Polar Explorers class.

Mrs Davies is our teacher. 

Miss Hewitt and Mrs Sage are our teaching assistants.

At Gorefield Primary Academy, our Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) provides a nurturing and stimulating environment where children feel safe, valued, and excited to learn. We believe that the early years lay the foundation for lifelong learning, and we aim to support every child in reaching their full potential—academically, socially, and emotionally.

Starting Reception – information for parents

Our Ethos
Our EYFS ethos is rooted in care, curiosity, and creativity. We focus on:

• Individuality: Recognising and celebrating each child’s unique personality, interests, and strengths.

• Play-Based Learning: Encouraging learning through exploration, play, and hands-on experiences.

• Partnership with Families: Working closely with parents and carers to ensure every child feels supported and confident.

• Wellbeing: Promoting positive relationships, resilience, and emotional growth alongside academic development.

Areas of Learning
Our curriculum is based on the seven areas of learning outlined in the EYFS Development Matters framework:

1. Communication and Language – Developing listening, attention, speaking, and understanding skills.

2. Physical Development – Supporting gross and fine motor skills, coordination, and healthy habits.

3. Personal, Social, and Emotional Development – Building confidence, independence, self-regulation, and positive relationships.

4. Literacy – Fostering a love of reading and writing, including phonics and storytelling.

5. Mathematics – Exploring numbers, shapes, space, and problem-solving through practical activities.

6. Understanding the World – Encouraging curiosity about people, communities, nature, and technology.

7. Expressive Arts and Design – Promoting creativity through art, music, dance, role-play, and imaginative play.

Characteristics of Effective Learning
We encourage children to become lifelong learners by developing three key characteristics:

• Playing and Exploring – Engaging with new experiences, investigating, and being willing to take risks.

• Active Learning – Showing curiosity, maintaining focus, and persisting even when challenges arise.

• Creating and Thinking Critically – Developing ideas, making connections, and finding solutions independently or with others.

Reception: Little Wandle Phonics

At Gorefield Primary Academy, we follow Little Wandle Phonics to teach early reading and spelling in Reception. 

What is Little Wandle Phonics?

Little Wandle teaches children how to:

• Recognise sounds (phonemes) and how these match to letters (graphemes)

• Blend sounds to read words

• Segment sounds to spell words

• Build fluency and confidence in reading

How it works in Reception

• Daily sessions: children have short, engaging phonics lessons each day.

• Progressive learning: children start with simple sounds and gradually move to more complex patterns.

• Reading practice: children read fully decodable books matched to what they’ve been taught.

• Support at home: each week your child will be sent home a book electronically that reinforces the sounds they are learning in school.

How you can help at home

• Read daily with your child — even 5–10 minutes makes a huge difference.

• Use the Little Wandle guidance to help with pronunciation and blending 

• Celebrate progress — all children learn at their own pace!

Letters and Sounds

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Maths: NCETM

We follow the National Centre for Excellence in the Teaching of Mathematics (NCETM) principles to ensure high-quality maths learning across the school.

What this means for your child

• Conceptual understanding first — children explore why maths works, not just how.

• Maths talk — children explain reasoning, build vocabulary, and make connections.

• Fluency and problem-solving — structured practice plus opportunities to explore real life problems.

Reception and Early Years Focus

• Counting with meaning (accurate 1:1 counting)

• Number recognition and sequencing

• Early addition and subtraction through practical activities

• Shapes, patterns and simple measures

Supporting Maths at Home

• Play number games during everyday routines (e.g. counting steps, plates at dinner)

• Use language like more/less, before/after, bigger/smaller

• Encourage curious thinking: “How many…?”, “What happens if…?”

Reception English: Drawing Club

At Gorefield Primary Academy, we use a creative and imaginative approach to teaching English in Reception called Drawing Club.

What is Drawing Club?

Drawing Club is an innovative approach to early literacy that:

• Brings stories and language to life through imagination and creativity

• Develops vocabulary, fine motor skills and early writing

• Makes literacy joyful and meaningful by blending story, talk, drawing and mark making together

How it works in Reception

Each week in Reception, children:

1. Explore a high quality text or animation — this could be a picture book, short film or tale selected to spark imagination.

2. Share time together as a class — teachers and children discuss what they see and hear.

3. Learn new vocabulary and talk about it — we introduce ambitious vocabulary linked to the story and help children use them in conversation.

4. Draw and express ideas — children create drawings linked to the story, character or setting, embedding imagination, storytelling and early literacy skills.

5. Connect drawing with writing — as children’s mark making grows, they begin to add letters, initial sounds, and later words and simple sentences to their drawings.

This rich blend of storytelling, talk, drawing and writing supports language development in context — helping children become confident communicators and storytellers.

Why we use this approach

• Language and vocabulary development: Children hear and use new words in meaningful contexts.

• Early writing confidence: Drawing becomes a bridge to writing — children add marks, sounds and words when they’re ready.

• Engagement and joy: The focus on stories and imagination makes learning feel exciting and natural.

• Fine motor skills: Holding pencils and making marks strengthen the physical skills needed for writing.

How you can support at home

• Enjoy books together — talk about pictures, characters and what might happen next.

• Encourage drawing and talking — ask your child to tell you about their picture.

• Use new words in ordinary moments — the more children hear and use vocabulary, the more confident they become.

Through our EYFS approach, children gain the confidence, curiosity, and skills they need to thrive in school and beyond. Every day is a new opportunity for discovery, creativity, and growth!

PE – Children in Reception participate in PE lessons every week. We are very lucky to have a designated sports coach to lead high-quality lessons for our children. Children require a PE kit in school every Thursday.

We also make use of our outside area and the school's 'woodland' throughout the year, so please ensure your child has appropriate clothing to suit the weather, i.e. sun hat, waterproof coat, hat/scarf/gloves and a pair of wellies that can stay in school.

For any queries regarding EYFS, please contact Mrs Davies.