Cherry class is a fantastic classroom that is full of learning opportunities for our younger children. Cherry Class is led by Mrs Stephenson, a talented class teacher with a wealth and many years of experience. We ensure that the continuous provision in this classroom and the adjoining outdoor space enables our children to learn through play and develop their:

•  Communication and language
•  Physical development
•  Personal, social and emotional development
•  Literacy
•  Mathematics
•  Understanding the world
•  Expressive arts and design

 

Term 3

Starry Night and Winter Wonderland

Starry Night

n the Starry Night project, your child will explore the differences between the world at night time compared with daytime, through a range of exciting and creative activities. They will find out about nocturnal animals and how they find food when it is dark. They will find out about people who work at night and the different jobs that people do when we are asleep. They will discuss bedtime routines and the importance of a good night’s sleep. They will explore the night sky and find out about the Moon and stars.

Supporting your child at home

• Look at the night sky and see how many stars you can see each night.
• See how the Moon changes shape each night.
• Go on a short walk after dark or go into the garden. Take a torch to light the way. Discuss how things look different in the dark.

 

Winter Wonderland

In the Winter Wonderland project, your child will explore the seasonal changes that happen during winter. They will find out about the different weather associated with the winter season and explore changes that happens to water as it freezes. They will find out about what happens to plants and animals during cold weather and explore places in the world that are always cold and snowy, including the animals that live there.

Supporting your child at home

• Go on a winter walk and talk about how the environment has changed since the summer months.
• Put bird food out in the garden or on a window ledge and observe the birds that visit.
• Leave water out in a shallow container overnight on a cold night and see if the water freezes.
• If it snows, build a snowman, and take a photo of it to share with the rest of the class.

 

Maths	Counting skills 1-3; Explore position and routes; Explore patterns;
Literacy	Rhyme time; Sounds all around; Mark making We will be exploring in detail: · Whatever Next! – Jill Murphy · Peace at Last – Jill Murphy · We’re Going on a Bear Hunt – Michael Rosen (illustrated by Helen Oxenbury) · Rosie’s Walk – Pat Hutchins
Understanding the World	Planets and stars; Nocturnal animals; Exploring materials; Light, Dark and Shadows; Space Journeys; Exploring Ice and Freezing; Climates
PD/ PE	Dance; Agility, Balance and Coordination; Fine motor skills
PSED	Building relationships; Developing Interests; Turn taking games; Aesop's Fables and Emotions; Friendship Tree; Parachute Games
Expressive Arts and Design	Owl babies; Lullabies; Rocket Builders; Icy Art
Communication and Language	Listening, attention and understanding; Speaking; Working in small groups; Taking turns in discussions;
Religious Education	Our theme this term is Celebrations Our Big Question is: How do people celebrate? We will be exploring a range of celebrations from around the world including: Chinese New Year, Holi, New Year, Nowruz
Memorable experience	Visiting the planetarium at Science Oxford

Our PE days this term are: Tuesday (Outdoor) and Friday (Forest School). 

Christian Distinctiveness

Spring 1 Collective Worship

Justice this term takes centre stage as our whole school explores what it really means to do what is right in a way children can understand. A child‑friendly way to think about justice is: treating everyone fairly, making good choices, and helping to put things right when something feels wrong. Our key scripture, “Learn to do right; seek justice.” (Isaiah 1.17), guides everything we do.

What we’ll be learning

• Making wise decisions — inspired by Isaiah 1.17, we’ll think about how our choices affect others and how we can choose what is fair.
• Seeing God’s love in action — through Matthew 20.1–16, children will explore how God shows fairness and generosity.
• Seeing the whole picture — using 2 Corinthians 8.21, we’ll learn why honesty and doing the right thing matters even when no one is watching.
• Goodness is stronger than evil — from John 18–19, we’ll reflect on how goodness, courage, and truth can overcome wrong.

Throughout the term, children will practise being fair, sharing kindly, and thinking carefully about what is right, helping them grow into thoughtful, compassionate members of our school community.

Spring 1 RE: How do people celebrate?

This term in Religious Education, we are exploring the big question: “How do people celebrate?” Children will learn how communities around the world mark special occasions and the meanings behind these traditions through stories, art, music, and play. We will look at New Year celebrations as a time for fresh starts and future plans, Chinese New Year with its dragon dances, lanterns, and wishes for good fortune, Persian New Year (Nowruz) which welcomes spring with the Haft-Seen table and themes of renewal, and Holi, the vibrant festival of colours that celebrates love, forgiveness, and the arrival of spring. 

This week children talked about how they celebrated New Year, some saw fireworks, others visited family. They wrote New Year’s Resolutions: 

‘I want to do more running’ Luca 

‘I want to do more exercise’ Nellie 

Autumn 2 RE: What is Christmas?

This term, we have begun exploring our new big question, “What is Christmas?”, focusing on the core Christian concept of Incarnation, which is the belief that God became human in the person of Jesus.

To begin our learning, we thought about the importance of saying thank you. The children discussed why gratitude matters, how it makes others feel, and how it helps us to be kind and thoughtful.

As part of this, we took part in an exciting activity where the children wrapped gifts for each other. They practised being generous, giving thoughtfully, and responding with a sincere “thank you.” We explored together:

• How it feels when someone says thank you
• How it feels when gratitude is missing
• Why Christians see the birth of Jesus as a gift

The children shared their ideas and experiences, and we discovered that Christmas means different things to different people. During the reflection, the children talked about Santa and presents but they also talked about time spent with family and what 

Martin ‘I like choosing a tree.’  

Juliana ‘Christmas is…joy!’ 

Robyn ‘I am looking forward to snowflakes.’ 

We talked about kindness, love, and helping others, which are important values at Christmas. The children enjoyed making decorations, singing festive songs, and learning how people celebrate Christmas around the world. 

The children also learnt about the key figures in the Christmas story, such as Mary, Joseph, Baby Jesus, the shepherds, and the wise men. They explored why these figures are important and what they represent in the Nativity. 

Our reflection helped us understand that Christmas is not just about presents—it’s about caring for each other and spreading joy. 

Autumn 1 RE: What makes people special?

In Cherry Class this term, we are learning about special people. Our Big Question is What Makes People Special?

We began by discovering the special people within our school community: learning about their jobs, why they are important, and how they help us every day.

We then turned our focus to the special people in our own lives. Children shared photos from home and talked about who is special to them, why they matter, and the different ways they offer care and support.

As part of the theme, we also spent time thinking about what makes each of us special. The children reflected on their own interests, strengths, and hopes for the future, including what they might like to do when they grow up.

Pupil Voice:

"I would like to learn football more" - Jaxon

"I want to learn to make a cake with my Mummy" - Martha

In our study of Christianity, we explored stories of Jesus as a special person, focusing on his miracles such as healing the blind man. Through these parables, the children learned how Jesus showed kindness, compassion, and care, and how we can bring these values into our own lives.

Autumn 1 Collective Worship

Our Value this term is Generosity.

Acts  20:35:  Remember  the  words  of  the  Lord  Jesus,  how  he  himself  said,  it  is  more   blessed  to  give  than  to  receive.

2  Corinthians  9.7:  God  loves  a  cheerful  giver

We began by reflecting on the wonder of creation, thinking about how God has been generous in giving us such a beautiful world. After reading a Bible story about creation, we headed outside to look for examples of God’s wonderful gifts all around us: trees, flowers, pine cones, and so much more.

The children also learnt the song “He’s Got the Whole World in His Hands”, complete with actions, helping us celebrate the idea that the world is held and cared for.

We read the story Sharing a Shell and talked about what it means to be generous with what we have. The children discussed:

• How we can share and help each other

• Times when sharing feels easy

• Times when sharing can feel difficult

Through these activities, we have been learning not only about generosity in stories and scripture, but how we can live it out in our everyday lives.

‘Look a leaf!’ Robyn 

‘I’ve found a pine cone’ Freddie 

The children shared their own ideas about being generous—like helping friends, sharing toys, and giving time to others. Together, we talked about not being greedy and thought about how we could be more generous. This reminded us that even small actions can make a big difference. 

We talked about real-life ways to show generosity, such as donating food or helping someone in need, and encouraged everyone to take part in Children in Need. 

‘I know, we can give them our things’ Robyn 

Through these activities, the children reflected that generosity is about caring for others and making the world a happier place. 

Prayer Space 

Cherry Class have been learning how to use Prayer Space activities to think about who to thank, who to say sorry to and how to feel calm. We have done this using sand trays, bubbles, colouring and watching the flow of sand in a timer. 

Martha ‘I like colouring. It helps me feel calm.’ 

Eddie ‘Thank you for Mummy and Daddy’ 

Freddie ‘Thank you for our sand’. 

Express 

This term, our children have been exploring the theme of Sparkle and Shine, diving into the beauty and significance of light in celebrations around the world. They proudly shared their learning with parents through a stunning light display featuring divas, lanterns, and candles—all lovingly crafted by the children themselves. It was a wonderful way to showcase how light brings warmth, joy, and meaning to different cultures and traditions.

We also celebrated the enchanting topic Once Upon a Time. The children voted for their favourite fairy tale in a very close contest, and the winner was Jack and the Beanstalk! A big thank you to the parent (can we say it was Martha's mum?) who kindly joined us to read this classic tale to the class—it was a magical moment that everyone enjoyed.

Our classroom truly sparkled with creativity, storytelling, and shared experiences. Thank you to all the families for your support in making these celebrations so special!

'Thank you so much. It was lovely.' Martin's mum

'We really enjoyed that, thank you.' Martha's mum

'Thank you. That was great.' Maxi and Tavi's mum

Mathematics

Maths is taught daily to challenge and inspire all. Maths resources are available for children to access at all times and enhanced provision activities linked to our weekly maths focus are provided to encourage children to develop their skills independently. 

 

Expressive Arts and Design

Children can access an assortment of creative and fine motor activities in our creative area. A range of materials are available at all times to encourage their imaginations. Enhanced provision activities linked to our current project are provided for the children to engage with. 

 

                              

Understanding the World

Understanding the World is an exploration of the natural world, past and present, and different cultures and communities. Understanding the World is taught through our project lessons. Children will find an investigation task in their enhanced provision each week linked to their project or something they have expressed an interest in. 

   

 

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Creating bird feeders.

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Clean teeth egg investigation

Outdoor Learning

We have a wonderful outdoor area that extends across two levels and has a range of equipment to encourage the development of gross and fine motor skills. 

 

 

 

Reflections and Prayer Space

Children in Cherry Class are encouraged to access our reflection area when they would like a quiet moment to sit and think. If they choose too, they can light a candle to help them think about our Collective Worship value. This term our value is Thankfulness. 

We have discussed what prayer is, what people may pray for, and the different ways in which people pray. We have a collection of activities to access, or we simply sit and reflect.

We have been developing our spirituality in a variety of ways during prayer space, learning in both our indoor and outdoor reflection areas. We are thinking about big questions such as, "Why am I here?" and "Who made the world?". 

Tapestry

Weekly observations of your child will be recorded on Tapestry. Any home learning ideas and messages from the class teachers will be left on here. Please aim to access Tapestry at least once a week to ensure you are up to date with your child’s learning.

If you need help with accessing Tapestry then please talk to Mrs Jones and Mrs Stephenson, or ask in the school office.