Clitheroe Pendle Primary School
Autumn 1
As we begin the new school year, we will focus on settling the children into the Cherry Class and supporting them through this important transition. It's a time for building confidence, forming friendships, and getting to know new routines.
Our topic this term is "Who Am I and Where Do I Live?." The children will have the opportunity to talk about themselves and what makes them special, as well as learn about each other’s families.
We will also take time to explore our local area of Clitheroe, helping the children to develop a sense of belonging and community. We will also be thinking about our favourite family memories, encouraging children to reflect on their own experiences and share special moments from home.
We’ll be sharing the traditional tale "Goldilocks and the Three Bears" — a lovely way to encourage storytelling, drama, and discussion about feelings, choices, and family life.
It’s a busy but wonderful start to the year, and we’re looking forward to seeing the children grow in confidence as they settle in and begin their journey with us.
Week 7
Miss Lancaster checked the classroom camera and discovered something surprising - a group of Gingerbread Men had been exploring our classroom! They have been up to all sorts of mischief, leaving behind crumbs, notes, and plenty of giggles.
Our Year 1 children thought of wonderful words to describe the Gingerbread Man!
We created observational drawings of pumpkins and painted them with watercolours. They turned out beautifully!
We are absolutely amazed by the Reception children’s writing this week! They are confidently using their phonic fingers to segment words.
Week 6
During Forest Friday, we explored the changes that come with Autumn. We listened to the story “Leaf Man” by Lois Ehlert and were inspired to create our very own leaf pictures. The children used autumn leaves to design imaginative creations - just like Leaf Man’s journey through the windy season!
We made toast for Goldilocks and explored how bread changes in the toaster.
The Reception children have been exploring the number three. Using a five frame, they discovered different ways to show and recognise the number.
In History, we had a special visitor! Mrs Hacking came in to answer our questions about holidays in the past. The children asked some fantastic questions – from “How did you get on holiday?” to “What ice cream flavour did you have?” A big thank you to Mrs Hacking for coming in and sharing her memories with us!
In Art this week, we have been exploring a range of patterns!
Week 5
We were delighted to welcome parents and carers to join the Reception children for lunch. It was a wonderful opportunity to see the children showing their independence and polite manners.
The children entered to find a ‘porridge crime scene’, tables knocked over and porridge spilt everywhere! We started to wonder who might have been in our classroom, before moving on to write character descriptions of Goldilocks. We then created Goldilocks stick puppets and used them to retell the story.
In PRSHE, the children have been thinking about people who can help them. Together, we talked about trusted adults and friends who keep us safe and care for us. The children drew around their hands to create their own “Helping Five”, choosing five people they can turn to if they need help.
Week 4
This week, we have also been continuing our work on families and talking about the people who are special to us. The Year 1 children wrote their own sentences, remembering to use word spaces. Their wonderful work is now proudly on display in the classroom.
We are working hard on developing the correct letter formation, using the correct pencil grip.
Pirate fun as the reception children practise the "p" phoneme!
In History, we have been sharing our favourite holiday memories and exploring the different types of holidays people can go on. The children really enjoyed talking about their experiences and listening to each other’s ideas. The Year 1 children also drew some of their favourite memories!
During Forest Friday, we went on a listening walk. We shared the story “The Listening Walk” and then went on our own walk. The children stopped, listened carefully, and drew what they could hear. We noticed birds, cars, children and even music!
Week 3
This week, we explored the book “The Big Book of Families” to learn about different types of families. The children loved looking at the family photos you kindly sent in before creating their own beautiful family portraits. It’s been wonderful getting to know a little more about each of your families.
Our Reception children have begun their exciting phonics journey! This week, they have learnt the phonemes s, a, and t. We’ve been practising using thier reading fingers to build and blend, and our phonics fingers to segment and spell. The children have absolutely blown Miss Lancaster away by confidently applying their new learning during provision – what an amazing start!
Our Year 1 children have been exploring place value in maths this week. They’ve been working hard to understand tens and ones. Well done, Year 1!
Miss Clarke showed us how to put our bike helmets on safely. The children listened so carefully and practised putting them on correctly. Well done, everyone!
This week, we talked about what makes a good friend. Miss Lancaster created a special “Friendship Potion,” adding ingredients like a handful of kindness, a sprinkle of caring, and a spoonful of respect. During Forest Friday, the children had a wonderful time making their own potion. They came up with some fantastic ideas!
Week 2
We have really enjoyed exploring our wonderful classroom even more this week. All the children have now started full-time, and it’s been lovely having everyone together, learning and growing as a group.
In our RE lesson, we discussed how many people of faith see the world as precious and believe it should be looked after. We thought about the wonderful things in our world.
Week 1
What a Fantastic First Week! We’ve had such a wonderful start to the term – exploring our new classroom, diving into exciting activities and, most importantly, beginning to build new friendships. It’s been a joy watching everyone settle in and support one another. Here’s to many more adventures ahead!
We read the book All Are Welcome.
We created a very special Cherry Tree together – each child added their own picture and name to the tree. This beautiful display celebrates how every member of our class belongs and is valued.
