What a magical week it’s been in EYFS! The classroom has been filled with the sparkle of the season as the children have been busy wrapping presents, chatting excitedly about Christmas, and getting well and truly ready for Papa Noël to make his visit. Their enthusiasm has certainly brought plenty of festive cheer to our days!

This week, we have introduced an exciting new office role-play area to our classroom. The children have absolutely loved exploring this space, and it has been wonderful to see their imaginations come to life.

What has stood out the most is the amount of purposeful writing the children have been doing while they play. From writing messages and filling in forms to creating lists and taking phone calls, they have been practising their early writing skills without even realising it—because they’re having so much fun!

Christmas concert

The children are looking forward to performing for you on the 16th and 17th of December. Please can you dress your child in Christmas clothes on Monday 15th, Tuesday 16th and Wednesday 17th of December as we will be performing the concert for the school on the Monday. This can comprise of any Christmas festive clothes that you have at home. Red, green and/or white outfits are perfect, and any Christmassy jumpers, tops, dresses or accessories will help us set the festive scene beautifully.

Have a great weekend!

Mrs Robinson

HO HO HO

 We’ve been busy practising our Christmas songs this week, and there’s definitely a festive buzz building around the classroom! It’s hard to believe how confidently the children now move around the Foundation environment and how settled they are in their routines. This time of year always gives us a lovely opportunity to pause and reflect on just how far they’ve come since September. Their growing independence, confidence and curiosity shine through in their day-to-day learning and interactions—it really is a joy to watch.

As we head into the next couple of weeks, things will naturally become a little busier, and some of our usual routines will look a bit different as we enjoy our Christmas activities together. For some children, these changes can feel a little overwhelming. Please rest assured that we are here to support them through any wobbles—these feelings are completely normal at this time of year. If you have any worries or would like to chat about how your child is managing, please do come and speak to me.

Have a good weekend 

Mrs Robinson

 

This week in EYFS, we’ve had an exciting time exploring floating and sinking. The children have been curious scientists—predicting, testing, observing, and talking about what they discovered.

We began by sharing ideas about what floating and sinking mean. The children made fantastic predictions about which objects might float on top of the water and which ones might sink to the bottom. Their confidence grew as they realised it’s okay if their predictions didn’t match the results—this is how scientists learn!

We set up a floating and sinking investigation station with a range of objects: wooden blocks, plastic animals, metal spoons, sponges, stones, corks, and even some surprise items like rubber ducks and foil balls. The children carefully placed each object in the water, watching closely to see what happened next.

The best part was listening to the children explain their thinking:

• “It’s heavy, so I think it will sink!”

• “This one is made of wood. Wood floats!”

• “Let’s squash the foil into a ball and try again!”

They were wonderfully engaged in experimenting—changing shapes, swapping materials, and even designing their own mini boats to test out. Many children discovered that size doesn’t always tell us what will float or sink, and that materials play a big part.

Throughout the week, the children developed their scientific vocabulary, collaboration skills, and confidence in exploring the world around them. 

Next week we will continue our investigations by exploring water movement and simple boat building, so stay tuned for more watery adventures!

Have a great weekend.

Ho Ho Ho

 This week the children have been fascinated by the arrival of frost and ice! We’ve spent lots of time outdoors observing the sparkly frost on the grass, touching the icy surfaces, and talking about how everything feels colder in the mornings. The children shared wonderful ideas about where ice comes from and why it melts, and we even explored what happens when we bring little pieces of ice inside. Lots of curious thinking and brilliant language development!

It’s also beginning to feel a lot like Christmas in our classroom. The children have started learning their festive songs—there have been plenty of cheerful voices practising “Ho Ho Ho!” throughout the day. Their excitement is contagious, and we can’t wait to share more of their seasonal activities with you.

Have a lovely weekend everyone!

Here is an old film that we made during lockdown. I think the children will enjoy this hahahahha.

 

Back in Foundation — Autumn Adventures in Nursery! 

What a lovely few weeks it’s been back in Foundation! After spending some time in Year 3, I’m so happy to be back with our youngest learners — it’s been wonderful to see all those familiar smiling faces and to welcome our new children who have settled in beautifully. The nursery is once again full of curiosity, laughter, and that special early-years buzz of discovery!

This half term, we’ve been making the most of the autumn season and all the wonderful natural treasures it brings. The children have loved exploring conkers, acorns, leaves, pinecones, and even the occasional feather — using them in so many creative and meaningful ways across all areas of learning in the EYFS.

• Communication and Language: We’ve been talking about our autumn finds, describing textures, colours, and shapes, and learning new words like “shiny,” “rough,” and “spiky.” The children have enjoyed sharing their own discoveries from home too!

• Physical Development: Little fingers have been busy threading conkers, scooping acorns, and using tweezers to pick up tiny treasures — all brilliant for building fine motor skills and coordination.

• Personal, Social and Emotional Development: Working together to collect and sort autumn materials has encouraged turn-taking, sharing, and helping one another — such lovely teamwork on display.

• Literacy: Autumn has inspired our stories and mark-making! We’ve been using leaves for leaf-print writing, forming letters in trays of cinnamon-scented sand, and reading beautiful seasonal stories like Leaf Man and We’re Going on a Leaf Hunt.

• Mathematics: The children have been counting conkers, comparing sizes of pinecones, and making patterns with acorns — wonderful, hands-on learning through play.

• Understanding the World: We’ve talked about why the leaves change colour and fall, looked closely at seeds, and even noticed which animals might be preparing for winter.

• Expressive Arts and Design: Our creative area has been full of colour 

It’s been such a joy to see the children so engaged and full of enthusiasm. The natural world provides endless opportunities for rich, meaningful learning, and autumn has given us the perfect backdrop for curiosity and creativity to flourish.

I’m truly delighted to be back in Foundation — there’s nothing quite like seeing the world through the eyes of our little explorers. Here’s to more exciting learning adventures as we move through this beautiful season together!

 Hello all,

After Bonfire Night, we went outside to our school playground to take a closer look at the ashes left behind from our bonfire. The children were fascinated to see what was left after the flames had gone out. They used lots of great describing words — “grey,” “soft,” “dusty,” — to talk about what they could see and feel. It was a lovely opportunity to explore the changes that happen when things are burned, and to use our senses to observe closely like little scientists!

We also shared our firework experiences from the weekend. The children were very excited to tell us about the fireworks they had seen and heard — “bangs,” “whooshes,” “crackles,” and “sparkles” filled our classroom as we talked! Some children spoke about the colours they liked best, while others described how they watched from their gardens or wrapped up warm with their families.

Our focus story was 'Room on the broom' by Julia Donaldson.

Cyber Safety Presentation

We would like to invite all parents and carers to attend a Cyber Safety Presentation led by the Police team next Wednesday between 2:00pm and 3:00pm. The presentation will offer valuable, practical advice on protecting yourself, your family and your data online. It will also explain how parents can help children make safe and responsible choices when using technology.

Have a great weekend!

Foundation Team

 

Celebrating Diwali in Foundation! 🌟

This week, we had a wonderful time celebrating Diwali, the Hindu Festival of Lights! The classroom was full of colour, music, and happy smiles as the children explored a range of fun activities linked to this special festival.

We began by creating beautiful Rangoli patterns, using bright colours and shapes to decorate our classroom. The children showed fantastic creativity and care in their designs! We also made some Diwali playdough sweets, rolling, shaping and decorating them just like real festive treats.

Later, we lit up our divas and listened to peaceful Hindu flute music, helping us to think about light, kindness and new beginnings. The children loved dressing up in colourful saris and dancing to Diwali music — it was such a joyful celebration!

A big thank you to Daveen, who brought in his traditional Diwali clothes to show the class. Everyone loved seeing the beautiful patterns and colours, and it helped us learn even more about how Diwali is celebrated at home.🌟🪔✨

After the holidays, all children need to be wearing the winter uniform which is the navy tracksuit. The children should not be wearing trainers but school shoes. Please, make sure that all their uniform is clearly labelled.

We hope to see some of you at our bonfire night. 

Have a great half term break!

Foundation team

  Hello all,

This week in Foundation, we’ve had a fantastic time celebrating Black History Month through stories, songs, and play. The children have been immersed in learning about identity, culture, and the beauty of diversity.

We read two wonderful books – "Happy in My Skin" and "So Much" – which the children really enjoyed. These stories sparked lovely conversations about self-love, family, and what makes us all special.

A big thank you to Miss Nadie, who taught us a beautiful song from Tanzania called "Si Mama Ka." The children loved learning the rhythm and trying out new words in a different language. We also sang "Hello to All the Children of the World" – a joyful song that celebrates greetings in many languages and helped the children think about how people say hello across the globe.

Outside, the fun continued! The children made fantastic use of the large tires in our outdoor area – rolling them, building houses, and creating their own obstacle courses. These activities weren’t just great fun; they also helped the children build their communication skills and encouraged teamwork as they planned, shared ideas, and played together.

Next week, we’re excited to continue our celebrations as we prepare for Diwali – the festival of lights. We’re looking forward to exploring its traditions through art, storytelling, and more!

Recycling Request

If you have any recycling items such as small boxes, clean containers, or plastic bottles at home, we would really appreciate them for our creative modelling area. Please do not send in any packaging that has contained nuts or sesame products, as we have children with allergies. Many thanks for your support.

Have a great weekend!

Foundation team

Hello all. 

This week in Foundation, we embarked on an exciting adventure into the fascinating world of spiders! Our learning journey was inspired by the wonderful story The Very Busy Spider by Eric Carle, which captured the children’s imaginations with its charming tale of a hardworking spider spinning her web.

To deepen our understanding, we explored a variety of spider facts through reading fact books and watching informative videos. The children were amazed to learn about how spiders spin webs, the different types of spiders, and how these incredible creatures use their webs to catch their food. We loved sharing all our newfound knowledge with each other—everyone had something interesting to add!

A highlight of our week was a hands-on activity where the children created their own spider webs using wool. They carefully wound and looped the wool around sticks, practicing their fine motor skills while imagining themselves as busy spiders spinning intricate webs.

This exploration not only helped the children develop their literacy and comprehension skills but also sparked curiosity about the natural world. 

If you find some webs during the weekend, please take a picture and bring it to school to share with the class. 

Have a lovely weekend!

The Foundation team

 Hello all,

 We would like to say a huge thank you to all the parents and carers who joined us for our Harvest Festival Coffee Morning. It was lovely to see so many of you in school, celebrating this special time of year with us.

We are especially grateful for the amazing collection of autumn treasures you brought in – from conkers, acorns, pinecones, to beautifully coloured leaves. The children have absolutely loved exploring and using these natural items in their learning. They've been counting conkers, sorting leaves by size and colour, making autumn-themed art, and even building their own woodland scenes!

While playing outdoors this week, the children have been fascinated by the many spiderwebs appearing in the corners of the playground and garden – a true sign that autumn is here! Their curiosity has inspired our next topic: Spiders!

Next week, we’ll be learning all about these clever little creatures – how they spin webs, where they live, and the important jobs they do in nature,

Have a great weekend!

The Foundation Team 🕸🍁🕷