Our Learning

Welcome to Nursery

As the youngest children of the school we learn best through play, by exploring our environment using our senses. In Nursery, we initially focus on three main areas; communication and language, physical development and personal social and emotional development.  These three areas are the basis of our learning. By developing in these areas, we lay the foundations for children’s success in all other areas of learning.

In Autumn, we go on a journey of self-discovery, where we learn all about ourselves and people around us. We understand what makes us the same and what makes us unique. We do a range of exciting activities, including painting self-portraits, sharing  family photos and learning about  different parts of our bodies.  We then begin to discover what we are interested in, by exploring the different areas of our classroom. This term is really important for Nursery, as we learn to understand each other’s backgrounds and start to build positive relationships with one another.
Towards the end of Autumn, we look at celebrations throughout the world by celebrating different beliefs and cultural diversity. We learn about a range of festivals such as Diwali, Eid, birthdays and Christmas. Celebrating such memorable festivals gives children meaningful and memorable experiences that they will look back on.

In Spring, we try a range of foods from around the globe as we start our new topic called ‘Tastes of the World!’   The children learn about the five senses and begin to understand and appreciate where their food comes from. We learning about the process of shopping and cooking and  grow our own vegetables.   We make chapattis based on our Diwali celebration.  We also bake bread just like the Little Red Hen and try a range of exotic fruits from our story, Handa’s Surprise. We are always looking for parents who may be able to come in and help us do some cooking with the children .

In Summer, our topic is called ‘Animal Fun!’ This is an exciting term for us in Nursery as we learn about  animals from around the world. We use geography to look at different groups of animals and their habitats, as well as learning  about behaviours and how they survive in the wild.
At the end of summer we learned about farm animals. We look at the life cycle of a chicken and sometimes have been able to watch as baby eggs hatch in our nursery.

Welcome to Reception

At Springfield, we aim to provide a stimulating and exciting environment for the children to develop the early skills that they need both inside and outside of the classroom. We understand the importance of play and strive to inspire children with enthusiasm and a love of learning by creating a high quality, rich, stimulating and enabling learning environment that will capture pupil’s attention and lead to independent exploration.

We start the year learning about ‘People in our Lives’. Through this topic, we explore different roles in the community such as police officers, fire fighters and doctors. We are visited by local police officers, who teach us how to stay safe and how we can call for help in an emergency. In our doctor’s surgery roleplay area, we develop our play skills and see friendships blossom.  As we move towards Christmas, we begin to explore the much loved ‘Traditional Tales’ of Goldilocks and The Three Bears and The Gingerbread Man. A particular highlight is playing detectives and creating ‘Wanted’ posters when Goldilocks ruins our classroom!

The New Year brings plenty of adventure to Reception as we explore ‘Space’. We learn the names and features of the planets in our solar system, design and create our own aliens, and visit an alien planet for a picnic! Our adventures then move to the seas as we become pirates! We go on treasure hunts around the school; roleplay being pirates on our outdoor pirate ship, and write about how to be a real pirate. Our learning journey ends with a trip to ‘The Golden Hinde’ where we find out all about life aboard a pirate ship.

The summer term starts with a step back in time as we learn about ‘Megabeasts’. We launch our topic with a focus on dinosaurs, finding out about all the different species and their characteristics. We imagine what it would be like if the dinosaurs came back and if we had a dinosaur for a pet, creating some fantastic writing and artwork that explains our ideas. As summer quickly approaches, it is the perfect time to get outdoors and investigate ‘Minibeasts’. We are lucky enough to visit our forest area every week where we become minibeast experts, finding and identify the vast array of insects that make it their habitat. We are joined in class by our very own caterpillars, giving us the chance to observe changes over time and to discuss growing up and moving on. Our year finishes off with a trip to Woodbury Wetlands where we go on a minibeast hunt and try out pond dipping.

At Springfield, we understand the importance of Reception in creating the foundations of learning that the children will continue to build on as they move through the school.  We aim to provide an environment where the children are inspired, challenged and encouraged to learn and reach their full potential.