Hello! My name is Miss Pountney and I am incredibly excited to be teaching the Reception and Year 1 children in Sycamore Class this year! We are very lucky to have two fabulous teaching assistants supporting us with our learning - Mrs Wiater and Miss Camp. As well as Mrs Potter supporting us in term 1 before she goes on Maternity Leave (very exciting!). 

This year, we will have a mixture of Reception and Year 1 children in the class. The children will get to spend learning time together to support with making friends and developing social and communication skills, however will also be taught separately at points in the day so that every child in the class is accessing their respective curriculums. The children will learn about different topics throughout the year depending on whether they are in Reception or Year 1 but no matter what topic your child is learning about, they will be having fun whilst doing it! In term 1, the Reception children will be learning about People Who Help Us, whilst the Year 1 children will be looking at, and making their own bridges in DT!

Being in Reception (EYFS) provides children with opportunities to explore and investigate the world around them, as well as developing creativity and curiosity through child-initiated learning and adult led activities. When the Reception children start school in September, our focus is supporting them to settle in and make new friends. After that short inputs such as phonics and maths are gradually introduced. 

In Year 1, children will have the opportunity to learn about a variety of topics through different subjects. In history we will learn about Space Explorers and The Great Fire of London. In geography we will be learning about Kenya in our Sensational Safari topic and all about The Arctic and Australia in our Far, Far away topic. We will also be looking at different science topics every term, including materials, plants, and animals to name a few. 

There are many ways to support your children’s learning, from practising counting to reading stories and nurturing a love of reading. At Newtown we recognise and value the importance of reading. To celebrate children's reading at home, we have the 100 club. This involves children receiving certificates and prizes at different milestones for the times they have read at home. 

When the children are in full-time they will have P.E. lessons weekly. Please ensure their P.E. kit is labelled and is in school every day.

We are all so excited for the year ahead and can't wait to welcome everyone to Sycamore Class. Throughout the year, pop back to this page to see what your child has been up to!