Foundation

Week Beginning 2nd February

Week Beginning 26th January

Digital Learning Spotlight – Creating Dragon Stories with Book Creator

This week, our Foundation Phase children have enjoyed an exciting digital storytelling project using the iPads and the app Book Creator. The task was based around creating a simple digital dragon story, and the children used their own drawings of Zog (the well-loved dragon from the Julia Donaldson stories) to bring their ideas to life.

Starting with the iPad camera, children learned how to take clear, purposeful photos of their Zog. They explored how to hold and carry the devices carefully, how to use the camera tools, and how to decide which photos to keep for their story. It was lovely to see how quickly their confidence grew as they began directing Zog’s adventures.

Once their photos were ready, the children moved into Book Creator, where they sequenced their pictures to show what happened first, next, and last. As the learning progressed, some children began to create full story structures with a beginning, middle and end, while others experimented with adding labels, simple captions, time words, and even short explanations about what Zog was doing in each scene.

This project wasn’t just about digital skills — the children were also developing their communication and storytelling skills by talking about their photos, retelling what happened in their digital books, and sharing their finished stories with each other. It was a wonderful example of how technology can support creativity, language development and imagination in equal measure.

Alongside all of this, we continued to reinforce important digital safety habits such as:

• holding and carrying devices carefully

• only taking photos of  learning activities

• being kind and respectful when using digital tools

We were incredibly impressed by the children’s enthusiasm, independence and problem-solving throughout. Their finished dragon stories showed real creativity and pride, and it has been fantastic to see them gaining confidence in using technology as a tool for learning.

Well done to all our Foundation Phase digital storytellers — Zog would be very proud!

Week Beginning 19th January

Religious Education – The Presentation of Jesus in the Temple

This week, the children learned about the story of The Presentation of Jesus in the Temple, when Mary and Joseph brought the baby Jesus to the temple. In the story, two faithful people, Simeon and Anna, had been waiting their whole lives to meet the promised Saviour. When they finally saw Jesus, they were filled with joy and hope.

To help the children understand the event more deeply:

• Year 2 wrote the story from the point of view of Simeon, imagining how he might have felt seeing Jesus for the first time.

• Year 1 added speech bubbles to show what Simeon and Anna might have said in that moment.

• The whole Foundation Phase contributed to a beautiful wall display, combining written work with artwork. The children painted the scene and created their own temple outline by cutting and arranging shapes.

This session helped the children reflect on themes such as hope, faith, and recognising Jesus as a special gift. It also encouraged creativity, empathy and careful reading of scripture as part of our Catholic RE curriculum

Week Beginning 12th January

Humanities – Exploring Castles!

This week in Humanities, the children across the Foundation Phase have been learning all about castles as part of our exciting new topic Castles, Crowns and Dragons.

Our Nursery and Reception children enjoyed looking closely at pictures of different castles and talking about what they could see. They spotted interesting features such as tall towers, flags, and big doors, and made simple comparisons between castles and the homes and buildings they see today. Through play and discussion, they have been developing early questioning skills, building vocabulary, and beginning to understand that places can look different and have special purposes.

Our Year 1 and Year 2 learners took this further by exploring castle features in more detail, such as towers, walls, moats, and drawbridges. They found out why castles were built, how they were used, and how they helped to protect the people living inside. We also discussed how castles in the past are different from modern buildings, helping children to develop their understanding of how places change over time.

Spring Class Booklets

Week Beginning 5th January

Science Investigations: Exploring Snow and Melting in Foundation Phase

This week Foundation took part in a series of hands-on science investigations linked to our winter weather and snowy conditions. Each year group explored the idea of change, melting and temperature at a level suited to their stage of development. These investigations provided exciting opportunities for pupils to observe closely, make predictions, talk about what they noticed, and begin to develop early scientific thinking.

Nursery: Experiencing Snow and Ice

Our Nursery pupils were introduced to snow and ice through sensory exploration. They touched, squeezed and observed what happened as the snow warmed up in their hands and in the classroom. Adults prompted simple thinking such as:
- “Is it hard or soft?”
- “Is it warm or cold?”
- “What is happening to it?”

Nursery children began to notice that the snow changed into water as it got warm. This early experience helped them build language such as cold, snow, ice, water and melt, and encouraged curiosity about the natural world.

Reception: Observing Melting and Making Comparisons

In Reception, the children investigated how snow melts in different places around the classroom. They placed small amounts of snow in different containers and observed what happened over time, thinking about questions such as:
- “Where will it melt fastest?”
- “Why has this melted already?”
- “What does snow turn into?”

Through observation and discussion, they began to understand that warmer places make snow melt more quickly. Reception children recorded their ideas through drawings and simple captions, showing developing understanding of cause and effect.

Year 1: Testing the Effect of Temperature

Year 1 moved a step further and tested how temperature affects melting. Snow was placed in three different conditions (for example: warm classroom,  near a heat source), and the children predicted

which would melt the fastest. They checked the snow at regular intervals and discussed their findings.

This encouraged skills such as:
- Making predictions
- Fair testing
- Measuring time
- Recording results

Year 1 pupils discovered that snow melts quicker in warmer places and slower in colder places, developing early ideas about thermal energy.

Year 2: Designing a Fair Test and Drawing Conclusions

Year 2 designed their own simple fair tests to investigate melting. They chose variables to change such as container and kept others the same, discussing what would make the test “fair”. They also recorded results in a simple table and wrote about what they found out.

Key scientific skills developed included:
- Planning and predicting
- Identifying variables
- Recording results
- Drawing conclusions

Through discussion, pupils recognised that snow and ice melt because heat energy causes them to change from solid to liquid. They used vocabulary such as solid, liquid, temperature, melt, fair test and results, showing growing scientific understanding.

Why This Matters

Across the Foundation Phase, these investigations support children to:
- Develop curiosity about the natural world
- Notice and describe changes
- Build scientific vocabulary
- Ask questions and test ideas
- Share findings with others

This practical learning brought winter weather into the classroom and provided opportunities for rich, exciting science that all ages could access.

Week Beginning 15th December

Christmas Maths in Foundation Phase

Children across the Foundation Phase (Nursery to Year 2) enjoyed a festive maths activity where they made Christmas paper chain decorations. Through this hands-on task, children developed important maths skills in a fun and meaningful way.

Nursery children practised early counting, colour recognition and comparing amounts as they joined paper strips together. Reception children built on this by counting their links accurately, creating simple repeating patterns and comparing the length of their paper chains. Year 1 and Year 2 children were challenged to measure, record totals, create more complex patterns and solve simple problems.

This activity supports the Curriculum for Wales, helping children to develop mathematical thinking through play, talk and real-life experiences. The children showed great enthusiasm and pride in their festive creations while building confidence and enjoyment in maths.

Also BIG congratulations to the winners of our Christmas Party Day :)

Week Beginning 8th December

Foundation Phase Science Investigation: Exploring Ramps and Movement

As part of our Science and Technology learning, children across the Foundation Phase took part in a hands-on investigation to explore how the height of a ramp affects how far a toy car travels.

Our youngest learners in Nursery explored the investigation through play. They carefully released cars from the top of ramps of different heights, watching closely to see what happened and talking about what they noticed using words such as fast, slow, near and far. Adults supported children to share their ideas and observations, building early scientific curiosity and language.

In Reception, children began to think more carefully about the investigation. They made simple predictions about what might happen, tested their ideas by changing the height of the ramp and observed how this affected the car’s movement. They talked about what they did and what they found out, developing their understanding of cause and effect.

Year 1 and Year 2 children carried out a more structured investigation. They discussed the investigation question, made predictions, decided what they would change and what they would keep the same, and carefully observed the results. Year 2 pupils recorded their findings in simple tables and explained what they discovered, using scientific language to describe their learning.

Across all year groups, the children showed excellent engagement, teamwork and curiosity. This investigation helped them develop important scientific skills such as observing, predicting, testing, measuring and explaining, while enjoying active, practical learning.

Week Beginning 10th November

Children in Need

Our Foundation Phase pupils took part in a joyful and meaningful Children in Need Day, filled with fun, creativity and opportunities to develop important skills while supporting a charitable cause.

Nursery and Reception children enjoyed playing “Pin the Bandage on Pudsey”, taking turns, following instructions and practising early positional and spatial language such as next to, on top, and under. These playful activities supported their Health and Well-being development as they built social confidence, shared resources, worked collaboratively, and celebrated one another’s efforts.

Year 1 and Year 2 children took part in a range of creative activities, including Pudsey-themed artwork and friendly competitive games. Through Expressive Arts, they explored shape, colour, pattern and design, developing fine motor skills and imaginative thinking. The competitive games encouraged teamwork, resilience, and problem-solving, supporting key skills within Health and Well-being and Humanities.

Importantly, our Children in Need activities also linked closely to the Catholic RE curriculum and our school’s mission. Children learned that charity is an expression of love and kindness, reflecting the Gospel message to care for those in need. Through the theme of Children in Need, pupils began to understand that we can make a difference by helping others, showing compassion, and giving our time, efforts and gifts to support those who may be facing challenges. This echoes the teachings of Jesus and the principles of Catholic Social Teaching, particularly “Dignity of the Human Person” and “Solidarity”.

Across the Foundation Phase, the day supported Language, Literacy and Communication skills, as children discussed Pudsey, the purpose of the fundraising, and the importance of helping others. They listened attentively, asked questions and shared their ideas about charity in age-appropriate ways.

Our pupils showed enthusiasm, generosity and empathy throughout the day. We are incredibly proud of how they came together to support a national charity while growing as caring members of our school community.

Week beginning 20th October

Baking with Orchard Apples – Learning in Foundation Phase

This week our Foundation Phase children enjoyed a wonderful hands-on learning experience using apples harvested from our very own school orchard. After picking and washing the apples, the children worked together to follow a simple recipe and bake delicious apple treats.

This activity created rich opportunities for developing Literacy and Numeracy skills in meaningful, real-life contexts. The children read and followed instructions, discussed the steps involved, and used new vocabulary linked to cooking, ingredients and equipment. They communicated their ideas clearly, sequenced the process, and talked about changes they observed as the apples were chopped and cooked.

Through Numeracy, the children practised measuring ingredients, comparing quantities, weighing apples, and using mathematical language such as more, less, full, empty, half and whole. They counted spoonfuls, looked closely at the numbers on the scales, and helped to time the baking process.

The children showed fantastic teamwork, curiosity and independence throughout. Using produce from our own orchard made the experience extra special, helping the children understand where food comes from and strengthening their connection to the natural world. We are very proud of their efforts — and the apple treats were delicious too!