Willow Class - EYFS 2026 - 2027

Welcome to Willow Class, our Reception Class.

Our Key Adults :

• Miss Wright - Class Teacher and EYFS Lead 
• Miss Woods - Teaching Assistant
• Mr Usher - PPA Cover Teacher 
• Mrs McIlroy - PPA Cover Teacher

Autumn 1

This half term our topic is 'This is Me'

Through a range of high quality texts and planned learning opportunities, the children will explore all about themselves. 

This half term, we focus on settling into the daily routines of school life and establishing positive relationships. 

We are very proud of our Early Years Foundation Stage play based curriculum here at Westfield. 

All planned opportunities are tailored to meet the needs of our children, and ensure that our EYFS Curriculum is accessible for all. 

For more information about our EYFS Curriculum, please visit the EYFS page on our website.

Areas of Learning:

Literacy

Literacy Tree Story Saplings:

Story Saplings is an exciting way to develop our early literacy skills, linked to our high quality texts and other planned opportunities. In our sessions, we explore the vocabulary from the text, the characters and story settings.

We will be developing our Oracy skills and Communication and Language skills, to talk about the elements of the story, progressing on to re-telling the story, using a story map. We will be writing for a purpose and giving meaning to marks we draw, write and paint. The writing opportunities will be linked to the children's phonological awareness and the application of their phonics. 

Mathematical Developement

In the EYFS we use the NCETM Mastering Number Programme. This is a programme that provides a deep understanding of number, and fluency with number facts. In Autumn 1, we will be building on the children's previous experience of number, and further develop their subitising and counting skills. We will be exploring the composition of numbers within 5 and begin to use the language of comparison.  

In our Shape Space and Measure, we will be exploring 

Understanding the World
People Culture and Communities: Through stories, songs and sharing their own experiences, the children will be exploring family. What is a family? We look at our class family, our school family. 

The Natural World: Planned opportunities will be provided for the children to explore the natural world around them, including the changing seasons and the weather. The focus this term will be on the weather throght introduction of our daily calendar, when we look at the weather each day. 

Past and Present: We will explore why and how, Easter is celebrated. 

Creative Development

We will be exploring Colours and Colour Mixing and creating Marvellous Marks.  

Personal Social and Emotional Development 

We will focus on building relationships and exploring the importance of turn taking and sharing. 

Physical Development:

PE 

PE is on Tuesday. The children come to school dressed in full PE kit on this day. Mr Usher is teaching our PE currciulum this half term.  

Reading

At Westfield, we expect all children to complete five reading sessions a week. These should be recorded on each child’s individual reading account on the Boom Reader app. The children will bring home a reading book linked to our Read Write Inc Phonics scheme. The children need to have their Reading Packs in school everyday.

We also have a library day where the children are encouraged to choose a reading for pleasure book, to share with an adult at home. These books are changed on a Friday. Please send the children's reading packs into school on a Thursday to give us time to change the books. 

The children also have their Phonics books and Red Words books that are updated regularly, as new sounds and words are taught. 

Online Learning Resources

Our children have access to a range of online resources to support their learning. Here are the links to some useful websites that children can use whilst not in school, their usernames and passwords will be sent home. 

Numbots: the children have been given their own individual log in for Numbots. The children can play these online games at home, to support their early number development. Due to screen time guidance, we are asking that the children play twice a week for 5 minutes. 

Oxford Owl: is a free website to support your child's learning at home. There are hundreds of free eBooks and other educational materials. 

Boom Reader: is the platform we use to record our reading, both in school and at home. Each time you read at home with your child, please log it on Boom Reader.

Tapestry is the online learning journal that we use to document the children's learning journey in the EYFS. We value the importance of sharing the children's learning and development with families at home and also the contributions that families can make to the children's journals by adding photographs at home.