Autumn Term in Reception

The inspirational texts on our Autumn bookshelf will inspire our learning across the curriculum.

The Reception year is a very special part of your child’s school journey. We strive to provide a unique, challenging and inspirational curriculum based on new and memorable experiences. Establishing strong relationships with our pupils and their families is our priority at the beginning of the school year. Throughout the year, we will work with your child to learn and understand their individual needs and support them in their learning and development.   During the Autumn term in Reception, we will read a variety of inspirational and carefully selected texts that explore the character traits of kindness, citizenship, integrity, curiosity, bravery and gratitude.

The Character Traits that underpin the curriculum at Cheadle Hulme Primary School with associated icons - bravery, citizenship, curiosity, gratitude, integrity and kindness.

Autumn Bookshelf

  • During the Autumn term in Reception, we will read a variety of inspirational and carefully selected texts that explore the character traits of kindness, citizenship, integrity, curiosity, bravery and gratitude.
  • We will firstly explore ‘That’s Not My Name’ by Anoosha Syed. This is a beautifully illustrated story about citizenship, following Mirha’s first days in school and the importance of respecting each other’s identities.
  • Pippa Goodhart’s ‘You Choose’, a wonderful text of imagery where the children will use their imagination and utilise their curiosity to choose where they might go, live, sleep and what they might choose to do.
  • ‘Stuck’ by Oliver Jeffers is a hilarious and curious tale of a boy named Floyd, who gets his kite stuck in a tree, and no matter what he throws, he cannot get it down.
  • ‘The Everywhere Bear’ by Julia Donaldson is a picture book focusing on a missing toy bear that goes on extraordinary adventures. It is a story about bravery, kindness and gratitude.
  • ‘The Leaf Thief’ drives curiosity and citizenship, when the squirrel is on a mission to find the leaf thief, meeting fun animals along the way.
  • ‘Oi Frog’ by Kes Grey and Jim Field is a joyful rhyming story, which follows the frog as he tries to find what each animal sits on, but of course it has to rhyme! We love using this text to help develop our rhyming words and begin writing simple words.
  • The classic tale of ‘The Elves and the Shoemaker’ finishes off our bookshelf with the wonderful message to be thankful and grateful in life, and links with our Christmas festivities.
  • We have one additional book, which will remain on our bookshelf throughout the year, that being Jane Bingham’s ‘Festivals’, which allows us to explore the many different cultural and religious festivals we learn about in Reception.

Autumn Term At A Glance

In Maths, we will work on the concept of subitising and composition of numbers within 5. Literacy will focus initially on mark making, and once we have grasped initial graphemes, we will attempt to put this phonic knowledge into practice with writing CVC (consonant-vowel-consonant) words. We will use Drawing Club to inspire and foster the children’s creativity in Literacy. In Understanding the World, we will encounter National Poetry Day, Rosh Hashanah, Black History Month, Parliament Week, Anti-Bullying Week and our Nativity performance in December. In Art, we will look at the work of Piet Mondrian and the skill of block colouring. Our PSHE curriculum will focus on feelings, belonging, having our own unique identity and how we can work together to achieve more.   It is going to be a busy and thoroughly enjoyable term!

Autumn Term Highlights

  • Tapestry and Instagram updates
  • Nativity performance
  • Educational visits throughout the year, including one off site visit per term
  • Year group assembly performance
  • Author visits (virtual and in person)
  • Science investigations
  • Singing circles and in-class musical performances
  • Opportunities to learn outside of the classroom 

The Reception Team

Mrs Cheshire – Class Teacher
Mrs Anderson – Class Teacher
Mrs Smith – Learning Support Assistant
Miss Wood – Learning Support Assistant Mrs Lee – Learning Support Assistant
Mrs Warrington – Learning Support Assistant

Important Information

  • Please make sure your child’s book bag containing their reading books and Reading Record is brought into school every day.
  • When your child has reached a certain point in the Phonics programme, 1 x phonetically decodable reading book will be sent home on a Friday alongside a recommended reading book for Reception aged children.
  • Please comment in your child’s Reading Record weekly when you have read with your child.
  • Your child’s reading books and Reading Record should be brought into school each day.
  • Your child will take part in Shared Reading with an adult, across the week.
  • Children are provided with a fruit or vegetable snack each day as well as milk (this is currently provided for pupils by the Government until they are 5 years old). An oat milk alternative will be provided for any child with an allergy to milk.
  • If you would prefer to send your own snack in, please ensure this is a piece of fruit or vegetable only.
  • Children in Reception are eligible for Universal Infant Free School Meals entitlement. You are of course welcome to send your child in with a packed lunch (please remember nothing in these should include nuts). 
  • Children should have their water bottle in school every day. They will have access to this throughout the school day.
  • Pupils in Reception wear their PE kits in place of regular school uniform on their PE day (Thursday).
  • Please provide a pair of named wellies in a plastic bag, that are to be kept in school.
  • Reception children will enter school through their own classroom door from the playground. Please support a successful start to their day by being on time. Whilst we appreciate it can be tricky to say goodbye on some mornings, it can be helpful to keep this brief and for children to enter school independently from the moment they start.
  • The children will be dismissed from their door onto the school playground, directly to their parent/carer. If the person collecting at the end of the day is different to usual, please inform the school’s admin team before pick-up so that Class Teachers are aware and know who to look out for.
  • Your Child’s class teacher will be available every day before and after school to receive messages, celebrate successes and answer any short questions. Please note that for any longer conversations, a meeting should be requested via our Admin team.

Instagram & Tapestry

As always, there will be lots of learning and exciting activities going on in Reception this term. Please speak to our admin team for access to the Reception Instagram feed @chps.reception

You will receive personalised activation information from Tapestry to your registered email.