ST MARY’S CHURCH OF ENGLAND

RECEPTION - GOLDFINCH CLASS

Goldfinch Class is taught by Miss Ellie Race. 

Welcome to Goldfinch Class! During their first year at St Mary’s School, children in Reception follow the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) curriculum, which is designed to support their development across seven key areas of learning. Our approach is skills-based, fostering curiosity, creativity, and independence as children explore the world around them. Rather than learning through distinct subjects, your child will engage in a blend of lessons, hands-on exploration, and activities that help them develop as scientists, artists, writers, mathematicians, and more.

Learning in Goldfinch Class extends beyond taught sessions into carefully planned opportunities during ‘discovery time.’ Our thoughtfully designed continuous provision allows children to embed and apply their learning across all areas of the curriculum. By adapting the environment to reflect key themes, texts, and skills, we create meaningful contexts that inspire exploration and deeper understanding. 

Throughout the year, your child will engage with a wide variety of high-quality texts. These texts will be explored through reading together, writing lessons and where opportunities within our continuous provision allow children to immerse themselves in stories. They will learn to retell and role play familiar stories alongside creating their own adapted narratives. In Goldfinches children will begin to use their continually expanding phonetic knowledge to write a series of sentences to create different texts such as lists, captions, stories, posters, labels and letters. 

As mathematicians we will be learning about numbers up to 20 alongside, shapes, money, patterns, measurements, and time. Within numbers up to 20 children, will learn to count, add, subtract, double, and half. 

In their development of Understanding the World, children will learn to think and act as scientists, historians, and geographers. They will explore their own personal history and family traditions, recognizing how the past shapes the present. 

As scientists, children will investigate the natural world, observing patterns, exploring cause and effect, and making close observations of changes in the environment, materials, and living things. They will engage with concepts such as life cycles, plant growth, weather, and why things float or sink through experiments and exploration. 

As geographers children will develop their understanding by exploring their immediate surroundings and comparing environments, both locally and globally. This hands-on, inquiry-based approach supports their growing knowledge of the world and their place within it. Through discussions and activities, they will compare differences and similarities between themselves and others, fostering a deeper understanding of diverse cultures, customs, and communities.

Through Expressive Arts and Design, children will explore creativity through a variety of hands-on activities. At St Mary’s, we believe in the power of music and song as a tool for learning, helping to enhance engagement and memory across the curriculum. Children will sing songs for special occasions, experiment with instruments, and explore music from different cultures, such as Chinese music and dragon dancing.

Children will also design and create using different materials, making self-portraits, clay models, toys, and seasonal crafts. They will learn to choose materials purposefully and experiment with colour, texture, and form. In addition, they will develop practical skills by building models, joining materials, and making objects like split-pin toys, puppets, and wheeled toys.

In Wellbeing sessions, children in Goldfinch Class will explore how to keep their minds healthy through activities like yoga, mindfulness, and nature walks. These sessions help children develop emotional awareness and resilience, encouraging them to recognise and manage their feelings while promoting kindness, sharing, and cooperation.

Through Physical Development, children will engage in activities that support their physical growth, such as dancing, gymnastics, and basic athletics. They will also participate in weekly sessions to develop coordination and teamwork through activities like football, rugby, and other sports. These activities help build strength, flexibility, and teamwork, preparing them for our annual Sports Day celebration.

In PSHE, children will learn about important values such as respect, kindness, and fairness. They will explore everyday routines, practise good classroom behaviour, and develop skills for solving disagreements through conversation. The curriculum will also help children understand the importance of perseverance, listening to others, and learning from mistakes. Topics such as love, forgiveness, and what makes something special will be explored, encouraging empathy and emotional growth.

Throughout the year, we will also have special activities, workshops, and celebrations to bring learning to life. These will provide opportunities for parents to get involved, and we look forward to sharing memorable experiences such as our Christmas Nativity and Goldfinch class assembly, where children showcase their learning through performance. Thank you for visiting our page and please contact Miss Race via the school office with any queries you may have throughout the year.