Welcome to Willow class!
Our teacher, Miss Wallace teaches us throughout the school week and is supported by our fantastic teaching assistants – Miss Harrison and Mrs Wood. In Willow we enjoy discovering in our indoor and outdoor spaces. We utilise all our learning environments from Reception into Year 1 to maximise our learning experiences. Ultimately, learning is fun!
Reception:
In Reception, we use a combination of explicit and child-led learning to deepen our passion for education. We teach phonics, maths and literacy skills every day plus weekly sessions where we discover more about the world around us including our artist of the week. We prioritise confidence and giving children the skills to go out into ‘Discovery Time’ and put their knowledge to the test. Individualism is valued. We use the children’s interests and enquiries to lead our discussions and learning and also use ‘Discovery Time’ as a chance for children to explore new avenues of learning they are interested in. As the year develops the reader, writer and mathematician in each child blooms into an excited, confident year 1-ready child.
In reception our families are an important part of our journey too and are encouraged to engage with our learning through an online portal called ‘Tapestry’, which records their learning journey through Early Years.
Year 1:
In Year 1 the fun continues! We work parallel with the Year 1 children in Oak class where we continue to deliver engaging phonics, maths, literacy and handwriting sessions. We then build on our knowledge of the world acquired in Reception through explicit history, geography, religious education, design and technology, computing, PE and art lessons. We further develop our social and emotional development in PSHE and in the wider curriculum across school where we start to take on leadership roles and responsibility. Children in Year 1 also start their structured Thrive lessons where we build on teamwork, social and emotional development as a Willow Year 1 cohort, further moulding well-rounded and confident individuals by the end of the year.
Every term parents receive a curriculum newsletter which explains the focus for the term and a little bit more about how our families can support this at home.