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Reception Year
Years 1 and 2
Key Stage 1 2000 SATs Results
The Reception Year - Foundation Level
And
so ... to School
Abbey School Infant children
are very privileged. The nursery years have provided a firm foundation on which
the school years now build. Core curriculum subjects are taken forward and
children are already showing signs of that 'Abbey' confidence and our customary
enjoyment in school life. Moreover, children spend their first year in a small
group or around 16 children, with dedicated and experienced Reception Class teachers, learning not
only their academic subjects, but also how to socialise and enjoy school life.
Even at this early age, children enjoy taking books home to read with parents,
and after Christmas, (and you will find this hard to believe until you see it
for yourself), the favourite day of the week is that on which the 'spelling
test' is held!
Dancing Delight
Early
Progress
The
progress made
during the first twelve months of schooling is extraordinary! By the end of
their Reception year, our children have made a flying start on basic
skills that put them head and shoulders above their non-Abbey peers! Abbey Children are
reading, writing stories and understanding basic mathematical concepts of
counting, addition and subtraction, before leaving the Reception Year.
Adding
to Core Skills
In
addition to the core skills, Abbey children also enjoy field studies and visiting local areas of interest
to support their work in science, geography and history. Each year our Christmas Nativity
is enormously successful, with these young children performing beyond expectation.
Guided by dedicated teachers and with parental support, many Reception children have
already started to learn skills outside the core curriculum, and enjoy such
extra curricular subjects as Speech and Drama, Tennis Coaching, Ballet, Skiing and
Recorder Lessons.
Paignton Zoo has pink flamingos 
Timetables
For
the information and convenience of parents, yearly, termly and weekly timetables
are published in the classrooms for your perusal. Should there
be any area that you can offer your skills and knowledge to the group, we hope
you will let us know so that we can incorporate your offering into our learning
programme. (Over the years, we have had remarkable input from parents including
spinning wool on a spinning wheel and making vegetable samosas).
Years
1 and 2 - Key Stage 1
Children arrive in
Year 1 from the Reception Classes already well versed in the basic skills
and understanding of Numeracy, literacy and other Foundation Level core
curriculum subjects. Although officially only embarking on Key Stage 1 material,
many, if not most, Abbey Children have already gained a substantial proficiency
in core subjects at Key Stage 1 before joining Year 1. (All reception children
have worked on, and most have completed, Year 1 maths work, are reading well,
and are writing simple stories).
Dismantling
the Scaffolding
During
the two years that follow, children begin to understand their basic language and
Numeracy, with slightly less teacher 'scaffolding' to support them.
Steadily Abbey children are being led towards becoming independent learners.
The steps are gradual and neither the children or you, the parents, will notice
that soon their achievements are more of their own efforts, and less of their
teachers. In
addition, children continue to gain confidence in themselves as learners and in
their chosen additional fields.
'You look funny from this angle!'
Learning Stamina
Throughout
Year 1 and 2, children are developing their 'learning stamina' . Each
academic year is divided into two groups of children, and each group spends
approximately half the morning on number work and the remainder of the morning
on language development activities. In the afternoon, the children work and play
on slightly less academically demanding work, gradually increasing their powers
of concentration and their enjoyment of a more rigorous educational programme.
You make the
difference
Learning
to read, write and speak well, along with understanding the basics of numeracy,
take up a great deal of time in Years 1 and 2. During these years, teachers will work
closely together with you, the parents, actively fostering and valuing a close
relationship to ensure that the development of your
child is well rounded. Much research has been published indicating that when
parents actively support the efforts of schools and teachers, children's progress is greatly
enhanced. You make the difference. The best efforts of the school alone will not
achieve as much for your child as when school and parents work closely
together. This said, Abbey children achieve well in all areas and this is
particularly noticeable when viewing our SATs results and those of our 11+ exams. Click this link to view our remarkable
2000 Key
Stage 1 SATs results. (Remember to return to the INFANTS page).
Goal
Setting
In addition to
keeping an ever watchful eye on academic progress, the role of the Abbey teacher
also encompasses encouraging non-academic areas of
development to be established and extended, with regular meetings between
parents and teachers to determine appropriate goal-setting targets in different
areas of development. Through
setting achievable goals children are encouraged to do well, and what is more,
can be seen to make extraordinary progress during these Infant years.
We have noted that Abbey children who are successful in hobbies and
non-academic subjects, transfer their skills across the board. This comes in
part, from
the self-confidence that they gain from knowing that they can do something -
whatever that something is - really well!
That
said, it is possible that enthusiastic parents may encourage children to
'over-do' the extra curricular activities, and our experienced teachers will be
able to guide you through what is appropriate for your child, for their age and
stamina, and for their preferences and abilities. We're happy to support and
help your family in this way.
Bubbles 
The pages of this
website can offer a mere glimpse of what we do and how well we achieve. To discover for yourself the
benefits your child will gain from an Abbey education, make and appointment to
visit us now, by sending and email on This Link
or by telephoning 01803-327868.
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