Welcome to Sandpipers' class page!

All the adults in Sandpipers’ class feel so fortunate to support children entering their first year at Starcross Primary School!

Meet the team!

Mrs White (top left) teaches the class on Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays.

Miss Lax (top right) teaches the class on Mondays and Tuesdays.

Mrs Jarratt (bottom left) supports the class on Mondays and Fridays.

Miss Johns (centre) supports the class on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays.

Miss Smith (bottom right) supports the class throughout the week.

We teach the Early Years Foundation Stage Framework. Our children learn through our carefully designed continuous provision activities, and have the opportunity to explore and investigate based on their own interests in our many zones of learning (construction, art, home corner, writing station, book corner, sand, water and messy play for example)!

It is an absolute priority for us that children are happy and safe in our environment. We follow the school’s Jigsaw PSHE programme, which allows for children’s personal and social development, as well as supporting their wellbeing. We are also BIG FANS of the brilliant Colour Monster books by Anna Llenas, and use these to enable children to articulate their feelings within our inclusive and nurturing environment. 

As well as promoting self-expression, creativity and innovation, we also provide regular, short teaching inputs, preparing children for their National Curriculum journey in the wider school. This means that we follow accredited schemes for teaching children to; read through Phonics, gain confidence with early number in Maths, enjoy a range of active opportunities for physical education, and provide lessons which allow children to appreciate the diversity of our beautiful world.

We use the Floppy’s Phonics Sounds and Letters programme to teach children to become skilled, fluent readers. Children enjoy daily phonics sessions, which also focus on comprehension, handwriting and spelling.

We are also passionate advocates of Reading for Pleasure, and understand the value of fostering a LOVE of reading from the first opportunity. We are brilliantly supported to extend the wonderful work from our onsite Preschool, to foster children’s engagement with stories, poems and non-fiction. Rich texts are linked to our weekly provision, allowing children to make connections with other areas of learning, see themselves represented in the books we read, and empathise with the similarities and differences of others.

Some stories that we have enjoyed exploring and retelling this term are; Tom Percival’s Big Bright Feelings collection, The Proudest Blue by Ibtihaj Muhammad, Mixed by Arree Chung and Handa’s Surprise by Eileen Browne.

We also enjoy daily poems, and in-line with the rest of the school, believe that every child is a poet, and their unique thoughts, feelings and ideas must be valued and celebrated!

Please see our Curricular Goals for more specific information regarding our learning within the classroom:

Curriculum Overview for Spring 2023:

• Communication and Language: I can re-tell stories, I can connect my ideas and thoughts
• Personal, Social, Emotional Development: I know how other people are feeling, I am a resilient learner
• Physical Development: I can show I am strong in my play, I can use tools properly
• Literacy: I can write my ideas, I can talk about books
• Mathematics: I can compare numbers, I can explore shapes and measures
• Understanding the World: I know that people are different, I know that places are different
• Expressive Art and Design: I am a storyteller, I can explore and create art

We use the online home-learning platform, Seesaw, to keep in regular contact with our parents, and to share the learning journey, achievements and successes of our brilliant children! We are so grateful for receiving such amazing support and communication from our families, and completely believe that this interaction is key to success for children within school.

Best wishes to you all and thank you for visiting Sandpipers Class Page!

Please contact the school if you would like more information or to arrange a visit!