Beech Class

Welcome to Beech Class!

Beech Class contains both Nursery and Reception pupils. Mrs Shellis is the class teacher and Mrs Brewster is the teaching assistant in the mornings and Miss Clarkson in the afternoons. Below is general information you will need to know about the routines in our class.

How will my child learn?

At Thornton in Craven school, your child will be taught in a mixed age class. This has many benefits. It allows your child to learn according to their stage of development. Children learn through adult led activities or open-ended child-initiated play. They are given time to explore and investigate both indoors and outdoors. In our school, we deliver a topic based curriculum. Our topics range from year to year, but they are based on children’s interests and areas relevant to our local area.

Areas of learning

During the school day, nursery and reception children learn by taking part in whole class activities or group work. They also spend time choosing activities that they would like to explore both inside and outside. Adults sometimes support their play to develop their investigative skills, or they will be allowed to explore independently. Activities are set up to enable children to achieve their next steps in learning. We have a rainbow challenge system where children are expected to complete a range of activities throughout the week.

Provision areas

Provision areas are available inside and outside. This is where resources are stored so children are familiar with where to access materials that interest them. We have:

A writing/art trolley which holds paper, pens, pencils, art materials, scissors and fastenings.
A painting area both inside and outside.
A role-play area
Small world area
Construction area
Reading area
Plus, numeracy resources, games, ICT equipment, sand and water.

Pictures of our classroom are below.

Learning journeys

Your child’s progress will be documented in a file called a learning journey. These will be shared with you at parents’ evenings. We document your child’s learning, play and achievements at school. Our staff will continuously assess your child against the criteria in the Early Years Foundation Stage Profile. This will be done by observing the children both inside and outside. We record learning journeys using an online app, Tapestry. Parents can download the app to view their child's learning journey.

As a parent, your contribution is essential. Please tell us about your child’s interests and achievements outside of school such as recognizing numbers or reading signs outside of school, learning to ride a bike or learning to swim. Parents can upload their child's learning out of school onto Tapestry - this is encouraged!

Homework

Your child will need a bookbag to transport their reading books and homework to and from school each day. Your children will be given two weekly homework tasks. One for phonics and one for numeracy. We would appreciate your support by ensuring that these are completed each week.

Reading & Phonics

Reception children learn to read through an accredited scheme called Little Wandle Letters and Sounds.

Children are sent reading books when they are ready. It is encouraged that you read at home daily with your child - both them reading to you and you reading to them. Please discuss the book you are reading and ask questions to check your child's understanding.

PE

We have a PE session every week. Children should come to school every Tuesday and Thursday in their PE kit so they can take part in this.

Outdoor learning

In Beech Class we love to get outdoors and use the outdoor environment to support our learning. As the weather isn't always on our side, please could children have waterproofs and wellies in school so we can go out and explore whatever the weather!

Our Learning

Beech Classes learning, and examples of work can be accessed below in images, and this will be updated half termly.

Nursery Admissions

If you would like your child to attend the Nursery then you need to contact the school admin team in person or by phone (01282 843381) to arrange to visit the school and complete an application form. When a place becomes available we will contact you the term before your child is eligible to start.

All 3 and 4 year olds are entitled to 15 hours free early education or childcare and some children of working parents will be eligible for a further 15 hours free provision under the government ‘30 hours free childcare’ scheme.

Further information and an application form can be downloaded via the links below.