Q - How do you decide whether children get extra support?

Extra support will be offered in the capacity of a smaller group or one to one, if a child is identified as needing any extra help. For example, this could be if they are not meeting the age expected milestones in specific areas such as Maths and Literacy. Some children may need some extra help in identifying numbers, as well as applying these to solve Maths problems. Some children may need some extra help to recognise the taught sounds and extra practice to apply this to their reading or writing. This will all be done very practically and with an adult familiar to the children. If we feel that a child or children would benefit from working with an adult for extra support, they will be taken out of the class during a time where they will not be missing out on any teacher led learning.
 

Q - How long should I spend reading with my child daily?

This really depends on your child. We suggest reading with them for as long as they are focused and engaged on the task. This could be for as little as 5 minutes to begin with and that’s okay. It is better to read in short bursts if this suits your child more. However, if they are able to focus for a longer period of time, please do encourage this too.
 

Q - Do you help the children hold the pencil in any particular way?

As the children develop their writing skills, we encourage them to move away from a ‘fist grip’ and hold the pencil using a ‘tripod grip’, as pictured below. This can be quite difficult and if anyone is struggling, we will provide pencil grips and direct them to take part in some ‘Funky Fingers’ activities. These are aimed towards helping the children develop stronger fine motor skills, which will in turn help them with holding their pencil.

 

 

Q - Are children allowed to sit out of religious lessons?

We do strongly recommend that all children remain inside our RE lessons. This helps to foster a culture of respect and allows children to widen their understanding of the wider world. If they are excluded from these lessons, they may not be able to meet some of the goals in the ‘Understanding the World’ areas of learning at the end of the year. If you strongly feel against this and would like your child to sit out of these lessons, please discuss this with your class teacher.

 

Q - Do you go outside in the rain or strong wind?

We try to get outside as much as possible. If there is light rain, we will still open our doors and children will have access to the outdoor area. If there is heavier rain, we will stay under the sheltered part of our outdoor area. As this area is smaller, we will have to limit and rotate the number of children coming outside. As long as it is not stormy weather, we will go outside in the wind but as always, children can choose to stay inside if they want to (during free flow, they will not be able to stay inside during lunch unless it is declared ‘wet play’ in which case, all children will remain inside).

 

Q - What ‘ball skills’ are the children taught?

The ball skills we cover in our PE lessons include: throwing, catching, dribbling, kicking and rolling.
 

Q - What kinds of things do you teach in self-care?

Self-Care covers a wide range of skills. These include: washing hands correctly, blowing your nose correctly, putting your coat on and doing the zip up, taking ownership over belongings and keeping dry throughout the day.

 

Q - What kind of books do you read during story time in Reception?

These are usually picture books. We try to link these to our topics as much as possible, or choose books with a moral message for the children. Children are also able to choose a book from our reading areas, for us to read to them at the end of the day or during fruit time.