Welcome to Willow Class

Our topic this term is 'To Infinity and Beyond'.

During the autumn term, our topic is 'To Infinity and Beyond'.  This topic is carefully planned to answer the essential question 'What would your ideal planet be like?'. This topic supports the Early Years Foundation Stage curriculum, building strong foundations for children’s learning and development. Through high-quality texts, this topic allows the children to holistically develop all areas of the EYFS curriculum. During this topic, we will explore a range of high-quality fiction and non-fiction texts such as: 'Elmer', 'Aliens Love Underpants', ‘Rajiv’s Starry Feelings' as well as 'Whatever next'.

The theme of 'To Infinity and Beyond' strongly supports the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) curriculum as it aligns with how young children learn best through imagination, play, and exploration. It enhances Communication and Language as children listen to, retell, and create stories, while also expanding their vocabulary through rich, imaginative contexts. Personal, Social, and Emotional Development is supported as children work together in role-play scenarios, face challenges, and explore emotions such as excitement or fear. Physical Development is encouraged through active play like obstacle courses and movement-based adventures, as well as fine motor activities such as drawing maps or building props. In Literacy, fantasy narratives inspire a love of stories, support comprehension, and provide meaningful opportunities for mark-making and early writing. Mathematical Understanding is developed through counting, sequencing events, and using positional language during play. The theme also contributes to Understanding the World by allowing children to explore different environments, compare real and imaginary journeys, and engage with basic geographical concepts like maps and directions. Finally, Expressive Arts and Design is enriched as children create imaginative worlds, costumes, and artwork, encouraging creativity and self-expression. Overall, our topic 'To Infinity and Beyond' provides an holistic, engaging context that brings together all areas of learning in a meaningful, exciting and motivating way.

EYFS Unit

This year, our Year 1/ reception class will be taught separately to our pre-school children (3-4 years old), across two large classrooms within our purpose built Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) unit. The unit provides free-flow outdoor access all day but we also make good use of the woodland area and fields within the school grounds. 

Staff

Willow class is taught by a team of experienced teachers and practitioners. 

We are happy to meet with parents to discuss any matters relating to your child and we ask that parents/carers arrange a mutually convenient time with staff at end of the school day. 

Forest Schools

Forest School sessions will take place on Wednesdays.

Children will need to come to school in dark coloured long trousers/leggings and a long sleeve top/jumper.  Children will also need suitable footwear for wet weather; such as, wellington boots or trainers.

PE

We have a timetabled PE session in the hall every Friday. 

Reception children need a named school PE shirt, black shorts and a pair of trainers, which they will wear to school every Friday. 

Many parents ask us how best to support their child with reading. Below are a few helpful tips for early readers.

• First of all make sure that you and your child are comfortable and that any distractions, such as the TV, are minimised.  A reading session should be no more than 10 minutes to start with.
• Talk about the book, the title and the characters.  Encourage your child to predict what might happen.
• If your child has a book with no words, encourage them to talk through the story and then to tell it more formally using time connectives such as first, then, next.  They should try to recall the character names and look closely at the pictures.
• Once your child is able to read Set 1 sounds and blend sounds together to read simple words, they will be issued with a book containing words.  They should be encouraged to point to each word, say the letter sounds and then blend them together.  If the flow of the story is interrupted by their sounding out, they should be encouraged to re-read the sentences in order to hear the sense of the text. 
• Encourage your child to decode words using the sounds they know.  They should be supported to recall short words e.g. 'in, is, it' when they see them repeated.  Red words (words which cannot be sounded out) e.g. 'the, was' should also be pointed out. 
• It is important that children still talk about the books and extract further meaning from them.  Below you will find a list of useful questions to ask your child.
• It is also important to encourage children to read in real life situations e.g. in shops, on trips and around the home.  It is also important that children seen adults as readers and that adults model reading in a range of contexts. 
• Making trips to the library, reading stories to your child, reciting poems and rhymes and making reading meaningful will help your children to develop a love of reading and become a confident reader.
• Above all, reading should be seen as fun and not a chore!