Beeston 2/ Reception Class- Summer Term 2025

We hope you’ve had a wonderful Easter and are ready for a fun filled Summer term! We are looking forward to sharing new experiences together and developing our learning further.

Overview

Our overarching themes for this term are ‘I wonder what happened before?’ and ‘I wonder what will happen next?’. We will be reading and exploring the stories: Mad About Dinosaurs, Pip and Egg, Tad, Jack and the Beanstalk, Robots Robots Everywhere, Paper Dolls, Look After Your Planet, Michael Recycle and Our Class is Our Family. We will also be exploring other texts and some key celebrations, including Father’s Day, Mental Health Awareness Week, Earth Day as well as taking part in our annual Sports Day event. We will be exploring these exciting stories through all areas of learning and will develop the children’s knowledge through thrilling activities. However, these books and topics may change as we adapt our planning to the current needs and interests of the children.

Communication, Language and Literacy

During this term, we will be exploring a range of books based on our main themes ‘I wonder what happened before?’ and ‘I wonder what will happen next?’. The children will be given the opportunity to read for a range of purposes, such as: reading lists, instructions, letters and messages.

We will continue to take part in daily phonics sessions through our phonics scheme Essential Letters and Sounds (ELS). This term, we will continue to recap our Phase 3 digraph and trigraph sounds (ch, sh, th, ng, nk, ai, ee, igh, oa, oo, ar, or, ur, ow, oi, ear, air, ure, er). We will be continuing to work hard to use our decoding skills to read words and sentences using these sounds. We will be learning how to write simple sentences, using capital letters, finger spaces and full stops. We will continue to learn to read and write new harder to read and spell words, which you can support your child with at home using their harder to read and spell word keyring on their book bags.

Personal, Social and Emotional Development

This term, we will be focusing on the transition to Year 1 and preparing for this change. We will think about how we need to look after ourselves as we continue to grow and move on through the school. The children will begin to experience aspects of Year 1 in our classroom so that they feel more confident and comfortable in September. We will also continue to develop their negotiating skills when playing in groups, encouraging the children to work closely with their peers. We will take part in lots of group games, teaching children the importance of turn taking and sharing.  We will also encourage the children to think about how their actions may affect others and how we can resolve any problems and make compromises. We will discuss the topic of healthy choices and discuss why it is important to make good choices in relation to food and exercise to stay fit and healthy.

Expressive Arts and Design

This term, the children will help create our wonderful role play areas that link closely to our book themes, such as a garden centre, or planting shed for Spring! They will be encouraged to share their ideas and use resources to create props for inside their role play areas. The children will have the chance to write lists, instructions, draw maps and write letters to the different book characters. They will be encouraged to create 3D models, such as binoculars in the junk modelling area, by combining different resources and using a wide range of tools. We will also develop the children’s painting and drawing skills, where they will be given the opportunity to draw and paint their own gardens, as well as print using different fruits and vegetables. The children will also have the opportunity to work with textiles for a recycling focused theme. The children will continue to attend singing workshops with Mrs Shakspeare every week. They will learn lots of new songs and actions and will have the opportunity to play lots of different musical instruments (in response to music).  The children will be encouraged to make up their own composition using percussion instruments to represent a seed growing into a flower.

Understanding of the World

At the beginning of this term, we will continue to explore the season of Spring and spot the key environmental changes using our senses to encourage us to think about why changes happen. As the term progresses, we will look at changes during the season Summer through our summer walk around the school grounds. We will explore life cycles, in particular one of a frog, linking to our key story ‘Tad’ and will discuss what changes happen and why. This will lead us nicely into our theme of ‘I wonder what will happen next?’ where we will learn about how to care for our environment and understand more about recycling and new technology such as robots.

Mathematical Development

This term in Maths, the children will begin by continuing to strengthen our understanding of numbers to 10; knowing the composition of each number in depth and its importance. We will progress onto exploring addition, subtraction, doubling, odds and evens, as well as shape and pattern over the term and in preparation for Year 1. We will continue to have a strong focus on subitising (being able to recognise a number of objects without counting) using both 5 and 10 frames. As well as this, we will be focusing on counting back from 20 to 0, slowly and carefully, showing understanding of one more and one less in the counting sequence.

Physical Development

This term, we will focus on our ball skills, using our feet to pass and kick the ball to our peers. We will practise moving in different ways and at different speeds, being careful not to bump into each other. We will begin to play team games, understanding how crucial teamwork is. The children will also be supported to develop self-care skills when getting changed for P.E. and zipping up their coats. We will also continue to practise using scissors correctly and with control, through a variety of cutting activities.

Wow moments

We would love to hear about any significant events your child takes part in at home or when they do something amazing. If you have any pictures of significant events or have amazing moments you would like to share with us, please post these on your child’s 2Evidence me account and we can share them in class and then add them to our learning wall .

General class Reminders

• Fully named school PE kit needs to be in school everyday.
• BOOK BAG, READING BOOK and READING RECORD need to be brought into school everyday.
• Read everyday at home with your child and make a short note of this in their reading record.
• Support them in reading and writing their ‘harder to read and spell’ words (found on a keyring on their green book bag).
• Don’t forget to sign up and share photos and WOW moments of your child using your child’s Evidence Me account. 
• Sign up for our Twitter, Facebook and Instagram pages to be kept up to date with what’s going on!

Twitter - @CastleView_PS   

Facebook – Search Castle View Primary School and join our group.   

Instagram- @castle_viewps

If you have any concerns or issues, please do not hesitate to speak to me after school.

Mrs Gordon