Our Early Years Phase
(Nursery and Reception)
Welcome to our Early Years page!
We are a school Nursery (Little Lennie's) and a Reception class (Blackbirds) situated next to each other and sharing an outdoor space.
To view all our information about the Early Years, please copy and paste this link into your web browser https://www.langho-st-leonards.lancs.sch.uk/learning/curriculum/early-years or alternatively access this via the 'Our Curriculum at St Leonard's' section of our website and select the 'Early Years' tab.
If you are interested in our Little Lennie's Nursery provision for 3 and 4 year-olds, or a Reception class place please contact the school office to arrange a tour. You can contact school on 01254 247156 or either by email at info@langho-st-leonards.lancs.sch.uk
We would be delighted to show you what our setting can provide your child and family.
Class Information 2024-2025
We are so glad that you are joining us in our learning adventure this year.
On this page you will find everything you need to know about what we have done and achieved, what we are currently doing and where our journey is taking us next.
We have two amazing classes that make up our Early Years setting. Our classes are:
- Little Lennie's Nursery with our Early Years Practitioners Miss Town and Mrs Ward
- Blackbirds (YR) whose class teachers are Mrs Harris and Mrs Whalley.
Learning is also supported by our school's Teaching Assistants.
Homework
In the Early Years homework is not set formally as it is through the rest of school. Our Early Years page contains a wealth of information regarding our bespoke and highly ambitious curriculum, placing Language and Literacy at the heart of everything we do where you can find the specific weekly learning opportunities that are planned for your child. Below, under the 'What have we been doing this week?' heading, you will find weekly updates, sharing our learning, with suggestions for supporting this at home.
Reading
Reading in the Early Years is a priority. Our Literacy-Led curriculum provides meaningful reading opportunities and inspirational texts to unlock children's language and imaginations. Phonics sessions take place for all our Early Years children.
In Nursery, our children enjoy this approach and also bring home a weekly 'sharing book' to promote pleasure for reading at home. They also enjoy sharing wordless books which provide a base for rich language development, interest and conversations about books to be embedded and in preparation for starting school.
In Reception, our children also select a weekly 'sharing book' which accompanies their phonetically matched reading book that is read several times in school to achieve excellent fluency, expression and comprehension. We communicate effectively through each child's Reading Record so the parents are fully informed of their child's reading progress and the support we can provide between home and school to foster high quality reading experiences.
Labels
Labels are very important in every piece of clothing to enable us to distinguish any lost or found clothing and so we can return them. Please help us by ensuring all uniform and other school items are named.
PE and Forest School
For Autumn term,
Forest Thursdays - children to come to school in their PE kits and suitable outdoor clothing depending on the weather.
Friday - PE - children come to school in their PE kits. (Little Lennie's clothing lends itself to being suitable for PE)
Wellies are kept in school in our Outside Classroom space for use as and when needed.
Music
All Reception children will be learning to play the Ocarina as part of our Early Years Curriculum.
Dates for your diary
We have many exciting events taking place this year, so here are important events taking place in the Autumn Term (this will be updated if any new events occur):
Friday 13th September - Welcome to Reception Meeting at 15.45
This is a meeting where parents will hear more detail about what is happening this year and how to get involved in Reception learning.
Wednesday 18th September - Reception Phonics Meetings at 16.00 or 17.00
This is a meeting where parents will learn about how we teach children to read. It is a particularly important meeting, hence there being two times available to attend.
Friday 18th October - Reception Autumn Concert at 14.45
Reception children will share a range of autumn themed songs that they have learnt during their time at school so far! An opportunity to celebrate our young learners. All welcome.
Wednesday 30th October, Thursday 31st October and Friday 1st November - Nursery and Reception 'Stay and Play' sessions at 14.30-15.20
Parents and carers are welcome to attend one of these sessions. (Details on how to book will follow nearer the time.) An opportunity to find out what your child is doing during their time with us and how we can continue to support and share with you, their achievements.
Tuesday 26th November -Panto!
Our Reception children will be attending Jack and the Beanstalk at the Empire Theatre Blackburn for the morning - oh yes we are!
Curriculum Enhancements - Trips and Visitors
We have planned great experiences for our children that we are sure they will gain much from.
We are delighted and very much appreciate how our visitors continue to make a huge difference to our children, enriching their worlds with opportunities to learn new languages and to explore world faiths.
More to be added as we get going this year!
Autumn
As mentioned above, Reception children will be attending Jack and the Beanstalk at the Empire Theatre Blackburn for the morning.
Spring
Nursery and Reception children enjoy and learn a great deal from a range of exciting visitors who come and enrich our Curriculum. We get to become Fire Fighters, Paramedics, Police Officers, Crossing Patrol People, Doctors, Nurses, Dentists to name just a few!
Summer
Reception children are fortunate enough to visit Thornton Hall Country Farm for some hand-on learning and to build on their prior learning about farms from the spring.
Early Years Daily Routines
Early Years education is play-based and follows the interests of our children on their unique and individual learning journeys. Adult-led enhancements and our bespoke curriculum inspire our youngest learners.
Our children in Early Years experience the following on a daily basis:
Access to indoor and outdoor classrooms, phonics and reading, story times, maths/counting, songs and/or music, snack and sharing times, They experience Forest School, PE, Ocarina and Computing/Online Safety sessions weekly.
Early Years Pedagogical Curriculum Overview
Our Curriculum Overview provides progression from Nursery to Reception and builds sequentially on prior knowledge and understanding. It ensures that all our children, regardless of their starting points, gain the breadth and depth of knowledge outlined in the Early Years Statutory Framework 'Educational Programmes. Please copy and paste the link at the top of this page to view all our Early Years documentation.
What have we been doing in class this week?
Friday 15th November 2024
Celebrating our achievements This week in Nursery we have been reading 'Leaf Man' and have asked ourselves the question 'What is a leaf?' and 'Which leaves belong to which trees?' In Reception we have been reading 'Fletcher and the falling leaves' and asked ourselves the questions 'Why do leaves change colour?' 'What do our woods look like?' and 'How can we find things?' Our learning has taken us on amazing journeys to our woodlands, drawing our own maps as we made our way through the trees. We added initial phonic sounds to our drawings 's' for stream, 'b' for bridge. We have learnt words like: trunk, belong, magnify, photosynthesis, chlorophyll, directions and locate. Families and School Together The learning this week supports the 'Understanding the World' - 'People, Culture and Communities' aspect of the Early Years Foundation Stage Curriculum. This is building the foundations for Geography and preparing your child for future learning involving maps and an awareness of our local environment. To help with learning at home you might wish to take a walk around your local area, drawing your own maps and talk about the routes you take to school, work, the park and other places nearby. Next week we will be thinking about Rama and Sita and the story of Diwali.
Friday 8th November 2024
Celebrating our achievements This week in Nursery we have been reading 'David and the lions' and have asked ourselves the question 'Why do we read lots of stories?' In Reception we have been reading 'David and Goliath' and have asked ourselves the question 'Why do we read stories and books that tell us about the past?' These stories and questions have enabled us to learn more about significant events and stories that still help us remember and learn today. We have learnt words like: brave, choices, peace, past, present and future. We enjoyed learning a poem called 'Red poppy poem' which we found fun - saying the words and joining in with the actions. We have been counting lions, making poppies, learning about remembrance history and listening to military music. We had a peaceful session on Thursday, gathering around our prayer tree to have a minute of silence, thinking about soldiers and service animals who work and fight to protect us. We planted poppy seeds that will hopefully grow each year, just like in Flanders Field. We also had fun with the piles of fallen leaves, making leaf fireworks and leaf angels. Families and School Together The learning this week supports the 'Understanding the World' - 'Past and Present' aspect of the Early Years Foundation Stage Curriculum. This is building the foundations for History and preparing your child for future historical awareness. To help with learning at home you might want to make a poppy wreath or find out more facts about remembrance history and talk about them using some of the words we have spoken about this week. Next week we will be taking our learning outside and discovering trees and our environment.
Friday 18th October 2024
Celebrating our achievements This week in Nursery we have been reading 'Winnie the Witch' and have asked ourselves the question 'What sounds do fireworks make?' In Reception we have been reading 'The leopard and the Sky God' and asked ourselves the question 'What are musical instruments?' Our learning has supported us to explore and enjoy a range of songs, sounds and music. This has developed our listening and performance skills. In reception, the children enjoyed their first Ocarina lesson and celebrating the end of half-term with their Autumn Concert for families. Families and School Together The learning this week supports the 'Expressive Arts and Design' - 'Being Imaginative and Expressive' aspect of the Early Years Foundation Stage Curriculum. This is building the foundations for Music and performance and preparing your child for future learning about musical awareness and appreciation. To help with learning at home you might wish to enjoy some sharing and singing favourites songs, creating your own home made instruments and listen to music, trying to hear which instruments are making each sound. Next time we will be thinking about stories Jesus told and broadening our understanding of times gone by and the importance of stories.
Friday 11th October 2024
Celebrating our achievements This week in Nursery we have been reading 'The Little Red Hen' and have asked ourselves the question 'What is bread and how is it made?' In Reception we have been reading 'Pumpkin Soup' and asked ourselves the question 'Why are soups good for us?' Our learning has allowed us to bake bread or create delicious soups and think about teamwork. We have enjoyed singing autumn songs and discovering more about farm life and where food grows. In our woods, we made some wonderful mud soup! Families and School Together The learning this week supports the 'Expressive Arts and Design' - 'Creating with Materials' aspect of the Early Years Foundation Stage Curriculum. This is building the foundations for Design and Technology and preparing your child for future learning about product design and taste testing. To help with learning at home you might wish to enjoy some baking and cooking experiences, try new foods and look at how food changes as it being baked. Next week we will be thinking about music, exploring sounds, beats and rhythms.
Friday 4th October 2024
Celebrating our achievements This week in both Nursery and Reception we have been reading the story of Creation. In Nursery we asked ourselves the questions 'What is a day and a night?' and 'Where does the sun go at night?' In Reception we asked ourselves 'What is Earth?' and 'What do we know about beyond Earth?' Our learning has focused this week on exploring scientific concepts. Amongst other things, we have been experimenting with tents and torches, used our woodlands to reflect on our wonderful world and created some wonderful space inspired artwork. We have enjoyed learning about the planets in our Solar System and learning words such as 'rotate,' 'gravity,' 'spin,' 'light' and 'dark.' Families and School Together The learning this week supports the 'Understanding the World' - 'The Natural World' aspect of the Early Years Foundation Stage Curriculum. This is building the foundations for Science and preparing your child for a deeper understanding of the world around them. You may wish to find out more about space and the Solar System or make shadows with torches. Next week we will be learning about Harvest and developing our design and making/baking skills.
Friday 27th September 2024
Celebrating our achievements This week in Nursery we have been reading 'Love makes a Family' and have asked ourselves the question 'Who makes your family?' In Reception we have been reading 'We are Family' and asked ourselves the question 'Why are families important?' Our learning has focused this week on building our artistic talents. We have been using a range of media and materials. In Nursery we have also painted self-portraits which we have developed in Reception by painting and then adding facial features using a selection of different materials. We are all precious and unique and this is truly amazing! Our woodland learning continued to support us as we thought about the feeling of love. In Nursery we made woodland families and in Reception we used clay and made clay faces of those who love us and why these people made us feel loved. In Nursery we have continued to think about different feelings and we even had a visit from a real baby to support our awareness of new family members. In Reception this has begun developing into an appreciation of our diverse world. Families and School Together The learning this week supports the 'Expressive Arts and design' - 'Creating with Materials' aspect of the Early Years Foundation Stage Curriculum. This is building the foundations for Art and Design and preparing your child for a deeper understanding of materials and mark making opportunities and nurturing their creativity. You may wish to paint and draw your families at home, using all sorts of mark-making tools and materials. We would encourage you to talk about your families, how families love one another and how we can show our love to others. Next week we will be learning about the story of Creation and developing our Scientific understanding.
Friday 20th September 2024
Celebrating our achievements This week in Nursery we have been reading 'Not a Stick' and have asked ourselves the question 'What is a tree?' In Reception we have been reading 'Stick Man' and asked ourselves the questions 'Are all trees the same?' and 'Why do we have trees?' Our learning has taken us on amazing journeys to our woodlands, making natural paintbrushes from sticks and treasures from the woodland. We have used the mud kitchen and waded through the stream. We have listened to stories, lying down on the woodland floor, gazing up at the tallest of trees whilst breathing in the oxygen they provide. We have learnt words like: trees, roots, trunk, branch, twigs, deciduous, evergreen, breathe, oxygen and air. Our learning has also involved rhyming words, poetry and ways to keep fit and healthy, especially when we are outdoors. Families and School Together The learning this week supports the 'Understanding the World' - 'People, Culture and Communities' aspect of the Early Years Foundation Stage Curriculum. This is building the foundations for Geography and preparing your child for future learning involving maps and an awareness of our local environment. To help with learning at home you might wish to collect woodland treasures for yourselves, count pine cones, leaves and sticks, make pictures with natural artefacts and enjoy watching the seasonal changes as they begin. Next week we will be thinking about families, love and developing our artistic talents.
Friday 13th September 2024
Celebrating our achievements This week in Nursery we have been reading 'Harry and his bucketful of Dinosaurs' and have asked ourselves the question 'What are dinosaurs?' In Reception we have been reading 'Harry and the Dinosaurs go to School' and have asked ourselves the question 'Where have all the dinosaurs gone?' These stories and questions have enabled us to learn more about creatures that were alive such a long time ago. We have learnt words like: terrible lizard, herbivore, carnivore, omnivore, extinct, asteroid, volcanoes, scaly and lots of dinosaur names. We enjoyed learning a poem called 'Dinosaur, Dinosaur' which we found fun - saying the words and joining in with the actions. We have been painting dinosaurs, thinking about how the story characters felt, making new friends and saying kind things to others. We had an amazing time on Thursday, exploring our woodlands and wading through the brook. Families and School Together The learning this week supports the 'Understanding the World' - 'Past and Present' aspect of the Early Years Foundation Stage Curriculum. This is building the foundations for History and preparing your child for future historical awareness. To help with learning at home you might want to draw some more dinosaur pictures or find out more facts about your favourite dinosaur and talk about them using some of the words we have spoken about this week. Next week we will be taking our learning outside and discovering trees and our environment.
Friday 6th September 2024
What a fantastic start all of our early Years children have made to school. We have been reading 'The Colour Monster' story and have begun recognising and naming different emotions. It has been fun to explore our new learning environments, playing both inside and outdoors and making new friends as we play. We are very proud of everyone for settling in so well!