Infants

Reception

Four and five-year olds are full of life, curiosity, and enthusiasm, eager to explore the world around them. The children’s opportunities and parameters were reduced for a while, but their natural curiosity and creative thinking has endured the ‘Covid pause’, and won through! Having faced the challenge, we are looking forward to life after the pandemic. This years’ Reception class are a testament to this, and they have had a wonderful year! In spite of previous restrictions, they have embraced every opportunity with a freshness that is so special in the very young! We have really loved every opportunity to get outside, and explore nature and the natural world using all of our senses with never-ending enthusiasm. After being encouraged to stay indoors, it has made us appreciate our wonderful world even more. Our photo selection shows just how much we love getting outdoors and taking our learning outside… making new and precious memories! Interlaced within our Reception curriculum, we have had several special events that have inspired the children further. A farm visit, a crazy scientist, and tercentenary treeplanting session are all among the many experiences that have enriched our little-ones’ understanding. It’s all fun and games!

Towards the end of the year, as the sad circumstances in Ukraine evolved, we were stunned by the empathy and understanding that our Reception class showed. The children have clearly talked about it at some level at home, and as we welcomed new students from Ukraine to our class and school, they embraced the moment and did what children do best - showing us that regardless of where we are from, we are all accepting of each other and wanting the world to be a better place.

Year 1

“This year has just flown by...” is often heard, but it is absolutely true this year! Looking back on the photographs of the children, you can see how much they have grown. It has been lovely to see the children recognising their own hard work and achievements this year, as they have looked back at their books when taking them home at the end of Year 1.

The Autumn Term was busy, with the children finding their feet and learning to be a little more independent. They loved turning the role play area in the classroom into a toy museum, and greatly enjoyed visiting the Toy Museum and School Room in Guildford. Being Victorian children for a day was fun, but the children decided they much preferred our lovely classroom and outdoor space!

Our Nativity was highly anticipated, but because of another Covid outbreak, we had to perform this as individual classes. The children, however, were amazing, and turned the whole Nativity around in a matter of four days, with new roles to play, different lines to learn - still the show went on! The children’s motivation and resilience were incredible to see.

The Spring Term had the children trekking across the school grounds, wind blowing a gale, as they followed in the footsteps of the explorer Captain Scott. Unfortunately, this year, the snow didn’t arrive as hoped,

but the children still had a tough journey and battled hard to make secure dens. Teamwork was an absolute must here, as we chased after our den building sheets, as they were blown away by the wind!

A day spent in the woods near school offered a wonderful day of adventure in the Summer Term. We discovered that den building with Mr Forbes is really on a different level! But 21st century children as they are, the children still managed to make a television, iPad, television remotes, and mobile phones from pieces of bark, twigs, and leaves! We also managed another trip, this time with Year R, to Haslemere Museum and a separate one to Petersfield Museum, where we saw the exhibit to mark the 300th anniversary of Churcher’s College.

It is always a sad time when you lose a class, but the children are ready to move up into Year 2 and enjoy all the new experiences that await them. Class 1, you will be greatly missed, and I thank you for all your fun and laughter this year, and of course all your hard work. Enjoy being ‘Top Infants’, and I know you’ll be happy to look after the ‘little ones’ for us.

Year 2

This year has continued to see the classroom evolve, with home learning still a feature, albeit often only for one or two children at a time rather than the whole class. This meant children dropping into class lessons from home and adapting to a new way of learning for a few days at a time. For most of the time, however, we have all enjoyed being back in a normal classroom together and getting to engage with learning as a class.

In the Spring Term, Year 2 learned about Florence Nightingale, as we continued to study the past and compare it with our own lives. We had an amazing virtual meeting with Mary Seacole, another hero of the Crimean War, who shared her life story and captivated us all. The topic was great fun and we particularly enjoying dressing up and performing the roles of the nurses and soldiers in the Crimean War. day at the Winchester Science Centre, including a visit to the Planetarium where we looked at the different constellations, the planets, and explored the universe, flying around through space with help from our guide. We then learnt about matter, and saw some exceptions to the normal rules by experimenting with dry ice and slime. The class then explored the rest of the centre, trying on space suits, building bridges, and playing giant musical instruments.

The Summer Term was jam-packed, with preparations for an assembly all about recycling and the environment, an Infant concert, and a sports day. Year 2 also enjoyed a Victorian summer holiday on Hayling Island, as we found out what it was like to be on holiday in the past. We played on the sand, built sandcastles, went on a train ride, and walked along the sea front. Learning from our recycling assembly, the children enthusiastically worked together to collect every piece of rubbish they could find, before enjoying an ice cream as their reward. Everyone was exhausted by the end of the day!