoid disappointment as sometimes things can get lost as we move around the different parts of school. If you would like to purchase name labels, please contact the office for more information.
The children are offered a free snack of fruit every day. Milk can also be ordered online - more information contact the office. You are welcome to send a healthy snack for your child - grapes should be cut in half lengthways, and we politely ask that you do not send any chocolate based snacks or crisps. We are a nut free school and it is very important that snacks are checked for nut content due to allergies for some of our pupils in Class 1.
Please refer to our main webpage for specific school uniform and PE kit items, and where these can be purchased.
What can I do to support my child?
Support and encourage children to become independent in pulling up their own zips, pulling the arms of coats in the right way and encourage them to hang up their own coats.
Encourage independent dressing - this will help when changing into PE kits and back in to school uniform.
Encourage healthy eating and trying new things.
My Happy Mind!
We are now a 'My Happy Mind' school, which is an initiative promoted by the NHS. This unique teaching approach aims to provide children with the tools that they need to thrive in our modern world. It is taught at an age appropriate level, and we are already seeing a positive impact. So far we have taught the children about their brain and how it works, and about love and kindness, teamwork and friendship, and bravery, and most recently, gratitude.
The children in Class 1 have responded brilliantly to the child-friendly content and activities and I am excited to start our new learning all about relate, where we will talk about why relationships are so important, the skills we need to build positive relationships and how we can get along with others.
For more information about My Happy Mind, please follow this link: https://myhappymind.org/about/ There is also an easy-to-follow parent app that you can use and continue with this at home!
