Sep 182025
Phonics and Literacy
Sep 122025
Welcome to Reception!
Hello and welcome to the new school year. We are delighted to welcome all the children into Reception. We have had a very busy start to the new term, despite the change in weather!
We are so proud of all the children, whether they are new to Merry Hill or are returning after the summer break. They have all settled in so quickly and are fast making lots of new friends. We have been busy learning all about the rules of the classroom and how to use each area safely and correctly.
All of Reception have been getting stuck straight in with their learning, building friendships and trying new challenges. They have demonstrated great resilience when things have been tricky, such as changing for their first PE lesson, trying school dinners and exploring the forest in the rain! They are fully immersing themselves in their learning already and this is wonderful to see – we are very proud of them all already! As you can see we have already achieved so much – our first PE lesson, our first Mini Explorers session, making new friends, staying for lunch, mark making and taking turns to play maths games to name just a few. We look forward to seeing what is to come – watch this space!
As you may already know, we have introduced The Merry Hill Way and the children are brilliant at showing us and talking about how to be Ready, Respectful and Safe! We are already very good at talking about how to be Ready for school each day. We will continue to build on how we show that we are Respectful and Safe as the weeks go by.
Another new thing this term is the introduction of our daily feeling word – this is to help develop children’s breadth of vocabulary and understanding of emotions and feelings. This week we have already learned happy, unhappy and angry. You might like to discuss these words at home with your child.
How you can help at home:
- ensure your child is Ready for school each day by establishing good bedtime routines, as well as checking that all of their belongings are labelled clearly
- talk to your child about their day – encourage them to answer questions in full sentences such as “I loved digging in the sand pit with my new friends”
- model being Respectful towards others at home – looking at the person who is speaking, waiting for their turn with a toy
- explore the outdoors – enjoy a walk in the woods or a bike ride together, discuss changes you notice in the environment
- read with your child – share their library book, encourage them to talk about the pictures in books – using their imagination to make up the story
- discuss how to stay Safe on the journey to school
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Jul 172025
🐘A final entry… 🐘
As we wrap up this wonderful academic year, it’s time to look back and celebrate all the exciting adventures our Reception class has experienced together. From colourful elephants to deep-sea creatures, our learning has been full of imagination, discovery and fun!
Elmer the Patchwork Elephant
Our year began with Elmer, the patchwork elephant, who showed us the beauty of being different. Elmer’s bright, patchy colours reminded us all that being unique is something to be proud of. He was more than just our class theme — he helped us learn kindness, friendship and the joy of celebrating ourselves and others.Journeys to the Moon with Whatever Next
Next, we blasted off into space with Whatever Next, exploring the moon and beyond! This story took us on a magical journey that sparked our curiosity about space and the stars. We imagined what it would be like to float among the planets and learned about the excitement of adventure and discovery.Zog and the World of Dragons, Kings, and Castles
With Zog, we entered a kingdom of dragons, brave knights and grand castles. Zog taught us about courage, learning from mistakes, and the importance of helping others. We loved hearing about his adventures and imagining life in a magical medieval world.The Journey Home: Caring for Our Planet
Then came The Journey Home, a gentle reminder about looking after our planet and all the animals that live on it. We learned about endangered animals and how important it is to protect their homes. This topic helped us understand how our actions can make a difference to the environment and inspired us to be little eco-heroes.Commotion in the Ocean: Exploring Sea Life
Diving into Commotion in the Ocean, we discovered the fascinating creatures that live beneath the waves. From playful dolphins to mysterious octopuses, this topic sparked our curiosity about the ocean and the amazing animals that call it home. We learned to appreciate the wonders of marine life and why it’s important to keep our oceans clean.Ahoy, Pirates! Fun in the Sun
Finally, we set sail on a pirate adventure, learning how to be brave, work as a team and enjoy the sunshine! We played games, sang songs and imagined ourselves as fearless pirates exploring tropical islands. It was the perfect way to celebrate all the hard work we’ve done this year.This year, our Reception children have made incredible progress in their literacy skills. We began by learning how to hold a pencil correctly and forming some recognisable letters. Through daily phonic lessons, the children learned to recognise letters and their sounds, helping them sound out and read simple words. Many of them are now confidently writing sentences all by themselves! It’s truly special to watch them use these skills to read books independently and write notes for their loved ones. The progress they’ve made is something to be so proud of.
In maths, the children have developed a strong foundation through a variety of exciting activities. They have learned to measure and compare objects, name both 2D and 3D shapes, and create repeating patterns. The children can write numbers, count accurately, and have even reached doubling numbers. They’ve also started to recognise odd and even numbers and have been exploring addition and subtraction in fun and practical ways. Their enthusiasm for maths has grown alongside their skills!
As this year comes to a close, we want to say a huge thank you to our amazing Reception children for their enthusiasm, curiosity and kindness. We’re so proud of how much you’ve grown and learned. To the parents and carers, thank you for your wonderful support — it truly makes a difference.
As always, the learning does not stop just because it’s not happening in a classroom- please continue to look out for digraphs and trigraphs while out and about this summer as reading is the number one thing you can do to help your child prepare for Year 1. Also any board games involving a dice will support your child to subitise easily alongside the benefits of learning to take turns.
Here’s to all the memories we’ve made and to the exciting adventures still to come in Year 1. Have a fantastic summer holiday, Reception! Keep shining bright like Elmer’s colours and keep dreaming big like our journey to the moon.
With our fondest wishes,
Mrs Jones, Miss Reuben, Mrs OJ, Mrs Hill, Mrs Barnes & Mrs Bradbury
🌟🚀🐉🐘🌊🏰🏴☠️
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Jul 102025
The penultimate week!
The end of the year is in sight! The week started off with moving up day where the children went to visit their new year one classes. They were super excited and had lots to tell us when they arrived back in Reception.
The weather has started to become lovely and hot again and the children have thoroughly enjoyed playing in the sun! They have enjoyed making potions, dipping their feet in the paddling pool, being creative and painting on cling film, and riding the scooters around the garden.
In maths, we have continued exploring the concepts of “more” and “less.” Using their rekenreks, the children pushed a certain number of beads and then told their partner what the number would be if they added one more or took one less. We were impressed by their growing fluency when they could confidently identify the difference, even when it was more than one. The children used their rekenreks effectively to support their understanding and quick recall.
In Literacy, we have built on our learning of instructions. Building on from their instructions about how to be a pirate, the children then wrote instructions on how to be in Reception. We started off by writing what we do in Reception and then we put them into instructions. We were amazed by the beautiful handwriting that the children produced when writing their instructions.
It was wonderful to see so many of you at our open afternoon, celebrating and sharing the children’s amazing work and achievements from this year!
How you can help at home:
– Ask your child what their favourite part about moving up day was to help with their transition.
– Continue to read with your child and practise their phonics everyday.
– When at home, ask your child to find one more or one less of a specific object for example when setting the table for dinner, you can ask them to get one more fork and then how many do you have after you get one more.Jul 032025
Pirate Sandwiches, Missing Numbers and a Very Jumpy Visitor! 🏴☠️➕🐸
What a busy and exciting week we have had in Reception! The children have amazed us with their curiosity, creativity, and confidence across all areas of learning.
In Literacy, our budding writers learned how to write instructions, and what better topic than how to make pirate sandwiches? The children carefully sequenced each step, using words like first, next, and finally to guide their writing. Best of all, they got to follow their own instructions to make their sandwiches — and of course, eat them too! One child happily declared it was “The best sandwich ever!” 🍓🍞 Not bad for a jam sandwich!
In Maths, we’ve been diving into part-whole models. The children explored how to find the missing number, confidently explaining what needed to be added to one part to make the whole. For example, “If the whole is 9 and one part is 4, then we need 5 more!” It’s been brilliant to see them using their number knowledge and reasoning skills so clearly.
But the highlight of the week might just have been our surprise visitor… Terrance the toad! 🐸 Early one morning, a very big (and very jumpy!) toad made a special appearance in our garden. The children were absolutely fascinated and had the opportunity to observe him up close — from his bumpy skin to his big eyes and long legs.
Terrance’s visit inspired a whole range of fun learning activities:
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Jumping like frogs in the garden (some very impressive leaps were seen!)
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Fact-finding about frogs and toads — we now know the difference between the two!
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Listening to lovely frog and toad-themed stories during story time
How you can help at home:
This week we have been reviewing our new phonics sounds, it will benefit the children greatly if they can practice these sounds at home!
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It’s been a week full of imagination and discovery, and we’ve loved every minute of it. Thank you, as always, for your continued support.
Have a restful (and maybe a little hoppy!) weekend!
With warm wishes,
The Reception Team-
Jun 262025
Pirates Ahoy!
This week, our new literacy topic—Pirates—has launched with a bang, and the classroom has been transformed into a pirate adventure zone! When the children arrived on Monday, they were greeted by pirate flags featuring skulls and crossbones, a treasure map, and even hidden treasure scattered around the room. The excitement was immediate. For our literacy lesson, we went on a pirate hunt around KS1 to see what posters we could find that represent what a pirate needs.
During child-initiated, the children immersed themselves in a range of pirate-themed activities, including going on a word hunt, creating parchment paper for their own treasure maps, building big pirate boats outside, and designing their very own pirates. They also followed step-by-step instructions on how to be a pirate, fully embracing the role with enthusiasm and imagination. Every day their curiosity grows, and it’s been wonderful to see their love for learning shine through this new topic. Most importantly, they have loved saying “Aye Aye Captain”!
We have also been learning about the artist Tinga Tinga and exploring his unique, colourful painting style. The children were fascinated by his use of bold spotty patterns and bright colours, and they used this inspiration to create their own sea creatures.
How you can help at home:– Read some pirate themed books and see if your child can spot any harder to read and spell words in the book.
– Ask your child to go on a treasure hunt around the house to find a specific amount of objects for example, can they find 5 objects that are blue.
– Please continue reading the phonics book with your child as this will help them to build fluency with the new sounds we are learning.Jun 202025
🏑Super sunny Sports Day!⚽️
Today was a day full of laughter, excitement, and teamwork as we held our much-anticipated Sports Day! The sun shone brightly over the school grounds, setting the perfect stage for a fun-filled event that brought together students, teachers, and parents for a memorable day of friendly competition and community spirit.
From the moment the children arrived, their faces lit up with enthusiasm, eager to take part in various races and games designed to encourage physical activity and to build confidence. The children showed incredible determination as they balanced eggs on spoons, carefully dribbled rackets, and navigated their way through challenging obstacle courses, cheered on by proud parents and supportive teachers.
The day kicked off with the classic egg and spoon race, where tiny hands carefully balanced eggs on spoons, leading to bursts of giggles and with every careful step. Next came the racket dribbling challenge, where children skillfully guided balls with tennis rackets, showing fantastic coordination and focus.
The obstacle course was a favourite for many, with a fun mix of crawling and jumping that tested the children’s agility and determination. At the beanbag throw station, children aimed with excitement, trying to land their beanbags into targets to win points and applause.
One of the most thrilling moments came during the penalty shootout, where budding football stars took turns aiming at the goal, showcasing their kicking skills amid cheers from the crowd.
Beyond the activities, the event was a celebration of community, friendship, and the joy of movement. The day ended with a fabulous picnic!
A big thank you to all the staff, parents, and volunteers who made today possible — your support and enthusiasm created a wonderful experience for our children.
Best wishes,
The Reception Team
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Jun 122025
Healthy Eating Week
This week was Healthy Eating Week, and we began by exploring why healthy eating matters and why we recognise this week. The children loved talking about the foods they enjoy and discovering different types of food. During child-initiated activities, they practiced their fine motor skills by grating and cutting apples, while also enjoying these healthy fruits. They also sorted miniature food packets into healthy and unhealthy groups. There were mini shopping baskets which the children loved using to pretend they were going shopping for healthy foods! Throughout the week, the children eagerly shared the healthy foods they had been eating, demonstrating their growing knowledge and enthusiasm for healthy habits. As a class activity, we organised different foods to pack a lunch box that was filled with healthy foods.
Over the last 2 weeks, the children have been learning phase 5 sounds in phonics. Each day we learn a new sound and then we review the 4 newly taught sounds at the end of the week. We have been reinforcing the new sounds during child initiated learning and the children have shown perseverance in remembering them.
How you can help at home:- Review the sounds from the picture above with your child. Play some games to help your child learn the sound, like hide and sound seek. Can they give you a word with that sound in? Can they write a word with the sound in?
- Continue to practise counting to 20 with your child. How many forks can they find on the dinner table? Can they count how long they can balance for?
Jun 052025
This week in Reception
This week has been another fun filled, immersive week of learning. The children came back to school eager to share their news of the half term holiday and ready for this half term’s new learning. It was lovely to see their beaming faces and we are sure they have all grown at least an inch!
Our new book is called “Commotion in the Ocean” and for the next three weeks we will be focusing on identifying rhyming words in poems as well as writing our own poems. This week the children have enjoyed playing lots of matching games, interactive whiteboard games and rhyming bingo!
In maths, we learned to use new equipment to help us with our mastery of number. The children have done amazingly well experimenting and exploring using the rekenrek effectively. All the adults have been incredibly impressed by how sensible the class has been while using these very loud apparatus. 😉
How you can help at home:The children were absolutely delighted to learn new phonic sounds this week as we spent last half term reviewing previously taught sounds. They have done incredibly well to be able to identify the new sounds in words around the classroom already. Please continue to practice their phonics sounds at home as this will further support their learning.The sounds we have learnt this week are: ay in day / ou in out and ie- in cried.We hope you have a lovely weekend,The Reception teamMay 222025
Our School Trip!
We had a very exciting week this week. On Tuesday, we went on our first school trip to see Paddington Bear! The children were bursting with excitement and the smiles never left their faces all day. We started off by walking to the coach. The children were great at following instructions. After a long coach journey to London, we arrived at the Paddington Bear Experience. The children got to ride a train at Paddington station, followed by meeting Mrs Brown, exploring the Brown’s home and even visiting Peru where the children got to squeeze oranges to make marmalade! The experience ended with meeting the one and only Paddington Bear 🙂 We then had a yummy lunch and were even lucky enough to have lunch with Paddington. It was the best day!
How you can help at home:
– Ask your child to give you instructions on how to make a yummy marmalade sandwich!
– Continue practising your child’s phonics and read their colour spot book– Practise counting to 20 by counting jumps, objects, claps etc.May 152025
A very muddy week.
This week the children had a lovely (but messy) week! Between the sunshine and rain, the children managed to make the best of the outside to support their learning.
In literacy, the children have learned a new story ~ Stuck in the mud by Pie Corbett. On Monday the children were very intrigued to find our small world animals stuck in a tray of gooey mud! This has definitely sparked their interest and they enthusiastically learned the story and they have thoroughly enjoyed acting the story out. They are starting to incorporate their own ideas in their work which is lovely to see!
In maths we have looked at the different number pairs that make up number 10. The children are working diligently to represent their ideas in different forms, using the Hungarian dice format, numicon and tens frames! The children are becoming very confident in explaining their math understanding as they are becoming more familiar with the stem sentences we use in class.
In PE this week, the children enjoyed working together while completing their obstacle courses. Following on from last week, where they worked in teams and getting used to activities that they will encounter during Sports Day, they added that extra element of competition. The adults were very pleased to see that the children were being very supportive to their teammates as well as making sure they are being save while completing the tasks.
How you can help at home:
Reading regularly at home is having a huge impact on the children’s progress and we are very impressed by all their hard work. Please continue to practice reading daily and don’t forget to write in their reading record. As an additional challenge, can they write a simple sentence about what they have read in their book? This will give the children and extra opportunity to use their phonic knowledge to segment words into separate sounds for writing.
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May 082025
VE celebrations
This week, Reception marked VE Day with a day full of fun, learning and celebration! The children began by listening carefully to a short lesson learning about the meaning of VE Day and why it’s important. They were curious and eager to learn about this special part of history. To bring the day to life, we took part in lots of exciting activities. The children made Union Jack flags, played traditional VE Day games, and enjoyed some themed colouring activities. Everyone looked fantastic in their red, white and blue accessories, proudly showing off the colours of the Union Jack. At lunchtime, we joined the rest of the school for a lovely outdoor picnic. The sun was shining, and the children had a wonderful time eating with their friends. It was a busy day for all and a lovely way to celebrate such an important moment in our history.
This week in Maths, we explored different ways to make 5. We sang the rhyme 5 Little Kittens and played a fun game where we looked at the different parts that make up 5. The children really enjoyed using songs and play to deepen their understanding of numbers!
How you can help at home:– Ask your child to show you on their fingers what number parts make up 5 and 6.
– Continue reading daily with your child and commenting in their reading record.
