Spring 1
Autumn 2 in Reception: Light and Dark
This half term, our topic was ‘Light and Dark’, and it has been full of exciting learning and memorable experiences for the children. We explored how people celebrate Bonfire Night, learning about fireworks and the traditions behind the celebrations. We also discovered the Christmas story, which led to the children taking part in our Christmas performance—a wonderful showcase of their confidence, creativity, and hard work.
In phonics, the children have been learning their single-letter sounds and progressing onto digraphs. They have been practising sounding out and blending words, which is helping them become confident readers.
As writers, the children are developing independence through segmenting words and writing labels and simple sentences. Their handwriting has been a particular highlight this term, and they are practising every day to make it even better.
In maths, we have focused on number skills, including using “fast eyes” to subitise and understanding number composition—how numbers can be made up of smaller parts. The children have enjoyed hands-on activities that make these concepts fun and practical.
In art, the children created beautiful northern lights artwork, building on the background techniques they learned in Autumn 1. Their creativity and attention to detail were fantastic to see.
As scientists, we explored our senses, investigating touch, smell, and sound. We had fun using equipment such as magnifying glasses and magnets, which helped the children explore and ask questions about the world around them. We especially loved learning all about shadows and seeing what happens when we move to block the sun.
We had a fantastic Stay and Play session with our grown-ups and loved showing them how to access our environment and engage with our learning.
Overall, it has been a joyful and busy half term, full of curiosity, learning, and special moments. The children have grown in confidence, creativity, and knowledge, and we are very proud of all they have achieved.
Autumn 2 2025
Reception have settled beautifully into life as RiseParkers and we are so excited to continue our learning. This half term in Reception, our learning will be centred around a wonderful selection of stories that explore light, dark, and special celebrations. Through The Dark, we will learn about feelings of fear and bravery, while The Quiet Little Firework helps us celebrate Bonfire Night and understand how fireworks light up the sky. The Lights that Dance in the Night will introduce us to the magic of the Northern Lights, inspiring creativity and awe. With Peggy the Always Sorry Pigeon, we will think about kindness, friendship, and saying sorry. As we move closer to Christmas, The Christmas Story will help us learn about the Nativity and the importance of giving and love, and Stickman will remind us of family, adventure, and belonging. It will be a half term full of wonder, warmth, and festive fun! We’ll also learn about important events such as Bonfire Night, discovering why we celebrate with fireworks; Remembrance Day, when we show respect and remember those who helped keep us safe; and Anti-Bullying Week, where we focus on being kind, caring, and including everyone.
F2 Autumn 1 2025
This half term we have enjoyed reading a range of fiction and non-fiction texts linked to our topic ‘Our Community’. We have learnt all about the people who help us at home, at school, and in our wider community. A highlight of the term was our Police Officer visit, where we discovered more about their important role and how they help to keep people safe.
We have also celebrated who we are and what makes us special and unique, using the books Super Duper You and What Makes Me a Me? to inspire our discussions and artwork.
As writers, we have been strengthening our hand muscles through lots of fun fine-motor activities. We have used tweezers, scissors, and pegs to explore different media and materials, developing control and coordination. We have also been working hard on our letter formation—holding our pencils correctly and starting and finishing each letter in the right place. In phonics, we have learnt all of the Phase 2 phonemes and have been practising our blending and segmenting skills when reading and writing CVC words and simple sentences.
As mathematicians, we have explored early mathematical concepts through the NCETM mastery approach, developing a deep understanding and secure number sense. We have learnt to recognise, count, and represent numbers to five, understanding that numbers tell us how many objects are in a set. Using practical activities and manipulatives, the children have compared groups to identify more, fewer, or the same, and have begun to subitise small quantities without counting. We have also explored simple patterns, shapes, and spatial awareness through play and discussion, building mathematical vocabulary and reasoning skills to explain our thinking.
As artists, we have experimented with a range of techniques, tools, and materials. Each child has carefully observed their features to create a beautiful self-portrait for our class display. We then drew our family members and enjoyed talking about how every family is unique. As the seasons changed, we practised our observational drawing skills by creating Autumn pumpkin pictures and making leaf characters using leaves collected on our Autumn Walk.
The children have also had plenty of opportunities to develop their imagination through role play. Our home corner has been very popular, with children collaborating and drawing on familiar experiences from home. Everyone is now excited to explore our new Café role-play area this term!
As explorers, we have learnt all about the season of Autumn. The children loved our Autumn Walk around the school grounds, collecting conkers and colourful leaves to explore further in the classroom. We also learnt about Diwali – the Festival of Light. The children made and decorated salt dough divas and discovered how Diwali is celebrated around the world.
As part of our Jigsaw lessons, our focus has been ‘Being Me in My World’. We have spent time talking about our families and created a family tree using photographs from home. Elephants and Tigers have prioritised settling in this half term, enjoying time to get to know each other, make new friends, learn class rules and routines, and explore their feelings together.
Summer 2025
