Welcome to Lemon and Lime class!

Autumn Term 1
Big Question: How can we all get along?

Welcome to Reception! We are delighted to welcome your family to St Mary's and are looking forward to an exciting year of learning together.

Our first term is all about helping children settle into school, develop confidence and begin to build friendships. Through carefully planned play, stories and meaningful experiences, children will begin to understand what it means to belong to a community and how their words and actions can make a positive difference to others.

Our Global Curriculum theme this term is Peace and Conflict, alongside our school value of Love. Together we will explore how showing love through kindness, compassion, forgiveness and friendship helps us build a happy, peaceful community where everyone can flourish. We will learn to listen carefully to others, value different ideas, solve problems peacefully and understand that everyone deserves to feel safe, valued and included as we begin developing the qualities of a Brave Changemaker.

Literacy
Our classroom is a language-rich environment where stories are at the heart of learning. Children will be introduced to Drawing Club, Story Dough, Babble Jab and our much-loved Message Centre, where mark making becomes purposeful, meaningful and fun. Through high-quality stories, poems and rhymes, children will develop confidence in speaking, listening and communicating their ideas.

Maths
Children will begin their mathematical journey through NCETM Mastering Number, exploring numbers, patterns and early mathematical thinking through practical, hands-on experiences. We will use songs, games and investigations to help children develop confidence with number whilst fostering curiosity and problem-solving skills.

Understanding the World
As the seasons begin to change, we will enjoy autumn walks, exploring signs of autumn and observing the world around us. Children will investigate leaves, seeds and seasonal changes, helping them develop an appreciation of the natural world.

Our growing beds will provide opportunities to observe how gardens change throughout the seasons as we begin preparing them for the year ahead.

Real Life Learning
Later this term, children will begin taking part in our weekly community visits. Small groups will walk into our local shopping centre, building confidence as they learn to navigate their local area, recognise familiar landmarks and develop relationships with members of our community.

As part of these visits, children will call into our local flower shop to choose seasonal flowers for the classroom. They will observe how flowers change throughout the year before returning to school to prepare, arrange and care for them. Through these experiences, children learn responsibility, develop an appreciation of the natural world and help create a classroom that is calm, welcoming and beautiful—a place, not simply a space, where everyone feels they belong.

We will also celebrate Harvest, reflecting on love, kindness and generosity as we think about how we can care for others within our community.

Personal Development
Through our Jigsaw lessons, children will explore feelings, friendships and belonging as they settle into school life. Together we will create our class charter and establish the routines that help everyone feel safe, happy and ready to learn.

How You Can Help at Home
Reading together every day, talking about your child's experiences and encouraging independence with everyday tasks all make a huge difference. Autumn is also a wonderful opportunity to notice seasonal changes together—collect colourful leaves, look for conkers and enjoy talking about the changing world around you.

We are looking forward to a wonderful first term together as we begin our Reception adventure!

Autumn Term 2
Big Question: What makes us unique and special?

This term our learning is centred around celebrating what makes each of us unique whilst recognising that, together, we make a wonderful community. Through stories, play and meaningful experiences, children will continue to develop confidence, build friendships and celebrate the similarities and differences that make every person special.

Our Global Curriculum theme this term is Identity and Diversity, alongside our school value of Hope. Together we will explore how hope helps us believe in ourselves, encourage others and look forward with confidence. Through stories and shared experiences, children will learn that everyone has strengths to celebrate and that by showing kindness, respect and encouragement, we can help one another flourish as members of a caring community and continue developing the qualities of a Brave Changemaker.

Literacy

Our language-rich curriculum continues through Drawing Club, Babble Jab, Helicopter Stories, poetry and high-quality picture books. We will explore stories including Only One You, You Be You and We Are Together, encouraging children to think about their own identity, families and friendships whilst continuing to develop vocabulary, storytelling and early writing skills.

Maths

Children will continue developing secure number sense through NCETM Mastering Number, exploring numbers in greater depth through practical investigations, mathematical games and problem-solving activities.

Understanding the World

As autumn gives way to winter, children will observe seasonal change and notice how our environment continues to transform. Our growing beds will be prepared for the colder months as we plant overwintering crops, helping children understand that some plants continue to grow and develop throughout the winter before being harvested the following year.

Real Life Learning

Our weekly community visits continue this term. Children will become increasingly familiar with their local area as they revisit the shopping centre, observing how the community changes as Christmas approaches. They will continue caring for our classroom flowers each week, developing responsibility, independence and an appreciation of the changing seasons.

Celebrations

Throughout the term we will learn about a range of celebrations including Bonfire Night, Remembrance Day, Diwali and Christmas, helping children develop an understanding of different traditions, cultures and beliefs.

We are looking forward to sharing one of the highlights of the Reception year—our Christmas Showcase—and welcoming families into school to celebrate the children's growing confidence and achievements on Tuesday 8^th December at 2.30pm

Personal Development

Through our Jigsaw learning, children will continue exploring friendships, celebrating differences and understanding that everyone belongs. Together we will develop empathy, kindness and respect whilst learning that hope helps us persevere, overcome challenges and encourage others to believe in themselves.

How You Can Help at Home

Talk together about family traditions, celebrations and special memories. Encourage your child to notice signs of winter, talk about seasonal changes and continue reading together every day to build confidence and a lifelong love of books.

We look forward to another exciting term of learning together.