“Play is the highest form of research.” Albert Einstein
Welcome to Acorns
The Acorns children are our Reception, Nursery and Rising Threes. We aim to provide a fun, inspiring environment where all children feel safe, nurtured and valued and therefore are able to learn. Children need time to learn and play, time to think and talk, time to regulate and grow. Topics and lessons are enquiry based and begin with a question for learning. Our topics ensure curriculum coverage whilst leaving scope to follow the children's interests.
I hope you enjoy the photos in the gallery. The children have asked me to tell you that one of their favourite areas is the calm corner and they also love the book corner that they have helped to make-over.
Meet our staff
Rachael Baily
CLASS TEACHER
Melissa Patterson
SUPPORT ASSISTANT
Intent
Our curriculum is all the planned experiences which we organise to promote learning, personal growth and development which fulfils the formal requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage statutory framework for Nursery and Reception.
The Stubbings curriculum is designed to recognise children’s prior learning, and we aim to work in partnership with families and other settings to ensure each child reaches their full potential from their starting point.
Our aim at Stubbings is to provide a nurturing inspiring environment where all children feel safe, happy, valued, heard and where they can think, learn, play, thrive and be the best they can be.
We learn about what is the same, what is different and what is special about ourselves and others and promote mutual respect and understanding.
To focus on what children need to learn, at Stubbings, we begin with how children learn. We teach breathing, mindfulness and relaxation techniques and an understanding of how the brain works. We recognise that understanding our emotions is a key aspect of understanding and managing behaviour. Through an attachment aware approach, we believe everyone can learn to self-manage / self-regulate their own emotions, given the right conditions.
We partner with children to enjoy the power of their curiosity, all lessons have a question for learning and are enquiry based so that children actively engage in the learning process, follow their interests, learn to be curious, to investigate and explore concepts. We work alongside children to find out and develop the skill, will and thrill of what they can do. As such a big emphasis is placed on the characteristics of effective learning. We believe in our pupils and teach them to develop a growth mindset, so they believe in themselves.
See the attachment at the bottom of the page to find out more about what to expect in the Early Years. This is a helpful overview for parents.
Spring Term 1 2025
Polar Regions
We will begin by exploring the animals that live in the Arctic and how they are adapted to live in cold places. We will then journey to Antartica and learn about penguins and consider if penguins can live in warmer places. We will learn what explorers wear and what they need to take on expeditions and what we need to wear in winter to keep warm and safe. We will learn about the Inuit people and how they manage to live on the ice. We will research facts about penguins and find out where they live. We will read stories about the African Savannah and the animals that live there and learn how animals such as the African Elephant are adapted to live in hot places.
We will compare these animals to the animals that live in the Arctic and Antarctica.
Finally, we will visit the Wildlife World at Lotherton Hall to meet penguins and animals that live in different habitats for ourselves!
Spring Term 2025 Gallery
Autumn Term 2 2024
How are special times celebrated?
Within our topic ‘All kinds of People’ we will have a focus on learning about the celebrations and festivals that we celebrate at home and in our school community. We will start with Bonfire Night and Diwali and then think about birthdays, our family’s celebrations and Christmas. We will consider the similarities and differences between ourselves and others as well as how festivals are celebrated by different cultures. We will prepare a Diwali party and celebrate Christmas.
Autumn Term 1 2024
We will start by reading ‘Don’t eat the teacher,’ by Nick Ward, the children will teach Sammy Shark to listen carefully and Sharon Shrimp to use walking legs indoors to keep everyone safe. We will consider how we need to work together so we all feel happy, safe and able to learn. These ideas will form our class charter. We will learn about the zones of regulation , how to identify our feelings and how to help ourselves regulate when experiencing an emotion. We will think about who we are and learn about different families and what makes us special. We will then move onto thinking about people who help us in our family, in our community and in the wider world.
Autumn Term 2024 Gallery
Problem Solving in Acorn Class
We love to challenge ourselves and frequently get stuck before we get unstuck. This is how we learn!
We have been developing critical thinking skills while exploring pattern problems.
Home Learning
How can you help your child? Each week the children will bring home:
a new phonetically decodable reading book
a book from the school library that they have chosen
new graphemes or tricky words on their phonics keyring
Remote Learning
Class Dojo will be used as the main platform for remote learning if part or whole school closure is required. Some resources may need to be uploaded to this class page and we will direct families if needed. Please ensure you login and check Class Dojo every day to access a wide range of cross curricular home learning activities.
