Panda (Year R)
Welcome to Panda Class
Panda Class is a busy, exciting and nurturing learning environment where children learn through a balance of play, exploration and practical experiences. Our curriculum is carefully designed to build curiosity, confidence and independence while supporting every child to develop the skills they need to become successful learners.
Much of our learning takes place through play-based activities, both indoors and outdoors. Our adults carefully support and extend children's thinking through questioning, discussion and the introduction of rich and varied vocabulary. By following children's interests and encouraging exploration, we help them develop a love of learning from the very beginning of their school journey.
Children have daily access to both our indoor and outdoor learning environments, enabling them to learn in ways that best suit their individual needs and interests.
We hope you find our Tapestry updates useful in helping you see the wide range of learning experiences taking place throughout the Early Years. Taking time to talk with your child about their day is invaluable, and the photographs and observations shared on Tapestry can provide wonderful conversation starters. We also encourage families to share special moments and achievements from home through the platform.
Phonics and reading:
At Lunsford, we follow the Little Wandle Letters and Sounds Revised programme to teach early reading and phonics.
Children take part in reading sessions three times a week in small groups. During these sessions, they develop skills in:
- Decoding – using phonics knowledge to read words.
- Prosody – reading with expression, fluency and understanding.
- Comprehension – understanding and discussing what they have read.
Children bring home a new reading book each Tuesday. Some of these books may initially be wordless, helping children develop storytelling, language and comprehension skills before moving on to fully decodable texts.
Reading at this stage should always be a shared and enjoyable experience. We encourage families to read together regularly and celebrate every step of their child's reading journey.
In addition to their reading practice book, children choose a Reading for Pleasure book each week. Sharing these books together helps children develop a love of stories, enriches vocabulary and fosters positive reading habits.
Useful Phonics Vocabulary
Phoneme
The smallest unit of sound in a word. For example, the word cat contains three phonemes: c – a – t.
Grapheme
The written representation of a sound (a letter or group of letters).
Segmenting
Breaking a word down into its individual sounds. For example: c – a – t.
Blending
Putting individual sounds together to read a word.
Children will also bring home weekly Little Wandle phonics sheets, providing information about the sounds, words and tricky words they have been learning in class so that families can support learning at home.
At Lunsford Primary School, we use resources from Mastering Number and White Rose Maths to support early mathematical development.
Children learn mathematics through practical experiences, games, songs, stories and daily routines. Mathematical concepts are explored through both adult-led activities and child-initiated play, helping children develop a deep understanding of numbers and mathematical thinking.
We also make use of:
- Number blocks
- Numicon
- Counting songs and rhymes
- Practical problem-solving activities
- Weekly mathematics learning is shared through Tapestry, allowing families to see what children are learning in class and providing ideas for supporting mathematical development at home.
Useful information:
PE will be on Friday for Terms 1, 3 and 5, and on Mondays in Terms 2, 4 and 6. Children to come in wearing PE kits, please. No earrings to be worn on PE days.
Forest School inspired learning dates will be shared via Tapestry throughout the year.
Remember the children need a water bottle everyday please – just plain, water, please.
Free fresh fruit is provided, but you can send in your own fruit for your child if they prefer, which they can access at snack time. You can sign up for free milk for your child, until they reach the age of 5. Please use the website: Cool Milk – Little Sips, Big Adventures
Make sure all clothing is named - this is essential in Panda class as jumpers all look the same! Always provide a spare set of clothes and plastic bag in school bags, in case of any accidents during the day. Socks, underwear and trousers/shorts/dresses/skirts can be left in our cloakroom area for your child in a bag, if that is easier rather than always being in their school bag.
Please let members of staff know if there is a change of adult picking up either at drop off by the gate, through Tapestry, or by contacting the main office if it is a change that arises during the day, as we may not read this in time on Tapestry.
Please remember we are a NUT-FREE school. This includes peanut butter and Nutella type sandwich spreads, along with nuts in any bars at lunch time.
Thank you.
Please use our Panda Class Curriculum Planner to see the coverage of our learning throughout the year in greater detail. Below are the broader outlines.
Term 1 – Main Theme: All About Me!
Core texts: The Way I Feel, The Colour Monster stories
Literacy: Oral blending, introduction to graphemes, reading and writing CVC words
Maths Mastering Number: Introduction to subitising, counting, comparisons and composition to 5
RE KCC scheme: Which people are special and why?
Jigsaw scheme: Being Me
Zones of regulation: Introduction to zones; identifying emotions and facial expressions
Physical Development: BEAM (gross motor balances in style of yoga); fine motor strength, agility and dexterity with various tools
Understanding the World: All about me, my family, my community, Autumn themed seasonal knowledge
Expressive arts and design: Kapow – Marvellous Marks; topic themed songs to sing in a group
Term 2 – Main Theme: Terrific Tales!
Core texts: Room on the Broom, Going on a Bear Hunt
Literacy: Oral blending, reading and writing CVC words, tricky words, introduction to short captions
Maths Mastering Number: Gaining confidence with subitising, counting, comparisons and composition to 5
RE KCC scheme: What times are special and why?
Jigsaw scheme: Celebrating Differences
Zones of regulation: Identifying zones in others; anticipating our zones
Physical Development: PE Impact: Hockey, Tri-Golf, Pickle Ball; fine motor strength, agility and dexterity with various tools
Understanding the World: Story settings, historical events of Bonfire Night and Remembrance Day, Autumn into Winter seasonal knowledge
Expressive arts and design: Kapow – Paint My World; topic themed songs and music to express feelings and responses
Term 3 – Main Theme: Amazing Animals!
Core texts: Our Very Own Dog, Lulu Gets a Cat
Literacy: Oral blending, reading and writing CVC words, tricky words, short captions
Maths Mastering Number: Subitising, counting, comparisons and composition within 5 and beyond
RE KCC scheme: What is special about our world?
Jigsaw scheme: Dreams and Goals
Zones of regulation: Me in my zones; exploring sensory support tools
Physical Development: PE Gymnastics; fine motor strength, agility and dexterity to develop handwriting
Understanding the World: Animals from different countries, life in different countries, Winter into Spring seasonal knowledge
Expressive arts and design: Kapow – Junk modelling; topic themed songs and music, pitch matching and following melodies
Term 4 – Main Theme: Ticket to Ride!
Core texts: The Train Ride, Mr Gumpy’s Outing
Literacy: Reading and writing CVC words, tricky words, captions and sentences
Maths Mastering Number: Subitising, counting, comparisons and composition within 5 and beyond; equal and unequal groups linked to doubles
RE KCC scheme: Which stories are special and why?
Jigsaw scheme: Healthy Me
Zones of regulation: Exploring calming tools; exploring thinking strategies
Physical Development: PE Impact: Street dance, spike-ball, gymnastics; fine motor strength, agility and dexterity for efficient handwriting
Understanding the World: Local area and simple maps linked to core text, making comparisons with the past linked to transport, Spring themed seasonal knowledge
Expressive arts and design: Kapow – Boats; topic themed songs and music, singing on own or in groups
Term 5 – Main Theme: Let’s Go Outside!
Core texts: Errol’s Garden, Oliver’s Vegetables
Literacy: Reading with greater fluency, writing sentences with more independent application of phonics and tricky words
Maths Mastering Number: Consolidating skills, counting to larger numbers, developing counting strategies, starting to recall number facts
RE KCC scheme: Which places are special and why?
Jigsaw scheme: Relationships
Zones of regulation: Exploring wider thinking strategies
Physical Development: PE Ball skills into team games; fine motor strength, agility and dexterity for efficient and accurate handwriting
Understanding the World: Exploring natural world and seasonal changes with a gardening topic; exploring beliefs and celebrations; Spring into Summer themed seasonal knowledge
Expressive arts and design: Kapow – Rainbow Salad; topic themed songs and music, singing and performing on own or in groups, securing knowledge about pitch and melody
Term 6 – Main Theme: The Seaside!
Core texts: Billy’s Bucket, Splash Anna Hibiscus!
Literacy: Reading with greater fluency and understanding, writing sentences with independent application of phonics and tricky words which can be read back by others
Maths Mastering Number: Securing skills, counting to larger numbers, securing counting strategies, exploring patterns of odds and evens, securing number facts including doubles and facts to 5 and 10
RE KCC scheme: Being special – where do we belong?
Jigsaw scheme: Changing Me
Zones of regulation: My zones across the day, Caution…Triggers ahead!
Physical Development: PE Impact: Cricket, baseball, kickball; fine motor strength, agility and dexterity for efficient, accurate and fast handwriting
Understanding the World: Securing and drawing upon prior knowledge, comparing habitats, making comparisons of beliefs and celebrations; Summer seasonal knowledge
Expressive arts and design: Kapow – Creation Station; topic themed songs and music, singing and performing on own or in groups, moving in time with music,
Policy and Intent Documents
EYFS Long Term Planning 2025 - 2026
Phonics Information
Phase 2 sounds taught in Reception Autumn 1
This Phase 2 sounds taught in Reception Autumn 1 video is designed to be shared with families by schools using Little Wandle Letters and Sounds Revised to help them to support learning at home.
Phase 2 sounds taught in Reception Autumn 2
This Phase 2 sounds taught in Reception Autumn 2 video is designed to be shared with families to help them to support learning at home.
Phase 3 sounds taught in Reception Spring 1
This Phase 3 sounds taught in Reception Spring 1 video is designed to be shared with families to help them support the learning at home.