Reception- Physical Development- Dance Unit
Our Reception class transformed the school hall into a bustling transport hub during this week’s energetic P.E. lesson! The children took the driver’s seat as they explored different ways of moving, cleverly linking their actions to various modes of transport. They zoomed across the floor like aeroplanes with outstretched wings, chugged along in lines like trains, and navigated the space as nimble cars. To develop their listening skills and coordination, we played a high-speed game of "Traffic Lights": Red: They practiced their balance with an immediate stop. Yellow: They found a steady rhythm with a gentle jog. Green: They shifted into top gear for a fast run! The hall was filled with giggles as the children navigated tricky "speed bumps" by jumping high and even mastered the art of reversing without any "crashes." It was a fantastic session that combined physical agility with imaginative play and following instructions.
Spring Clubs are back and they’re brilliant!
Our Spring 2026 after-school clubs are ready to go and they are packed with fun, creativity, and energy. This term children can get stuck into Kurling, Dodgeball, Lego Challenge, Art Club, Computing, Book Club, and our brand new Geography Explorers Club. Whether they love building, coding, creating, reading, discovering the world, or burning off energy, there’s something to get excited about. Clubs run from 3.20pm–4.00pm, with collection from the front entrance. Most clubs cost £4.00 for the full 10-week block, not per week, and some clubs are free. Spaces are limited, so don’t wait too long. Clubs start WC 12/1/26, with the final week WC 23/3/26. All bookings are through ParentPay. After-school fun starts here – let’s make it a great term!
Reception - Phonics - Tricky Words
This week, our Reception children have been diving into their "tricky words" using a multi-sensory Say It, Build It, Write It approach. This method helps children master words that don't follow standard phonetic rules by engaging different parts of their brain. First, the children Say It, looking closely at the word and identifying the "tricky" part that doesn't play fair. Next, they Build It using the magnetic letters, which helps them physically manipulate the sequence of sounds. Finally, they Write It using whiteboards to solidify their muscle memory. This hands-on sequence transforms abstract memorization into an interactive challenge, building both their reading confidence and their fine motor skills.
Reception- Expressive Arts and Design- My Gingerbread Man
This week, our Reception children have been fully immersed in a delightful sensory experience, using play dough to design and sculpt their very own gingerbread men. This hands-on activity encouraged the children to explore their creativity while strengthening their fine motor skills and hand-eye coordination. Using gingerbread-shaped cutters, they carefully pressed out their figures before adding unique personality through various enhancements. They selected buttons to line up on the chest, small beads or "googly" eyes to bring the faces to life, and even used gingerbread cut-outs as templates to guide their designs. It was wonderful to see the children experimenting with different textures and shapes, turning a simple lump of dough into a colorful, imaginative character.
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Panto Time!
✨ A Magical Morning at the Theatre! ✨ Our Reception, Year 1, and Year 2 children had a fantastic time today visiting Darwen Library Theatre to watch the pantomime, The Nosy Reindeer! ???????? It was a truly magical experience for everyone, filled with laughter and festive cheer. We were also incredibly proud of our pupils—they represented our school beautifully with their wonderful manners and behaviour. Well done to our youngest learners for being such a credit to us! ????????
Reception- Maths- 2D shapes
In Reception the children have been constructing a christmas tree design using a hands-on opportunity to recognise and name simple 2D shapes. They applied the taught language of the shapes properties to a purposeful task. As the children selected shapes for their tree, they actively used mathematical vocabulary to justify their choices. They intuitively understood that a triangle—which has "three straight sides" and "three corners"—was the most appropriate shape for the main foliage, while a rectangle—having "four straight sides" and "four corners," with two pairs of uneven sides—was correctly chosen for the tree trunk. The children showed their understanding of 2D shapes being flat and defined by the number of sides and corners they possess, turning a fun craft project into a solid mathematics lesson.
Reception- Independent Learning
This week we have had a Christmas-themed activities in the Reception class promoting all the learning that has taken place over the last few months. Showing off our skills in independent learning across the seven areas of learning. During the pom-pom pattern activity, children were intrinsically motivated to continue and extend complex sequences entirely on their own, demonstrating self-regulation and problem-solving skills without direct adult input. At the magnetic letter station, the goal was to locate and build CVC words hidden within Christmas vocabulary, encouraged independent decoding, phonological awareness, and self-correction as they worked through trial and error to form the correct words. We also had the task of telling a Christmas story by intentionally incorporating mathematical language (such as "more than," "less than," "equal to," and using ordinal numbers like "first," "second") required the children to independently connect two different concepts—narrative and numeracy—showcasing their ability to apply abstract concepts creatively.
Important Update: Breakfast Club Bookings Moving to Arbor!
????️ Important Update: Breakfast Club Bookings Moving to Arbor! Dear Parents/Guardians, We are excited to announce that all bookings for Breakfast Club will be moving to the Arbor platform immediately after the Christmas break! This change will make the booking process much smoother and more efficient for everyone. Key Information: Bookings Now Open: The full Spring Term is now available to book through Arbor. Limited Spaces: Please note that we have a limited number of spaces available for Breakfast Club. We strongly encourage you to log in and book your required sessions as quickly as possible to secure your child's spot! ???? Getting Started with Arbor If you are not yet familiar with the system, please take some time over the holiday period to familiarise yourself with the Arbor platform. For easy access, please remember that the Arbor App is available to download on both iOS and Android devices. ⚠️ Login Support Existing Users: If you have used Arbor before but are having trouble logging in, you can simply click the 'Forgot Password' link to regain access. Need Help? If you encounter any problems logging into your account, please do not hesitate to contact me during the holiday period for assistance. We appreciate your cooperation as we transition to this new booking system.
Reception- Physical Development- Actions to Music
The Reception children have been enthusiastically taking part in a fun and active unit on Dance during their Physical Education (P.E.) lessons. This unit has been a wonderful way to develop their gross motor skills, coordination, and rhythm through musical movement.The class has been focusing on creating movements to the familiar and catchy tune, "Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes." Understanding Body Parts: The song naturally reinforces their knowledge of major body parts, which is a great cross-curricular link. Following Instructions: The children are practicing listening skills by moving in time to the music and stopping or starting as the song dictates. Developing Coordination: As they follow the sequence of touching their head, shoulders, knees, and toes, they are actively working on their hand-eye and full-body coordination, trying to maintain balance and control.
Reception- Maths- Recognising Different Ways To see 1-5
The Reception children have been actively engaged in a fun, festive activity to deepen their understanding of how to represent the numbers 1 through 5. They were tasked with finding the Christmas objects around the classroom, when a number was shown on the screen they went to find that amount of objects. Once found the children demonstrated the concept of each number in multiple ways, using their fingers or the dice. This hands-on, multi-sensory approach ensures a strong foundation in early number sense, helping them to connect the abstract numeral to concrete quantity and different forms of representation.
Reception- PSHE-Healthy Eating
In our PSHE lesson, our wonderful Reception children became super Healthy Eating Experts! We focused on learning all about healthy eating and making good choices to keep our bodies strong and full of energy. Introducing the Healthy Food Plate We used the Healthy Food Plate (sometimes known as the Eatwell Guide) to help us understand the different types of food and how much of them we should eat. It was a fantastic visual tool! The children learned that foods can be sorted into groups, and that some foods are like 'everyday fuels,' while others are 'sometimes treats.' We had a brilliant hands-on activity where the children worked together to sort various food pictures onto the plate. They had to decide: ✅ Good Choices: Foods we should eat lots of every day (like fruits, vegetables, and starchy foods). ❌ Sometimes Choices: Foods we should only eat in small amounts and not all the time (like sugary sweets, fizzy drinks, and some processed snacks). It sparked great discussions! We talked about why milk and water are the best drinks, and how crunchy carrots and juicy apples help us grow big and strong.
Reception Maths: Exploring 4 and 5
Our children have been getting to know the numbers 4 and 5 through lots of practical work. The photo shows them deep in conversation, comparing finger patterns, building sets with cubes and counters, and using numicon to spot number arrangements. There was plenty of talk around the table as they checked their counting, noticed patterns and explained how they knew they had the right amount. Activities like these help them see number in different forms and build real confidence with early counting. It’s lovely to see how much teamwork and focus they bring to these sessions.
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