Hello and welcome to Acorn Class. My name is Miss Wakeham and I am the reception class teacher. I also lead EYFS, Phonics & Early reading and PSHE. I have been teaching now for 4 years and feel very passionate about providing high-quality teaching and learning for all of children. As a class teacher, my primary aim is to provide a safe and stimulating environment which motivates and engages children to become happy and independent learners.  In my free time, I enjoy reading lots of books, travelling to different places around the world and walking my two dogs called Bailey and Benji. 

Supporting the class this year, we have the lovely Mrs Jewitt who is our general class Teaching Assistant, the brilliant Mrs Imm who is one of our 1:1 Teaching Assistant and the wonderful Miss Compton. 

This term we are exploring 'All About me' and we will be learning about what makes us special, how to draw a self-portrait and settling into the school routines!

Intent: As each child embarks upon their learning journey at Bream C of E Primary, we strive to ensure that all children are able to become caring, confident and curious learners, embedded through our Christian values and ambitious curriculum.  Through our play-based practice and provision, we deliver a curriculum that is in response to our children’s needs, thoughts and ideas, it is broad and balanced with rich opportunities to learn through practical activities shaped and underpinned by the seven areas of learning and development. Opportunities are presented through adult led, adult directed and child led activities and achievements are documented through the voices of parents, the child and the practitioner; photographic evidence and recorded outcomes are also used to showcase experiences. Learning and development opportunities are designed so that they are engaging, through our interactions, we encourage and enable our children to build on their prior knowledge so that they move their learning forward. Alongside the delivery of the EYFS curriculum, a child’s ‘Characteristics of Effective Learning’ also informs planning and provision. We aim to provide the right climate to enable our children to work and play together and in a manner that means the most to them thus expanding their learning journey through their interests and preferred learning style.   At Bream C of E we believe that play is an important vehicle for taking on new learning and is an essential part of the learning process for all young children.  It enables them to be active learners in a child centred environment and is a powerful medium for the acquisition of knowledge, skills and understanding.

The areas of learning are:

• communication and language
• physical development
• personal, social and emotional development
• literacy
• mathematics
• understanding the world
• expressive arts and design

Implementation:

We believe that optimum learning takes place for our pupils in an environment that is safe, calm, and secure with rich opportunities for enjoyment, exploration and positive relationships.  Our aim is for all pupils to achieve their very best and this is accomplished through high-quality effective teaching and learning presented by knowledgeable and sensitive practitioners who understand how young children learn; by making observational assessments to identify where a child is on their developmental continuum and the possible next steps to take in order to consolidate and accelerate their learning. We scaffold children in their learning journey, using our shared values and high expectations in all we do to encourage every child to become autonomous learners fulfilling their potential. We embed this using the Rosenshein principles, making sure that the children are able to become independent and confident learners.

Impact:

We believe that every child should be given the opportunity to have a positive sense of self and to aspire to be the very best that they can be. . A child’s sense of self is based upon equality of opportunity, kindness, patience and trust and is the foundation upon which new learning is built. As new skills and knowledge are taught, we want our children to approach everything as the caring, curious and confident learners they are, through being excited and engaged in their learning experiences, motivated by what they experience and to welcome challenges that a new way of thinking brings. By developing positive learning behaviour, giving the children skills and knowledge needed for Year 1 and valuing every unique child– our aim is for our children to be the very best that they can be.