Phonics is taught every day.  Children are taught in small groups and the length of the session varies depending on the children’s age and stage.  All children are following the Read, Write, Inc programme to allow them to make rapid progress in Reading, Writing and Phonics using a structured approach.

As well as our main phonics sessions, children have opportunities to embed and reinforce their learning with child initiated games and adult directed activities.

All About Me” topic in the early years is incredibly valuable for several developmental, emotional, and educational reasons. Here’s a breakdown of why it’s important:

Supports Personal Identity & Self-Awareness

• Helps children learn who they are—name, age, family, likes/dislikes, culture, etc.

• Encourages pride in their individuality.

• Builds confidence in expressing themselves.

Develops Communication & Language Skills

• Children learn to talk about themselves and listen to others.

• Introduces key vocabulary around emotions, body parts, family, etc.

• Encourages storytelling and sharing in group settings.

Builds Social Skills & Empathy

• Learning about themselves and others helps children understand similarities and differences.

• Encourages respect for diversity (e.g., different family structures, cultures, or abilities).

• Promotes taking turns, listening, and asking questions.

Supports Emotional Development

• Helps children recognize and name their feelings.

• Encourages discussions about what makes them feel happy, sad, safe, or scared.

• Builds emotional vocabulary and self-regulation skills.

Creates a Sense of Belonging in the Classroom

• Sharing their stories helps children feel seen and valued.

• Builds classroom community—children see themselves as part of a group.

• Helps teachers learn about each child’s background, interests, and needs.

The first half of the autumn term focuses on developing fundamental movement skills such as locomotion (running, jumping, hopping, walking, galloping), balance (balancing on the spot and while moving), co-ordination (linking movements, handling equipment), and basic ball skills (throwing, catching, kicking, striking). Children will also learn to move into and use space, change direction, and understand instructions, building core strength, control, and confidence in a safe environment. 

We visit the woods every week on a Monday. Children will need to come to school dressed in their woodland clothing. Please ensure your children are dressed for the weather as they will also explore in the wet and the cold. When we are in the woods, we have opportunities for wild play as well as more structured challenges.  Each term, we will be learning about the changing seasons through seasonal observations.  We will also make links to our wider topic through songs, games, stories and craft activities.  

As your child begins their school journey, we encourage you to read for pleasure together every day. This may be a quiet time after school or before bed when you read to your child. You can take the opportunity to discuss the story, the illustrations, make predictions, discuss what you like or dislike together. Stories are at the heart of all our learning in Seal Class, and we share books together every day.  We use the Wise About Words techniques across the curriculum to enable all children to engage with texts and develop the skills to become independent and fluent readers.  As Dr Seuss says, “The more you read, the more things you will know. The more you learn, the more places you'll go.”

In line with the Read, Write Inc. scheme of learning, your child will bring home their reading book when they have learnt the required number of phonemes to access the books. Your child will have the opportunity to choose a book for pleasure each Thursday at our school library sessions. These can be exchanged weekly on a Thursday.

In Seal Class children are given a home learning menu. We would encourage you to learn together each half-term and post on Class Dojo or EYLog.

We use Class Dojo for general class information and EYLog to inform parents of their child’s learning journey. For all urgent matters, please come in and speak to one of the Seal Class Team.

At Burnham Market Primary School, we follow the Early Years Foundation Stage Statutory Framework. Throughout the year, we inform parents of their child’s learning journey using EYLog and Class Dojo. At the end of the Reception Year, your child’s progress will be measured with the Foundation Stage Profile.

At Burnham Market Primary School we are very lucky to have an enormous learning environment and a very generous outdoor space. This space is divided into learning zones with resources that are always available on a daily basis.

As we learn new things, the zones are enhanced with open-ended resources connected to our learning and interests. The children choose which activities they would like to use in their independent learning and are also asked to come to adult-led small groups and circle times and take on adult initiated challenges throughout the day to extend their learning.

Planning in the Early Years Foundation Stage is topic based and takes into account the children’s interests. We use core stories and non-fiction texts as a starting point for our learning, and we provide children with experiences outside the classroom through educational visits and visitors to school. We have our own woodland on the school site.

• Recognition of the uniqueness of each child’s capacity and potential
• A holistic view of each child’s development
• Recognition of the importance of play as a central integrating element in a child’s development and learning
• Recognition of the integrity of childhood in its own right
• Recognition of the child as a part of a family and a community

• Knowledgeable and appropriately qualified early years professionals
• Skilled and informed observation of children, to support effective development, learning and teaching.
• Awareness that education relates to all capabilities of each child: imaginative, creative, symbolic, linguistic, mathematical, musical, aesthetic, scientific, physical, social, moral, cultural and spiritual.
• Parent/carers and educators working in harmony
• First-hand experiences, play, talk and reflection
• Activities and opportunities that have a sense, purpose and meaning for the child and involve joy, wonder, unity, concentration and satisfaction.
• A holistic approach to learning which recognises children as active, feeling and thinking human beings.
• Individual and collaborative activity and play
• An approach to learning which develops children’s autonomy and self-confidence.

• Physically safe yet intellectually challenging, promoting curiosity, enquiry, sensory stimulation and aesthetic awareness.
• Engaging, motivating and interesting to encourage high levels of involvement, independence and deep level learning.
• Demonstrates the unity of indoors and outdoors and the natural environment
• Allows free access to a rich range of materials that promote open-ended opportunities for play, representation and creativity.
• Well-resourced and enhanced weekly to reflect the children’s ever-changing needs and interests.