The Hedgehogs class is made up of children from nursery and reception.

The class teacher is Mrs Cross.

The nursery and reception children in Hedgehogs learn partly through whole group discussion, affectionately known to our children as 'carpet time' and small group practical activities. We follow the Early Years Curriculum which is very active and play based and believe strongly in following the children's interests and outdoor learning. Children learn in small groups working with adults and also through child-initiated activities inside and outside. Alongside these activities, children also get involved with 'Woodland walks', Outdoor learning and Forest school throughout the year. 'Dough gym' (to encourage fine motor development) 'music and movement', 'Show and Tell' and PE sessions.

Foxes class has a mix of Years 1 and 2 children. We follow the Key Stage 1 curriculum and have plenty of opportunity for active learning through child-initiated investigation and exploration, using our outdoor space as much as possible. The class teacher is Mrs Richardson. Every Wednesday, Mr Barlow teaches the children basic computer skills such as simple algorithms and programming. Also, on a Wednesday, Mr Hopkinson teaches Foxes P.E. This term, Foxes are learning a variety of athletic techniques, gearing up for our fun-packed sports day in the summer. Additionally, every Thursday Mr Hopkinson leads our Fabulous forest school programme, encouraging the children to work collaboratively. Forest School uses the natural resources in our woodland. With this, the children's interests are used to stimulate imaginative, creative and investigative activities and take safe risks. Children can saw wood, whittle sticks, help to light fires to cook on, leap into puddles, climb trees and build shelters. 

Every morning we follow a systematic phonics programme. As well as this, we enjoy texts in our whole class reading sessions, which help us to develop our VIPERS skills. Our writing sessions are influenced by the outdoors. We use hook lessons to draw out exciting ideas and through this we can then decide the genre of writing we would like to focus on for the next writing cycle. Key writing skills are then taught over a number of days and result in wonderful, independent pieces of work to be proud of.

Followed by Maths. This term in maths we are learning about fractions and telling time and will use our creative and imaginative skills to support the recognition of the skill required.

Our topic this term is Castles. We have lots of exciting educational visits planned to support this. We will see how and why castles were built, identifying the differences between castles around the world and the types built and why. We will also study the materials used by cross-linking this with our science and art and design curriculum.

We love being in Foxes !                                                        It is an amazing place to be!

Eagles class is for the upper end of the school and currently contains a mix of children from Years 3, 4 and 5.  The class teachers are Mr Hempenstall and Mrs Tilley. The class are supported by Mrs Clark, Mrs Fayers and Mrs Ponton at different points throughout the week. The wonderful Mr Barlow teaches Computing and the skilled Mr Hopkinson teaches PE as well as leads our wonderful Forest School sessions.

Children in this class have opportunities during the school year to be involved in activities with children from other local schools, compete in sporting tournaments, attend activities run by the high school and attend educational visits linked to a range of aspects of the school curriculum.

The children in Key Stage 2 focus on the development of previously learnt skills so that they are able to apply knowledge and understanding to a range of situations. We enjoy taking our learning outdoors and seek real life opportunities for learning where possible. 

Our writing, reading and maths sessions are taken outdoors at every opportunity. We believe in immersing children in real life scenarios to help them understand the purpose behind their learning and so that when opportunities in the wider world arise, they will feel well-equipped to deal with them. 

We are reading a range of Greek myths this term as a class and are really gripped by the mythical creatures we are introduced to. As well as this, we are enjoying a range of topic-based texts in our whole class reading sessions which explore a range of genres and challenge us to develop our VIPERS skills.

We have introduced a new writing strategy in Eagles this term where we aim to inspire creative writing and build the use of key grammar and punctuation skills through breaking up a piece of writing into manageable chunks and modelling good examples before the children are able to get imaginative and creative by composing their own pieces of writing.

In Science this half term we are studying living things including plants and animals. We are using the opportunity to get outside to study different plants and animals as well as looking how human impact is changing our environment. 

Our history topic this term is Ancient Greece! We are delving into this ancient civilisation and studying key historical figures, as well as the traditions and beliefs of the people of Greece. We are developing our skills as historians by studying artefacts and historical sources to try and gather an understanding of the past and using what we have discovered to develop our own critical thoughts of key people and events. 

We are a small class but we benefit from this by knowing that we all have a voice and we have the power to lead our own learning. We work collaboratively and show respect to those around us. It is great to be part of Eagles!