Welcome to Reception
Home of the Foxes and the Owls!
What can I expect in Reception at SMITH?
Check out our Reception Passport!
Summer 1
‘We are Heroes‘
Our main text focus is ‘Supertato‘ by Sue Henda and Paul Linnet. Over the three weeks we will:
- Create our own Superhero Vegetable or Fruit.
- Explore writing speech bubbles
- Evil Pea will be visiting children’s homes and causing chaos!
- Write a class story and learn some features needed to create a comic strip.
- We will continue to check our work makes sense by reading it aloud.
- Explore non-fiction texts about healthy eating and plants and flowers.
- Making a healthy food or drink, like fruit smoothies or soup.
- Planting a flower and learning how to keep it alive.
- Do observational drawings of fruits and flowers.
- Discuss questions like; If you were a superhero, what power would you have? Why? Would you rather be able to fly or have x-ray vision? If you could be a fruit what would you be?
Here is our topic web for Summer 1.
These are the phonics sounds that we are learning this half term. Please practice the high frequency words with them each week.
Spring 2
Come and have a cracking good time as we explore all things eggs!
‘Race around the World‘ (part2)
Our main text focus is ‘Hattie Peck: The Journey Home’. Over the three weeks we will:
- Go on an egg hunt around our outdoor area!
- Write the story ‘Hattie Peck: The Journey Home’.
- Explore non-fiction texts to learn about animals that hatch from eggs.
- Follow a set of instructions on how to make a bird feeder.
- Design their own egg… What will hatch out of it?
- Life cycles of animals – a frog and a butterfly.
- Investigate eggs – What will happen when it is boiled for 1 minute, 3 ? What if we add heat ? What if we stir it? Will it go back to its original state?
- Discuss questions like; Was it right for Hattie to take the eggs? Would you rather be was chaotic or calm? Would you rather live on land or in the sea?
Here is our Topic Web for Spring 2.
These are the phonics sounds that we are learning this half term. Please practice the high frequency words with them each week. 
Spring 1
‘Race around the World‘ (part2)
Frozen Lands and Hot Lands!
Happy New Year everyone! We have had a wonderful Autumn Term and what a fabulous 2026 we are going to have too!
For the first half of the term, we have decided to go with the very cold, icy weather and create a topic called ‘Frozen Lands’.
Our main focus text is a non-fiction National Georgraphic Kids book, called ‘Hello Penguin’ by Katheryn Williams.
Over the course of two weeks we will be:
- Exploring the Antarctic and what animals live there.
- Exploring the Arctic and what animals live there.
- Comparing the Polar Regions to the UK.
- Following instructions to make a penguin out of different coloured pieces of paper.
- Write a mini fact file about penguins.
- Investigating all things ICE and SNOW!
- We will debate interesting questions such as, ‘Is it fair to take a polar bear from the Arctic and put it in a zoo in the UK?’.
We will then jump from the frozen lands back to the UK to explore different wild animals, stemming from our focus fiction book called ‘Silly Doggy‘ by Adam Stower.
Over the course of three weeks we will:
- Go an animal hunt around our lovely outdoor area!
- Orally retell the story using actions.
- Focus on key elements of a story – characters, settings, problem, solution.
- Write a FOUND poster for ‘Silly Doggy’.
- Go on a trip to Chester Zoo to see a variety of wild animals.
- Learn all about an Artist called Leroy Neiman and explore his style of painting
Here is our Topic Web for Spring 1.
Autumn 2
‘Animal Antics: Marvelous Minibeasts!’
This half term, our focus will be on the tiny but fascinating world of minibeasts and animals in our local environment.
Our main text focus is ‘I’m going to eat this ANT!’ Over the three weeks we will:
- Join in with alliteration.
- Explore non fiction texts to learn about insects and bugs.
- Make shopping lists and menus.
- Explore animals and their habitats.
- Learn and perform ‘When the ants go marching in’.
- Explore the habitats of living things on our school playground.
- Discuss questions like ‘Should we ever squish an ant?’
And of course that magical time of year is approaching us … we will be fully immersing in all things Christmas! From creating decorations, being involved in a wonderful Christmas performance and going on a trip to our local church.
Here is our Topic Web for Autumn 2.
These are the phonics sounds that we are learning this half term. Your child will have taken home their 2nd Monster Phonics homework book so that you can work in this daily or weekly with your child as we learn the new sounds.
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Here is our learning so far this half term…
To celebrate World Nursery Rhyme Week, the wonderful Miss Rachel (tribute) will be coming to visit us to sing lots of nursery rhymes with us.
Autumn 1
‘All Together Now!’
Our main text focus will be ‘The Gingerbread Man!’
- Here we will join in with rhyme and repetition.
- We will make gingerbread people and talk about our uniqueness and individuality and our families.
- We will create obstacle courses to explore different ways of moving.
- We will create a healthy meal for the gingerbread person.
- We will also be focusing on building relationships and learning all about our feelings and how to manage our emotions.
Click here for our Welcome Newsletter
and our Autumn 1 ‘All Together Now!’ topic web (as below)
These are the phonics sounds that we are learning this half term. Week 1 commences 22nd September 2025. Your child will have a Monster Phonics homework book that you can work on daily or weekly with them as we learn the new sounds.
Take a look at the photographs of our fabulous little ones in action… (come back soon to see our photos)
| Communication and Language | Physical Development | Personal, Social and Emotional Development |
| Literacy | Maths | Understanding the World | Expressive Arts and Design |
Phonics in Reception
In Reception we teach daily phonics. Phonics is all about how the alphabetic system works and exploring how to apply it in reading and spelling. Here at S.M.I.T.H. we follow Monster Phonics: a systematic approach, meaning that we teach in a logical progression, starting with single letter sounds to enable children to read and spell simple words, leading to consonant digraphs and vowel digraphs and longer words.
How Monster Phonics Works | Monster Phonics
For more information on our phonic scheme please follow the links below!
If you have any questions regarding phonics please see your child’s class teacher.
Early Reading
Here at S.M.I.T.H we want to develop a life long love of reading.
We want our pupils passion and engagement with books to start from an early age. Keep your eyes peeled for our reading challenges – this is where we capture our pupils and their families love of books and reading. It is a lot of fun!
Reception Baseline Assessment (RBA)
This is a short, interactive and practical assessment of your child’s early literacy, communication, language and mathematics skills when they begin school. It is statutory for all schools from September 2021. Your child will be participating in the reception baseline within the first 6 weeks of starting reception.
PLEASE DON’T WORRY: You do not need to do anything to prepare your child for the assessment. Your child is unlikely to even know that they are doing an assessment when they are completing the tasks.
For more information the link below takes you to the government information for parents pdf. If you have any further questions please speak with your child’s class teacher.
Keeping You Informed
Class Dojo
This is where you will find messages from your child’s class teacher. This updates most frequently and will let parents know about things happening in class such as; day trips, enrichment activities, special events and visitors. This is the most effective and responsive communication tool with your reception teacher.
Please also keep an eye on the school story, on here you will find messages, competitions and school events.
Other ways of Communication
Please register with Parent App, as we will keep you up to date via the app and emails.
Parent Pay is used to make payments for all trips, wrap around care and donations etc. Please see the school office to register.
We also have a school Instagram account where class teachers post pupils work, videos and positive messages for our community.
If you need to contact school the email address: ao@smhsch.co.uk these message will be answered promptly or forwarded to the relevant staff.
Other Activities to Help your child at Home
Helping your EYFS child at home with Maths
Helping your EYFS child at home with Maths
‘Teach Your Monsters To Read’ FREE online reading activities