We are very lucky in Reception class to have our own set of toilets in the classroom. There is no need to worry about having to find the toilets when you start school. We will show you where they are but above is a picture of the bathroom door. As you can see the bathroom is next to our classroom sink and creative spaces.

Here is a photograph of our school MUGA. It stands for 'Multi use games area.' All children at school have time to play on this and you will too! We also have a grassed area, playground spaces and our amazing woods for lovely learning walks.

Ideas for play...

Dear parents,

Please remember that learning and development in the early years looks very different to other age groups. When children are in school, they are learning but be reassured that much of what we do is plan for learning through play opportunities. We understand that the home environment is not a classroom setting (and neither should it be) but we want to provide you with some ideas about making the most of play situations that will be happening at home. Knowing these, we hope will give you the reassurance that you are providing play and learning time too.

• Jigsaws - doing jigsaws at home provides endless opportunities for development. Talk about the shapes of the pieces and how they fit together. Count the pieces of the jigsaw and sort them out - all great maths skills. Do any of the pieces look similar or different? How? Why? Jigsaws can take some time and your child develops concentration skills throughout the experience and a real sense of achievement afterwards. Once complete, you can discuss what the jigsaw shows, why your child chose it and what they know about the picture they have made. TRY MAKING YOUR OWN JIGSAW - draw a picture on card, cut it up into different shapes and try putting it back together again.
• GAMES - the possibilities for learning through games are endless. Whether they be literacy or maths based or simply for fun - there is something to be gained from these experiences. Talking, communicating and turn-taking are developing here. Understanding and waiting patiently and managing feeling of happiness of disappointment are all real learning points for children - the more games you can play...the better!
• TOYS - many toys provoke children's imaginations and allow them to re-enact scenarios and develop their own story telling ideas. Encourage this kind of play. Watch and observe (or if you are busy - let them get on with it themselves) and then ask them questions about their story and what they are doing. Who are they being? What has/is going to happen?  Toys that involve an element of building are great for planning, designing and making - children learn to evaluate their models - looking to find the right pieces that they need and changing them to make them better. These are brilliant skills to see in young children - praise all their efforts. ENCOURAGE SOME EARLY WRITING - if your child makes a model or retells a story - ask them to draw a picture of it and write a sentence about it.
• BAKING - cooking and baking (as long as closely supervised by a responsible adult) is a fantastic way for children to learn. Measuring ingredients, mixing and talking about the changes. Simple science - can you put a cracked egg back together? What did our baking look like before and after it had been in the oven? Numbers for temperatures, timing to see when things are ready are brilliant ways for children to understand how time passes.
• WALKS - whilst we are allowed our daily exercise, make the most of any outdoor opportunities that come your way. Talk about the world around you, what is in our environment/community? Why do we need shops? Post offices? Railways and roads? How far are places to reach? What did you see on your travels? Seasonal changes... the list goes on. DRAW A MAP - when you have been outside, draw a map of the places you went to on a walk and the things you saw.
• CRAFT - children often like to cut and stick and make their own creations. This is a wonderful skill to develop at home. Cutting skills, fine motor control and understanding what really interests your child through seeing them make their own ideas is a great thing to do at home and promotes learning across many areas.
• COLOURING - brilliant to sit and have time to relax, talk and be calm together. Put some music on in the background and talk about how the music makes you feel as you colour together.

We had some building work done at school a couple of years ago and Reception class got a brand new classroom, including a bathroom. Here is a photograph of the bathroom sinks. Can you see the soap dispensers? They are easy to press so you can wash your hands well with soap after you have used the toilets and throughout the day. To make the water flow, you just press the top of the tap - it is really easy so please don't worry.