Little Horsted Church of England Primary School

Hello and welcome to you all!

I am absolutely thrilled to be teaching your child this year. I believe that every child is unique and through our, "LEARNING THROUGH PLAY" ethos, your child will develop in so many ways during their Reception year; this is such an exciting time!

At Little Horsted School, we see every child as a unique individual and strive to provide an exciting curriculum that reflects this. Children are encouraged to ‘have a go’, be willing and eager to engage with their learning and to ‘keep trying;' this fosters a positive approach to learning. Our EYFS teaching team support children to confidently express their own ideas, preferences and encourage children to ask and answer questions and find solutions to their problems so that they can achieve what they set out to achieve.

We follow a "LEARNING THROUGH PLAY" curriculum which we believes enables them to throuoghly enjoy their learning. They are also directed by adults to activities which are linked to topics and themes being taught. The activities allow children to have practical experiences such as cooking in our ‘mud kitchen’, playing with umbrellas in the rain or making potions and writing their recipes. We believe that the children learn best through a ‘hands on’ practical approach. Every day there are opportunities for children to express themselves creatively by having a workshop approach whereby they can select resources to make things that enhance their learning. Their curriculum is delivered through an indoor and outdoor environment. Children can participate in physical activities everyday such as parachute games, climbing, and ball games with their friends and adults who support them to develop an understanding that we need to be active to help us to be healthy.

Our curriculum links to the EYFS Statutory Curriculum with teaching being focused on children’s achievement of the Early Learning Goals (ELG's) by the end of Reception. The curriculum is broad and open-ended allowing us to follow the interests of the children. Children are taught the foundations for building all future learning upon, including the key skills of communication, working collaboratively, Literacy, Numeracy and thinking critically.

At Little Horsted School, we strive to work collaboratively with parents and carers, this we see as a vital component in enabling the children to learn.  We carefully plan the introduction of children into our EYFS setting to ensure that they settle quickly and flourish. We welcome parents involvement and invite parents in to workshops to strengthen the link between home and school.

If you have any questions then please do come and speak to us, or phone the school office to make an appointment. 

The Reception Team would like to say a big thank-you to all of the parents and carers who welcomed us into their homes during our recent home visits. During your child's first week the children have been given an introduction to life at our school. They have been on a tour of the relevant areas and have been to whole school assemblies. As well as learning some songs, the children have also practiced their name and drawn a self-portrait. 

• Children to stay till 1pm for the week of 10^th September. Make sure you book their hot meals. Please email the school office or pop in to see the office ladies if you need help with this.
• Tuesday 11^th September – school photographs, individual and siblings. If you have younger children you are invited to bring them into school at 8.55am to have all their photos taken together.
• Thursday 13^th September – Reading workshop for all Reception parents 6-7pm – this is a really important session, where I will be explaining how we/you will be supporting your child to read, please make every effort to attend. I will also be running phonics and maths workshops later on in the term, dates to follow. The PTFA AGM will take place at 7pm on this date too, again please do stay and support this and get involved in our school any way you can. We have a core group of parents who are in their last year of our school. Without new members, the PTFA will not be able to provide enrichment and equipment for all the children in the school to enjoy. By coming to meetings and joining the PTFA, does not mean that you have to take on a specific role or go to every event!
• Friday 15^th September – parents are invited to join the children for fish and chips in the dinner hall at 12pm. If you are coming then please email the school office to let them know.
• Sunday 23^rd September – Harvest Festival service at St Margaret’s church. We encourage families and children to attend this service if possible. 
• Thursday 27^th September – “Sponsored Teddy Bear Toddle!” More details to follow next week. This will be for the Nursery, Reception and Yr 6 buddies!  All parents are welcome to come along. 11-12.30pm.
• Friday 28^th September – Year 6 will be doing an assembly all about their Reception buddies! You are welcome to come too. 10-10.30am.
• Wednesday 3^rd October - Stay and Play session – this is an opportunity for parents to join us in class, to look at the learning logs and to join in with the children’s learning. 9-10am.
• Friday 12^th October – School Harvest Festival service at 2pm. All children attend and parents and grandparents are encouraged to come to watch our service.
• Tuesday 16^th & Wednesday 17^th October are our parents evening dates. More details to follow.

"What to expect, when?" A really useful guidance to your child’s learning and development in the early years foundation stage. Please click on the link below: 

www.foundationyears.org.uk/files/2015/03/4Children_ParentsGuide_2015_WEB.pdf