foundation@stmarysmaltby.org

Welcome to F2 at St. Mary's.

We are looking forward to working with you and your child to ensure they have the best start to their education. During the first few weeks at school, we will be getting to know each other and settling into the new classroom. Your child will learn the routines of school and together we will discuss how we can make sure we are all safe by following the rules inside and outside. 

Stories and Rhymes

Reading opens the door to many possibilities. We will be reading lots of stories together and singing rhymes everyday. From Monday 6th September, we will begin RWInc where your child will learn a sound a day. Please help your child at home by practising the sound of the day. We will begin with 's' and then move onto 'a'. Correct pronunciation of these sounds are crucial. Please watch this video of how to say the sounds. More information about RWInc will be sent out in your child's reading pack next week.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TkXcabDUg7Q

In the first two weeks of school, your child will bring home a reading diary and a phonics activity. We will also be sending home a story to share. Sharing stories from an early age can help your child learn new words, story structures and develop a love of reading. Please read with your child every day. 

Physical activity

Every morning, your child will begin with 'Wake and Shake'. This is used to encourage your child to be active through songs and actions. We will use the same songs every morning for two weeks before changing them so that your child becomes familiar with the actions and words. We will also be promoting physical activity through the use of bikes, trikes and scooters, large climbing equipment and the Daily Mile. In the Spring term, we will also introduce a PE lesson. 

Maths Mastery

We will have a maths mastery lesson every day. Our first topic is sorting and comparing objects in the classroom and outside. Encourage your child to notice similarities and differences in the environment. We will also be counting daily and reading maths stories. 

RWI phonics

Right from the beginning of Reception, we use Read Write Inc. Phonics which is a highly successful English programme. Our aim is for all children to become confident and enthusiastic readers. The Read Write Inc. Phonics programme is carefully matched to the curriculum, giving every child at St. Mary's Catholic Primary the best chance of success. 

Please see the table below for expected progress term-by-term for Read Write Inc. Phonics in EYFS.

Your child is taught phonics every day in a small group by either Mrs Smith or Mrs Moxon. Children are grouped according to the sounds that they know and are assessed as a minimum every half term. It is crucial that your child practises their sounds, oral blending and reading as many times as possible each day. We use 'pinny time' throughout the child as a way of your child revising and rehearsing the sounds they are learning. 'Speed minutes' are used daily to revise all of the sounds the children know so that they are confident and speedy at reading them.

Every week, your child will bring home either a Sound blending book (Lilac) or RWI coloured book that they have been learning to read in their sessions. Please support your child by listening to them read every day. 

How to support your child at home with learning to read