Reception to Year 1 Transition Meeting

2015

Aims

•  Learn about preparation in school for the children’s move to Year 1

•  Learn about teaching and learning in Year 1

•  Year 1 curriculum and timetable

Preparation

•  Year 1 children to talk to Reception children and answer questions

• Meet the teacher and classroom • Children will spend 3 sessions in their new

class mix before the end of term. This includes a Team Challenge

• Celebration evening •  Teachers taking assemblies or play duties

Smooth Transitions

•  We recognise the need for change to be gradual, Year 1 is not suddenly sitting at tables and working quietly.

•  Many elements of Reception that children are familiar with, and have learnt through, still feature in Year 1, such as: role play, sand and water play, construction and Computing. These will be more directed and feature an increased level of complexity as children progress

•  First term - small group work with an adult, learning through play and outdoor learning. Activities will be similar to Reception, but more directed rather than child-initiated

•  Use of outdoor area to support all learning

Timetable

Progression •  Although we ensure continuity we also

ensure progression •  Throughout the year independent

learning and learning through play will become more challenging and more directed

• Children are continually assessed and teachers make professional judgements on how children will best access the curriculum

Year 1 Curriculum •  We are continually developing a creative, theme-based

curriculum in line with the new National Curriculum. •  Many subjects including literacy, history, geography,

science, art, D&T are taught through the theme rather than in discrete lessons.

•  Themes next year will be: Amazing Me, Carnival of the Animals, Toys and Games, Castles and Dragons, The Seaside and The Magic Key.

•  Where possible Computing is linked into the theme, but skills are taught in discrete lessons. Every class has a small set of iPads, laptops and will have a bank of Chrome Books.

•  Maths, RE and PE taught separately

Phonics •  Phonics continues to be taught in Year 1 –

children are familiar with this. •  Phonics in Year 1 consolidates and builds on

what they have learnt in Reception. •  We group children for phonics based on ability. •  Lots of opportunities to use phonics –

whiteboards, magnetic letters, games, Computing, reading and matching words and sentences.

•  Children taught alternative spellings of sounds and alternative pronunciations e.g. ai, ay, a-e

Reading

•  Similar reading scheme as Reception. •  Children heard individually twice a week. •  Please read with your child daily – not only

school books. •  Encourage children to sound out unknown words

using their ‘blendy finger’ to say each sound and blend together to make the word.

•  Help learn ‘tricky’ words (words that cannot be sounded out).

•  Always check understanding – retelling the story, answering questions, asking what a word means.

Writing

•  Always encourage independent writing – children sounding out words.

•  When writing we have prompts for children – sound cards, sound mats, tricky word mats, alphabet strips.

•  We emphasise ensuring sentences: make sense, have finger spaces, have a full stop and a capital letter. We move on to using joining words: and, but, so, because, and adding detail by using adjectives.

Maths •  Builds on and extends learning from Reception •  Children use the following methods for calculations:

cubes, number lines, hundred squares (towards the end of the year) and drawing pictures when solving problems.

•  Teaches new methods for + and – (cubes, number lines, hundred square, counting on in their head, partitioning Tens and Ones).

•  Children will develop a greater understanding of the number system.

•  Use maths to solve problems. •  Mental recall – number bonds to 10, 1/10 more/less.

Homework

•  Reading •  In Autumn, 5 tricky words sent each week for

children to learn to read and spell. Use ‘look, cover, write, check.’ Encourage your children to write sentences with the words in

•  After Christmas children will receive literacy and maths homework each week

Parent Communication

• Home-school liaison books

•  Year Group blog • Head Teacher blog •  School website • Make appointments at

the office

Questions

Any questions/areas not covered on the sheets.