Starting school is a very special moment for both children and their families. At Crabbs Cross, we want this to be a happy, exciting, and positive experience for everyone. We understand how important the early learning you have already shared with your child is, and we build on this as they begin their school journey with us.

Every child deserves the chance to:

• enjoy and achieve
• be healthy
• stay safe
• make a positive contribution
• achieve economic well-being

In Reception, we plan fun, engaging activities that help children learn and develop across all areas. We take time to get to know each child, focusing on the skills they need next and the things that interest them. Children are encouraged to share their ideas so learning feels exciting and meaningful.

We support learning in different ways, including whole-class teaching, small group work, and individual support where needed. We believe children learn best when they can explore through play.

Learning through play gives us the chance to join in with children, model new skills, and observe their progress, helping us support each child as an individual. We work closely with parents and love sharing and celebrating those special moments that make you proud of your child.

	Let’s dive into our learning…

 

 

 

We have started school!

A huge well done to all the new boys and girls of Reception for settling into Reception life so well. They have embraced new routines, friendships and the classroom with enthusiasm and a determination to achieve.

   

 

We have already started to recognise our names on our coat pegs so that we remember where to find our belongings.

The children have devised their own class rules to keep our friends happy and safe. We are trying very hard to follow them and enjoy moving up the zone board for trying our best!

Sharing books and Little Wandle books go home on Friday and come back in on Monday. Please remember to write in the reading record book to celebrate the wonderful reading taking place at home.

 

 

Our fingers and thumbs have been working very hard as we build strength to support the development of a confident pencil grip. The children have enjoyed exploring the fine motor table and taking part in activities such as using playdough, threading, pencil control sheets, and name writing. Through these engaging experiences, we are working towards developing a dynamic tripod grip by encouraging the use of our “pinchy fingers.”

 

      

 

In Maths we are learning to develop subitising skills (saying how many objects are in a group without counting them). We are also developing our one to one correspondence skills, recognising numerals, ordering numbers, creating a repeating pattern and singing number songs and rhymes.

 

    

 

Autumn 1

Our Topic this term is: Marvellous Me!

We have been learning about what makes each of us unique. The children used mirrors to create self-portraits and took part in discussions about how everyone is special and different. We have explored who lives in our homes and talked about the world around us.

          

 

As well as understanding our place within our families, we have also focused on belonging to our school community. The children enjoyed exploring the different areas around the school and welcoming members of our wider school community into the classroom.

 

              

 

We have an Investigation Area in our classrooms and have been busy using our senses to explore what we look like and who we are. We have particularly enjoyed the smelling pots and using our sense of smell to guess what might be inside each pot.

Autumn 2

Our Topic this term is: Celebrations and Bear Hunt

This term marked the beginning of many exciting celebrations in the classroom. The children thoroughly enjoyed learning about and taking part in celebrations such as birthdays, Children in Need, Diwali, Halloween, Bonfire Night and Remembrance Day. We are looking forward to continuing our celebrations as we move towards Christmas later in the term.

 

       

 

This half-term, Reception have also been developing their prediction and investigation skills through an exciting story-led enquiry, inspired by the book We’re Going on a Bear Hunt by Michael Rosen.

Children discovered a large cave in our classroom, with footprints leading inside, sticks and leaves scattered across the floor, and even strange growling sounds coming from underneath it! This immediately captured the children’s imagination and curiosity.

Using our key text, We’re Going on a Bear Hunt, as inspiration, the children began to investigate. We researched animals that live in caves, examined the footprints more carefully, and studied a small piece of fur we found nearby. All the clues led us to one exciting conclusion—it must be a bear!

 

  

 

Its Christmas time….

December was a wonderful time to celebrate all things Christmas. The children enjoyed a range of festive activities, including writing letters to Santa, sharing our school Christmas lunch, becoming Santa’s little helpers, and creating reindeer food ready for Christmas Eve. It was a truly exciting and memorable time of year for everyone.

 

       

Spring 1

Our Topic this term is: The Naughty Bus

After the Christmas holiday, we returned to school to find two mysterious presents left on our teacher’s chair. When we opened them, we discovered a red bus and a book. The children were full of questions—what could this mean, and who should we say ‘thank you’ to?

 

    

 

The opening pages of the book introduced us to a large city called London. We explored how London is different from where we live in Redditch and compared a range of well-known landmarks. The children shared their knowledge confidently, identifying local landmarks such as the shopping centre, Morton Stanley Park, and Crabbs Cross Academy.

 

         

 

After the arrival of the red bus, some strange things began to happen in our classroom and everything was not quite as it should be. As we continued reading, we discovered that the story was all about a ‘Naughty Bus’ and that it had been very busy causing mischief around our school. We can’t wait to see what it gets up to next!

      

 

When the snow came to Redditch.…

In January, Reception embraced the chilly weather and had fun exploring ice. The children investigated how ice melts and talked about the changes it goes through.

       

 

Our excitement grew even more when the snow arrived! We had so much fun playing outside, enjoying activities like catching snowflakes, building snowmen, and playing alongside the older children.