In Literacy we cover two key areas: reading and writing. In the Early Years, Literacy is particularly important for children as it gives them a head start in learning essential life skills that they will use on a daily basis.
Communication is a fundamental aspect of development for children in this area as it enables the children to express their thoughts and feelings, especially about books, and this in turn encourages phonic awareness.
At HCJS we encourage a love of books by reading a range of stories every day and we have a daily phonic lesson where we follow the Jolly Phonics scheme. Once the children have learnt their letter sounds, can start to blend and have played some pre-reading games, they will be ready to read.
Reading is an important focus in Reception and every pupil reads daily with a member of staff. Books are sent home and we encourage that home/school partnership from day one which makes our school so special.
Writing is also an essential skill that children will learn, which begins with mark making. Encouraging our pupils to make marks helps to develop their hand-eye coordination and fine motor skills, as well as enabling them to practise putting pen to paper. At this stage they are also keen to write their own name. In our Reception we follow the Hemisphere cursive handwriting scheme which goes hand-in-hand with the daily phonics lesson. In a typical lesson there would be a variety of activities in and out of the classroom - from finding digraphs on bones in the sand tray to playing with lettered spatulas for rhyming strings and forming their names with water on the chalk boards outside.
We seek to offer activities that are fun, stimulating and engaging, which ensures our pupils enjoy their learning environment.
Literacy in Reception
