Welcome to the Cygnets (Reception) Class Page!

Please explore the page to find out information about what your child will be learning each term, along with letters and other useful documents.

The staff in Reception are Miss Katie Godsell (Teacher), Mrs Nikki French and Mrs Stephanie McIlreavey-Croft (Teaching Assistants); please do not hesitate to contact a member of the class team if you have any questions or queries.

Click here for the Cygnets 2026/2027 Learning Page

Termly Information

Please click on the links to open documents.

Letters to Parents

Timetable

Learning Overview

Supporting Your Child At Home

Reading Recommendations and Supporting Reading at Home

At Cropredy C of E Primary School we believe that reading opens doors to imagination, knowledge, and lifelong learning. The recommended reading list is designed to inspire a love of books in students. Whether students are exploring new genres, deepening their understanding of the world, or simply enjoying a great story, there’s something here for everyone.

Reception Recommendations

100 Best Picture Books To Read Before You Are 5

Books For Topics Recommendations

If as a parent, you need some ideas for supporting reading at home, use the documents below, or speak to your child’s teacher.

Reading With Your Child At Home

Reading for Parents

Enjoy Reading Guide

Supporting Handwriting at Home

Letter-join handwriting videos are available for you to watch with your child at home. They include activities to develop fine and gross motor skills, warm-ups, tripod grip, and the correct way to hold a pencil.

Regular practice helps your child develop the strength, coordination and control needed for fluent, legible and comfortable handwriting, while supporting the handwriting skills they are learning in school.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y3io9l6YDLE  – Fine Motor Skills

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qLBDhDsEh_c – Gross Motor Skills

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LT4uOe69X_o – Tripod Grip

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7IuxQPsI4-4 – How to hold a pencil with warm-ups

Tapestry ‘Wow’ Moments 

Tapestry is our online learning journal software where we document each child’s progress throughout the year. To create a home/school link you will be able to comment on posts and also add your own posts about the ‘Wow’ moments you see at home.

 

Here are some ideas of observations that can be posted on Tapestry along with photos and videos (these are the 7 areas of learning and development):

Personal, Social and Emotional Development

  • A moment when your child takes turns or shares with others
  • Your child take steps to resolve conflicts with others, e.g. finding a compromise with a brother/sister or friend
  • Your child talks confidently about an interest, e.g. a book read or a television program
  • Your child talks about their own abilities, e.g. swimming well or writing their name, etc
  • Moments when they comfort others
  • Your child adjusts their behaviour to different situations, such as listening attentively to a show

​Communication and Language

  • Your child explains and talks about something they have made
  • Moments when your child talks about a past or future event, e.g. a birthday, holiday or a visit to a relatives. Do they use the correct tense?

Physical Development

  • Your child masters a new skill such as catching or kicking a ball into a goal. Perhaps your child has learned a new ballet move
  • You’re wowed by a new letter that they have formed or their ability to hold their pencil effectively
  • They talk about healthy eating or how they feel after exercise, i.e. feeling hot and out of breath

Literacy

  • Any writing they have done at home, e.g. names
  • They read a new word that they couldn’t do before
  • They use a particular strategy like sounding and stretching the word
  • Your child talks about a favourite story – identifying characters, settings or events, or retelling the story with a different ending

Maths

  • Your child recognise numbers, e.g. on doors, birthday badge, signs etc
  • Your child can add amounts together, e.g. when playing with their toys
  • Your child is able to share items fairly, e.g. when putting topping on cakes or pizzas
  • Your child comments on shapes of items, e.g.. rectangle windows and a cylinder shaped tin
  • Your child is able to talk about how heavy or light something is, or perhaps they use the language “tall”, “short” or “long” when describing things
  • Your child uses positional language when playing, e.g., “I am under the bed”

Understanding the World

  • Your child independently performs functions on ICT equipment, such as operating a tablet or using the mouse/trackpad well on a computer
  • Your child has enjoyed joining in with family customs or routines, such as attending a wedding or visiting a relative
  • They talk about cultural differences, making observations such as different foods or style of dressing
  • They talk about their environment, such as observing seasonal changes, or minibeasts they find?
  • Your child talk about changes when cooking (e.g. butter melts when heated up), or they comment on how they have changed when looking at baby photographs

Expressive Arts and Design

  • Your child sings a song independently, or makes up one of their own
  • They create a storyline to a play – you could write down their words