We've had a truly fantastic week, filled with excitement and lots of memorable moments. One of the biggest highlights was our trip to see Aladdin at the Hall for Cornwall. The children were absolutely captivated by the performance-their faces lit up with wonder, and it was magical to see how much they enjoyed every moment of the show.

Back at school, we've been incredibly busy preparing for our nativity performance next week. The children have been working hard learning their lines, practicing their roles, and perfecting the songs. Their enthusiasm and effort have been wonderful to watch.

This afternoon, we will visit the church. They are so excited to share their songs with you, and we can't wait for you to see all their hard work come together. It's going to be a special and joyful occasion!

This Week in Reception and Year 1

We've had a wonderfully full and exciting week of learning across both Reception and Year 1, with lots of enthusiasm and brilliant effort from all the children.

In History, Year 1 have been delving into the story of the Gunpowder Plot. We spent time discussing what went wrong for Guy Fawkes and his fellow plotters, and the children really enjoyed exploring the events through both primary and secondary sources. They are beginning to understand how we know about things that happened long ago, and why different types of sources can give us different information.

In Maths, Year 1 successfully completed their unit on place value to 100. We revisited counting forwards and backwards, comparing numbers, and partitioning tens and ones. The children showed great progress and confidence. Next week, we will be moving on to an exciting new unit all about shape, where the children will explore 2D and 3D shapes, talk about their properties, and begin to sort and classify them.

Year 1 have also been working incredibly hard on their assessments this week. We are very proud of the effort, resilience, and concentration they have shown. They should all feel very proud of themselves.

In Science, the focus has been on the life cycle of a butterfly. The children learned about the four stages-egg, caterpillar, chrysalis, and butterfly-and were fascinated to discover how dramatically a butterfly changes as it grows. We looked at pictures, discussed each stage, and had some lovely conversations about other animals that also change as they grow.

In English, both the children and teachers had a real treat as we began exploring performance poetry. The class watched Michael Rosen's famous poem Chocolate Cake, and they were completely mesmerised by his expression, gestures, and humour. This led to lots of laughter and brilliant discussions about how poets use their voices and actions to bring their words to life. We will continue exploring performance poetry next week as the children start to have a go at performing lines themselves.

Meanwhile, both Reception and Year 1 have been deeply involved in their nativity practice. Songs are being sung with growing confidence, lines are being learned, and the children are really starting to bring the story to life. Their hard work and enthusiasm are shining through, and it is already looking absolutely fantastic. We can't wait to share it with you!

We finished the week off dressed as elves, what a week!!

This week has been a wonderfully busy and exciting one in school, filled with learning, creativity and lots of seasonal activities. We have continued practicing for the nativity, working hard to learn our dance routines and singing plenty of festive songs. The children are growing in confidence each day, and it has been lovely to see their enthusiasm and teamwork as they rehearse together.

In English, we enjoyed a special activity where we toasted marshmallows and used the experience as inspiration for our writing. The children wrote thoughtful notes and then moved on to independently creating their own sets of instructions. They focused on using bossy verbs and time conjunctions to make their writing clear and easy to follow. Next week, we will be using our writing toolkit to edit and improve these instructions, helping the children develop their proofreading and revising skills.

In maths, we have been exploring number lines to 100, concentrating on identifying and filling in missing numbers. This has helped strengthen the children's understanding of number order, place value and counting in different intervals.

For PSHE, we had an important discussion about bullying. The children shared ideas about how it feels to be left out and the emotions that come with it. We talked about the importance of kindness and identified trusted people they can talk to if they ever feel worried or upset.

In History, the children completed their timelines for the Gunpowder Plot. They showed great recall of key events and enjoyed sequencing the story to build a clearer understanding of how and why it happened.

During PE, we took part in a winter-themed dance session. The children expressed themselves through movement, developing coordination, rhythm and confidence while embracing the festive spirit.

In Science, we have been learning about life cycles. The children explored how different living things grow and change over time, making links between animals, plants and the stages they go through as they develop.

Reception have also had a fantastic week. They have been working very hard on blending sounds in phonics and are making great progress. In maths, they have been exploring odd and even numbers through fun, practical activities. They have also been learning about different celebrations, building their understanding of traditions and special events from a range of cultures.

This week has been a very busy and exciting one for the children. In English, we have been learning all about writing clear instructions. We focused on using imperative verbs-our bossy words-and time connectives to help our writing flow in the correct order. The children especially enjoyed applying their new skills to something they know very well: how to make a jam sandwich! They loved talking through each step and making sure they didn't miss any important instructions.

In Maths, we have been exploring place value, concentrating on tens and ones up to 100. The children have been using place value charts, equipment, and drawings to show numbers in different ways, and they are becoming much more confident in recognising how numbers are built.

PE was a real highlight this week. The children became Chinese dragons, working together to move, weave, and perform just like the traditional dragons seen in celebrations. They particularly enjoyed creating their own dragon-inspired movements and performing them as a team.

In PSHE, our discussions focused on bullying. We talked about what bullying looks like, how it makes people feel, and what we can do if we ever see it happening. The children shared thoughtful ideas and showed great empathy during the conversation.

During Learning Adventure, we continued our work on historical events and acted out the story of Guy Fawkes and the Gunpowder Plot. The children loved stepping into character and bringing the story to life through role play.

Reception have also had a wonderful week. They have been practising their special friends in phonics, working on number formation, and even wrote their very own letters to Father Christmas-a magical moment for everyone!

This week in Year 1 has been full of exciting learning across all areas of the curriculum!

In English, the children have been focusing on instructional writing. They have been working hard to write clear, effective opening sentences for instructions, thinking carefully about using bossy (imperative) verbs and ensuring their writing is easy for the reader to follow. The class has enjoyed exploring real-life examples of instructions and discussing what makes them successful.

In Maths, we have been developing our understanding of place value, particularly tens and ones. The children have been using practical resources such as dienes and place value charts to build, partition, and compare numbers. This hands-on approach has helped them deepen their confidence with recognising how numbers are structured.

During PSHE, Year 1 have been looking at differences between people and discussing what makes us all unique. The children have shown great maturity while exploring how differences should be celebrated and how kindness and respect help everyone feel valued in our school community.

In PE, the children have been having lots of fun creating their own firework-themed dance sequences. They have experimented with different movements to represent fireworks-such as spirals, bursts, and fizzing actions-while working both independently and in small groups. Their creativity has really shone through!

The class has also been busy practising their Nativity songs, and their enthusiasm has been wonderful to see. The children are learning the words beautifully and are excited to perform for families very soon.

As part of our History learning, Year 1 have been exploring the timeline of Guy Fawkes and the Gunpowder Plot. They have been learning about the key events, why Bonfire Night is celebrated, and how life in the past was different from today.

We also enjoyed singing with Mrs Butlin, where the children joined in with songs and actions, developing their listening and performance skills.

In Art, the children explored texture by creating rubbings using leaves, classroom objects, and textured materials. They experimented with colour and pattern, and produced some fantastic detailed rubbings to share with the class.

It has been a busy and productive week in Year 1, and we are incredibly proud of everything the children have achieved!

Reception have been busy showing us their fantastic phonics knowledge, completing assessments and also learning about Remembrance Day!

Another Busy Week in R/1!

What a wonderful and action-packed week of learning it's been in Reception and Year 1!

In Maths, Year 1 have been working hard to add doubles and explored adding three one digit numbers. Over in Literacy, the children have enjoyed innovating parts of our class story and are now busy rewriting their own versions.

Reception have been doing brilliantly with their phonics, learning new sounds and exploring rhyming words after reading Room on the Broom.

In Forest School, Reception had great fun designing and making their own bird houses. Meanwhile, Year 1 have been practicing their basketball skills, learning how to bounce the ball using their fingers.

Our Reception children have also been learning about the organs in the body, as well as finding the pulse and beat in music. They've been singing their hearts out too, practicing Harvest songs with Mrs Butlin.

In PSHE, we discussed the consequences of our behaviour, thinking carefully about the choices we make and how they affect ourselves and others.

Well done, R/1 - another fantastic week of learning and exploring together!

A roundup of some of this weeks learning-
This week, Year 1 have been exploring adjectives to describe the characters in Little Red Riding Hood, enhancing their descriptive language skills. In Maths, they have focused on systematic number bonds to 10, using tens frames to identify patterns and deepen their understanding.

Reception have been practicing forming their numbers, with a special focus on 2 and 3. They also had a fantastic time in PE using the apparatus, and thoroughly enjoyed their afternoon in forest school, engaging with nature and outdoor learning.

In PSHE, Year 1 have been reflecting on the feeling of pride and what it means to be proud. They also explored the inspiring story of David and Goliath. In History, their learning adventure on the Titanic continues as they describe the different passengers onboard, bringing history to life.

Meanwhile, in music, both Reception and Year 1 have been practicing harvest songs in preparation for the upcoming Harvest Festival.

We've had a truly wonderful week enjoying the sunshine, which has brought a lovely energy to all our activities. The children particularly loved their PE session yesterday, where we practiced our dribbling skills - it was fantastic to see everyone so enthusiastic and giving it their best effort. Reception continue to thoroughly enjoy their weekly sessions with Coach James.

In Maths, we have been focusing on ordering numbers from smallest to largest and practicing how to compare them using mathematical language such as "more than," "less than," and "equal to." Reception have also been learning to represent numbers up to three using objects, pictures, and their fingers, helping them build strong foundations in early number sense. We've also begun exploring the concept of sharing equally - an important first step towards understanding division - using practical resources and play-based activities.

In English, we have been working on sequencing the story of Little Red Riding Hood. The children have enjoyed retelling the tale in their own words, using pictures and prompts to help them put the events in the correct order. This has been a great way to develop their understanding of story structure, and it has sparked lots of interesting conversations about characters, setting, and plot.

Reception have also been busy developing their fine motor skills through activities such as cutting and sticking, threading, and mark-making. These tasks support their hand strength, coordination, and early writing skills. In addition, the children have had lots of fun dressing up as different characters and engaging in imaginative role play. It's been lovely to see them using their creativity and storytelling skills to bring their favourite characters and scenarios to life.

Overall, it's been a joyful, active, and creative week full of learning through play!