EYFS (F2) Reception: Gallery
Cereal Domino Foodbank Collection
Date: 16th Oct 2026 @ 2:38pm
We held our annual Foodbank collection again this year and set up our cereal domino train in the hall. This year everyone joined in together and we managed to collect 155 cereal boxes to donate!
Thank you to everyone who brought some boxes in the last few weeks.
Date: 12th Oct 2026 @ 12:28pm
This half term in EYFS, we have been developing our physical development skills through a range of fun and active PE lessons.
The children have been practising how to find and move into a space safely in the hall, helping them to become more aware of themselves and others around them. We have enjoyed moving to music, exploring different ways of travelling such as walking, marching, tiptoeing and jumping.
We have also been playing our traffic lights game, where the children respond to different colours. Green means go, orange means move carefully and slowly, and red means stop. This has helped the children develop their listening skills, control their movements and follow instructions.
One of our favourite games has been "Out of the Box", where the children use their imaginations to move like different animals. We have stomped like elephants, hopped like frogs, slithered like snakes and stretched up tall like giraffes. This activity has encouraged the children to experiment with different ways of moving while improving their balance, coordination and confidence.
Date: 12th Oct 2026 @ 12:25pm
In EYFS, we have been working hard to develop the skills needed for successful writing by strengthening both our gross motor and fine motor skills.
Outside, the children have been building their strength and coordination through a range of practical activities. They have enjoyed moving heavy crates, balancing on and carrying planks, and using nuts and bolts to twist, turn and fix objects together. These activities help to develop the large muscle groups that support good posture and control when sitting and writing.
Inside the classroom, we have continued to develop our fine motor skills through lots of engaging hands-on activities. The children have been practising mark-making and letter formation in sand, writing on whiteboards, taking part in our daily Dough Disco sessions with playdough, improving their cutting skills, and using tweezers to pick up and manipulate small objects. These activities help to strengthen the muscles in the hands and fingers, preparing children for writing.
In phonics, we have now learned the sounds s, a, t, p, i, n, m and d. We have been practising how to correctly form each of these letters, carefully starting and ending in the right places. It has been wonderful to see the children's growing confidence as they use their phonics knowledge in their mark-making and early writing.
Keep up the fantastic work, EYFS!
EYFS - UTW Autumn and Life Cycles
Date: 6th Oct 2026 @ 10:20am
This week, we have continued learning about the signs of autumn and the changes taking place around us. The children enjoyed exploring and feeling some conkers that Miss Rankin found on a walk. We talked about how they looked and felt, and the children were particularly interested in how smooth and shiny the conkers were.
In Understanding the World, we have been learning about life cycles. Together, we discussed how people change as they grow, thinking about the different stages of life. We talked about being a baby, a toddler, and the children we are now. The children enjoyed sharing their own experiences and discussing the things they can do now that they couldn't do when they were younger.
We also explored who we know at different stages of life, identifying family members and friends who are adults and those who are elderly. This led to some wonderful discussions about our families and the important people in our lives.
Well done, EYFS!
Date: 5th Oct 2026 @ 12:27pm
This week in Music, we have been exploring a range of nursery rhymes and counting songs. The children have enjoyed singing and joining in with actions for 5 Little Speckled Frogs, 5 Little Peas in a Pea Pod Pressed, 5 Little Ducks and 5 Current Buns. These familiar songs have helped the children develop their counting skills whilst building confidence in singing and performing together.
We have also been learning "Mmm Mmm Frog", listening carefully to the rhythm and joining in with the repeated phrases. To accompany our singing, the children explored the güiro, learning how to create different sounds by scraping the instrument and keeping in time with the music.
Date: 5th Oct 2026 @ 12:23pm
Over the last couple of weeks, our English text has been Peace at Last by Jill Murphy. The children have thoroughly enjoyed listening to the story and have been developing their understanding by retelling the events and discussing the different things that happened to Mr Bear throughout the night. We have also enjoyed talking about our own bedtime routines and sharing how we get ready for bed at home.
Our shared reading text has been Whatever Next!, also by Jill Murphy. The children have loved joining Baby Bear on his adventure to the moon and have continued their learning through a range of provision activities. In our space role play area, the children have used small world figures and their imaginations to create their own space adventures, blasting off to the moon and exploring outer space.
To develop their creativity and fine motor skills, the children have been making funky space shapes in playdough and practising their scissor skills by carefully cutting out space-themed shapes. It has been wonderful to see the children using vocabulary from the story and incorporating their learning into their play.
We are looking forward to beginning our next shared reading text, A Squash and a Squeeze by Julia Donaldson. We can't wait to discover the characters and join in with the repeating phrases as we explore another exciting story together.
EYFS Welcome Celebration of the Word with Y6 Prayer Partners
Date: 30th Sep 2026 @ 9:20pm
This afternoon, Reception class went to church with their Year 6 Prayer partners, for a very special Welcome celebration with their parents.
We heard a Bible story from Isaiah which reminded us that we are each precious and loved by God.
Our Year 6 partners promised to help and support us during our first year at St Basil's.
We sang together and then a candle was lit for each of the Reception children.
We all prayed together and then Mrs Sheppard presented us with a beautiful book as a gift.
"I loved our mums and dads coming to church." (Amelia)
"We loved singing together with our prayer partners." (Eli)
"I liked the special table at the front with our candles." (Charlie)
"Next time we could take our golden box to church to make it even better." (Daniel)
It was lovely to be joined by Mrs Cloherty from the Governors and by so many parents.
This is what some of our parents said:
"It made me feel spiritual and proud."
"It was lovely to see them being welcomed to St Basil's Community and witnessing the beginning of their educational journey."
"I enjoyed the songs and the lighting of candles."
"It was special."
"We enjoyed spending time in church."
Date: 28th Sep 2026 @ 3:37pm
Understanding the World and Expressive Arts and Design: Signs of Autumn
This week in EYFS, we have been continuing to explore the season of autumn and learning about the changes we can see in the world around us. The children enjoyed going on an autumn walk where they collected a variety of colourful leaves and talked about the signs of autumn they could spot.
Using the leaves we had collected, the children created beautiful autumn fairy pictures. They carefully practised their cutting and sticking skills, cutting leaves into the shapes they wanted and using glue to attach them to their artwork. This activity helped to develop both their creativity and fine motor skills.
We have also continued to enjoy singing our autumn songs, 'Autumn Leaves' and 'Big Red Combine Harvester', which have helped us learn more about the season and life on the farm during harvest time.
The children have shown great enthusiasm in their learning and have loved exploring the colours, textures and natural materials.
Date: 28th Sep 2026 @ 3:33pm
Maths in EYFS
This week in Maths, the children have been developing their counting skills by consolidating counting to 4 through a range of practical and engaging activities.
We have enjoyed singing number songs and rhymes to help us remember the sequence of numbers and build confidence when counting. The children have also been applying their mathematical understanding independently within our continuous provision, finding opportunities to count objects, compare quantities and use number language.
During our group work, the children took part in a fun challenge where they each wore a numbered hat and worked together to order themselves from 1 to 5. This activity encouraged the children to recognise numerals, count in order and discuss their thinking with their friends.
We are very proud of the enthusiasm the children have shown towards their Maths learning and look forward to building on these skills over the coming weeks.
📸 Take a look at some of our mathematicians in action below!
Date: 24th Sep 2026 @ 9:30pm
The children from Year 6 came over to visit Early Years to meet their Prayer partners.
The children enjoyed learning each others names and getting to know one another as they played.
It was especially nice to see Year 6 helping their partners as they learn how to make the sign of the cross.
We are looking forward to spending time together throughout the year for lots of special activities.
Date: 22nd Sep 2026 @ 12:07pm
This week in EYFS, the children have been exploring the signs of autumn as part of our Understanding the World learning. We have been discussing the changes we can see in the environment, including the different colours of the leaves, cooler weather and how nature changes during this special season.
The children enjoyed creating beautiful autumn wreaths using paint and printing techniques. They carefully selected autumn colours and experimented with different tools and materials to create their own designs.
In our music sessions, we have been learning and performing our autumn songs, Autumn Leaves and Big Red Combine Harvester. The children have loved joining in with the actions and singing together.
In phonics, we have learned the sounds 'a' and 't' and have been busy practising recognising, saying and forming these sounds. Thank you to all families for supporting your child's reading at home. We really appreciate the time you spend sharing books and practising phonics, as this makes a huge difference to children's progress and confidence.
In maths, we have been developing our counting skills and have been learning to count reliably to 3 through a range of practical activities, songs and games.
We are incredibly proud of how engaged and enthusiastic the children have been during their learning this week. They are continuing to settle well into school routines, make new friendships and demonstrate our school rules: Be Safe, Be Proud and Be Respectful.
Next week, we are looking forward to going on an autumn hunt around the school grounds to search for signs of the season. We will also be using the natural treasures we find to create our own autumn creatures. We can't wait to continue our autumn adventures!
EYFS - Our first week at St Basil's
Date: 17th Sep 2026 @ 3:26pm
Congratulations to all of our wonderful children on completing their first full week in school! We are incredibly proud of how well they have settled into school life. The children have been making new friends, building relationships with their classmates, and becoming more confident with the daily routines of the school day.
This week, we had our first PSED (Personal, Social and Emotional Development) lesson and spent time learning about our school rules: Be Safe, Be Proud, Be Respectful. The children have been discussing what these rules look like in practice and have been doing a fantastic job of following them and recieving dojos for doing so! We have also been practising important school routines, including what happens during lunchtime and throughout the day.
In English, we have begun reading our class text, Peace at Last, and the children have enjoyed listening to the story and talking about the characters and events.
The children also enjoyed colouring our school badge and were very excited to take part in their first PE lesson. It has been wonderful to see everyone joining in and trying their very best.
In Phonics, we learned our first sound, 's'. Over the weekend, please encourage your child to look around the house and see how many things they can find that begin with the letter S?
We hope you all have a lovely weekend. Please remember to read with your child and record this in their reading record. Reading books will be checked on Monday, we look forward to hearing about all the reading that has taken place at home.
Well done, EYFS!
Date: 11th Sep 2026 @ 5:16pm
What a fun time we have had in EYFS for our first full day in school together!
We have enjoyed meeting new friends and taking part in lots of teddy bear themed activities together during the day.
At lunchtime we had a tasty picnic together and then later in the afternoon had some special teddy treats to eat too!
We gave all of our teddy bears a ride on the parachute and then bounced them as high as we could!
Reception class Stay and Pray - Wednesday 17th June 2026
Date: 7th Jul 2026 @ 8:38pm
We welcomed our parents into class this afternoon for a special Celebration of the Word.
We listened to a story from the Bible about a special rule that Jesus had to 'Love one another' (John 13: 34-35).
We also prayed and sang about our friends in school and around the world!
We shared what we have learnt about the friends of Jesus who lived a long time ago.
But we also know that everyone can be a friend of Jesus, especially us!
"It is important to care about our friends" (Junior).
"I'm going to try and keep the special rule" (Sophia).
"We need to say thank you to God for our friends" (Luca)
After our Celebration of the Word, we spent some time doing lovely activities with our grown ups who had joined us.
There were prayer pebbles to paint, love heart friend strips, Prayer packs, fishy friends and friends around the world on a map.
At the end of the afternoon we were given a special book called. 'God is very clever,' to take home and keep.
Our grown ups said:
'The worship made me feel very included getting to join in."
"I loved the singing from the children."
"We are going to buy some rosary beads!"
Date: 27th Apr 2026 @ 9:57am
Reception have been exploring different instruments in their Music and Movement sessions. They have been working as the role of the conductor this week.
Date: 27th Apr 2026 @ 9:50am
EYFS and KS1 had a fantastic time visiting Imagine that! The children loved the role play areas, making slime and completing science experiments.
Date: 24th Apr 2026 @ 1:09pm
KS1 visited Imagine That!
We explored the role play village, made magnets and snow in the art area, visited a science show all about bath bombs and made our own slime!
Date: 1st Apr 2026 @ 2:40pm
Wow! Thank you to everyone in EYFS and KS1 who made an Easter Bonnet. We enjoyed singing 'Spring Chicken' as we completed the parade.
Congratulations to our winners!
Pre School - Margot
Reception - Jack
Year 1 - Ruby Rae
Year 2 - Zach
Reception class Celebration of the Word for Mother's Day - Wednesday 11th March 2026
Date: 16th Mar 2026 @ 11:40am
We welcomed our parents, especially the mums and special ladies in our lives, to our special Celebration of the Word.
We enjoyed sharing our art work and songs as well as the reasons why we love our mums!
We chose some scripture from the Bible about a very special mother, Mary. (Luke 1:26-31)
" I was very happy when Marshall read the story about Mary." (Bodhi)
"I like acting out the story when Angel Gabriel visited me, because I was Mary! (Tiara)
"I loved singing, 'Mary you said yes to God.' (Caben), "and the Wonderful Mum song!" (Jen)
"I liked singing the Hail Mary prayer." (Elisa)
"I put the cross on the table." (Florence I)
Here are some of the things are grown ups said about our Celebration of the Word:
"I'm truly grateful and happy to have experienced this great show of love."
"I loved the bits about mums in heaven, it had me in tears."
"It made me feel so emotional and loved."
"I feel so happy and appreciated."
Date: 6th Mar 2026 @ 9:09am
Our World Book Day celebrations and reading hour with parents
Date: 4th Feb 2026 @ 3:16pm
Thank you to the parents who joined us in EYFS for our Phonics Stay and Play session. It was wonderful to welcome families into the classroom and share how phonics is taught and embedded into daily learning in our classroom. Parents had the opportunity to observe a Floppy’s Phonics lesson, gaining an insight into how new sounds are introduced and revisited.
After the session, parents worked alongside their child in the continuous provision, with a focus on applying phonics skills through a range of engaging activities. They explored the sound mats for the phase their child is currently working on, practised correct pronunciation, and learned the phonics songs used in class.
The session supported parents in understanding how phonics can be reinforced at home and highlighted the importance of consistent pronunciation when supporting early reading. We would like to thank all parents who attended for their enthusiasm and support — the children thoroughly enjoyed sharing their learning with you!
Date: 17th Dec 2025 @ 1:04pm
EYFS had an exciting and festive afternoon enjoying our Christmas-themed bouncy castle and soft play! The children loved running, jumping, and climbing, letting off energy while celebrating the festive season!
It was wonderful to see the children taking turns, sharing, and encouraging each other as they explored the different areas of the soft play. Their laughter and excitement filled the room!
This activity not only provided lots of fun but also helped the children develop their balance, coordination, and gross motor skills. It was a fantastic way to enjoy some festive exercise while making happy memories with friends.
EYFS had a truly magical time, and we are so proud of how the children joined in with so much enthusiasm and Christmas spirit!
EYFS and Y6 - Christmas Crafts
Date: 17th Dec 2025 @ 1:02pm
This week, EYFS had a wonderful afternoon spending time with our Year 6 prayer partners. The children loved working together, sharing ideas, and helping each other as they completed a range of festive Christmas crafts.
Together, the children made Nativity Christmas cards, cone people, spiral Christmas trees, gonks, and folding Christmas cards. It was lovely to see them exploring different materials, using their creativity, and developing their fine motor skills while having so much fun.
The children also enjoyed talking and collaborating with their Year 6 friends, who helped them with tricky parts and shared lots of Christmas cheer. It was a fantastic opportunity for the children to build friendships and celebrate the festive season together.
Date: 17th Dec 2025 @ 12:58pm
EYFS has been full of festive excitement as the children have taken part in lots of Christmas craft activities. These have given the children wonderful opportunities to be creative while developing their fine motor skills and independence.
The children enjoyed making their own Christmas baubles and snowflake ornaments to decorate our class tree, carefully choosing colours and designs. In RE, they created a Nativity scene card, helping them to reflect on the Christmas story in a meaningful and age-appropriate way.
We also made a stocking card, using finger painting and cotton wool to explore different textures and create festive effects. Another favourite activity was making an elf door hanger, which sparked lots of excitement and imaginative play.
Throughout the week, the children have loved singing lots of Christmas songs, joining in with actions and learning new festive words and rhythms together.
A very special highlight was our performance of ‘The Wriggly Nativity’. The children did a fantastic job learning their lines and joining in with the songs and actions. We would like to say a huge thank you to all the parents and carers who came along to support us — your encouragement and help with practising lines at home made the performance extra special.
