Catkin class

Welcome to Catkin Class 

Starting school is a huge and wonderful event in the life of a four year old.  We aim to make it a happy, exciting and memorable experience that continues throughout your child’s school life.  The learning in Catkin Class follows the Early Years Foundation Stage Curriculum, a foundation to the skills for learning that will follow in future years.   

In Catkin Class no two days are the same! Our approach is to ensure that from the moment a child joins us they are provided with opportunities to learn that challenge each individual and an appropriate level whilst inspiring their young minds.  Our idyllic setting provides wonderful opportunity to develop a love of the outdoors throughout the year, filling their lungs with fresh air and their minds with thoughts of exploration and adventure.

Our small class of 15 provides a generous adult to child ratio to ensure that staff are able to truly understand individual children, provide tailored next steps in learning and support them on the path to being the best possible versions of themselves. 

Phonics in Catkin class

We use a programme called Little Wandle Letters and Sounds Revised, which draws on the latest research into how children learn best. We start teaching phonics as soon as children start in reception and follow the Little Wandle Letters and Sounds Revised progression, which ensures children build on their growing knowledge of the alphabetic code, mastering phonics to read and spell as they move through school. As a result, children are able to tackle unfamiliar words as they read. We also model the application of the alphabetic code through phonics in shared reading and writing, both inside and outside of phonics lessons and across the curriculum. 

Children are taught phonics every day, following the clear progression (link above).  In addition to this, children access three reading practice sessions a week each with a different focus of reading skills - blending, prosody and comprehension.  Through careful daily and summative assessment, children are identified for additional phonics support if necessary to ensure progress, with the aim of no child falling behind and every child becoming a successful reader. Teaching phonics with fidelity to our chosen programme ensures learning stays in children's long term memory and enables children to apply their learning to become competent readers and writers.

We ensure phonics is taught using pure sounds only.  These links will show videos of children modelling pure sounds.

Phase 2 phonemes Autumn 1

Phase 2 phonemes Autumn 2

Phase 3 phonemes

Catkin Class Teacher: Mrs Foord and Mrs Brown (HLTA)

Catkin Class Teaching Assistant: Mrs Bellevue