Class Teacher: Miss Todd
Support Staff: Miss Forster & Mrs Gunnell
Our Explorers Class is a mixed aged class made up of our youngest learners in Reception and Year One.
We believe that all children should experience the BEST start to school life and the play based, enquiry lead curriculum in Class One provides them with a great start.
The children are encouraged to try their best and have a go at all the opportunities provided to them in a safe and happy environment full of challenge and fun.
For further information about the curriculum, please see our ‘Our Curriculum’ page of the website which includes our EYFS curriculum and how this builds into the National Curriculum subjects in Year One.
Statutory Assessments
EYFS
Reception Baseline Assessment (RBA)
During the first half of Autumn term, we will carry out the RBA with all of the children in Reception class. The RBA is a short, interactive and practical assessment of your child’s early literacy, communication, language and mathematics skills when they begin school, using materials that most children of your child’s age will be familiar with. It is statutory for all schools from September 2021. You can find out more about the RBA by viewing the document below.
YEAR ONE
Phonics Screening Check
What is the phonics screening check?
The Phonics Screening Check is meant to show how well your child can use the phonics skills they’ve learned up to the end of Year 1, and to identify students who need extra phonics help. The Department for Education defines the checks as “short, light-touch assessments” that take about four to nine minutes to complete.
How do children complete the phonics screening check?
The checks consist of 40 words and non-words that your child will be asked to read one-on-one with a teacher. Non-words (or nonsense words, or pseudo words) are a collection of letters that will follow phonics rules your child has been taught, but don’t mean anything – your child will need to read these with the correct sounds to show that they understand the phonics rules behind them.
The 40 words and non-words are divided into two sections – one with simple word structures of three or four letters, and one with more complex word structures of five or six letters. The teacher administering the check with your child will give them a few practice words to read first – including some non-words – so they understand more about what they have to do. Each of the non-words is presented with a picture of a monster / alien, as if the word were their name (and so your child doesn’t think the word is a mistake because it doesn’t make sense!).
When does the phonics screening check take place?
The phonics screening check will take place in the summer term.
What will my child’s score mean?
Your child will be scored against a national standard, and the main result will be whether or not they fall below, within or above this standard.
In 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019 and 2022 the “pass threshold” was 32, which means children had to read at least 32 words out of 40 correctly. The threshold mark is communicated to schools at the end of June, after the test has been taken, so that teachers can mark the Check.
You will be told how your child did, but schools’ results will not be published. If your child’s score falls below the standard, they will be given extra phonics help and can re-take the Phonics Screening Check in Year 2.
Historic Information 2022-2023 – Click the links below to see examples of the learning opportunities that the children in Reception and Year One had over the last academic year.