Swinney Class

Welcome to Swinney Class 

In our class, Reception and Year 1 children learn together, sharing ideas, experiences and friendships across our indoor and outdoor learning environments. Miss Durkan is our class teacher, supported by Mrs Middleton and Mrs Owen-Stanford. On Wednesday afternoons, Mrs Tattersall also teaches the class.

Our learning is carefully planned to meet the needs of each year group. Reception follows the EYFS curriculum, with a strong focus on learning through play, following children’s interests, and developing early skills in phonics, reading, writing and maths, alongside exploring the world around them.

In Year 1, children build on these strong foundations as they transition into Key Stage 1. They continue to develop core skills while broadening their learning through subjects such as Geography and History, using a balance of teacher-directed activities and opportunities for exploration and independent learning.

All of the adults work with all children over the week, ensuring that everyone gets the most effective support to meet their needs.  Sometimes, some of us work in small groups or on a one to one to receive extra support in the areas we find tricky; this helps us to reach our very best.

PE 

Our PE lessons are taught mainly as a whole class, with careful planning to ensure that all children are appropriately challenged and supported at their individual level. PE takes place on Mondays.  Children should come to school wearing their PE kit:

• House-colour T-shirt
• Black or navy shorts, joggers or leggings
• Trainers or pumps
• PE hoodie or school jumper

Please ensure that earrings are removed on PE days and that long hair is tied back.

Throughout the Autumn Term, the whole school will engage with swimming lessons at Catterick Pool. During this period, please ensure your child brings their swimming kit (appropriate swimwear, goggles, towel) into school with them every Thursday.

Learning at Home:

Supporting your child’s learning at home plays an important role in helping them reach their full potential. In Reception, we will send home phonics flashcards to practise the sounds we have learned. Once your child has a reading book, we ask that you read with them at least three times a week and record this in their reading record using black pen. We will hold an information meeting for all Swinney parents about phonics and reading in the coming weeks. Further details will follow.

Every fortnight, you will receive a newsletter sharing key aspects of our learning, along with suggestions for how you can support your child at home. We love seeing what the children create and explore outside of school, so please feel free to share their work with us, either in person or through photographs, so that we can celebrate their achievements in class.

A member of the class team will be available at the door each morning, and we will bring the children out at home time. If you have any questions or concerns about your child or their learning, please speak to a member of the team in the first instance.

We are looking forward to a fantastic year and to seeing all the wonderful things the children in our class achieve!

Best wishes, 
Team Swinney