Welcome to Meerkat Class!  

Welcome to Meerkat Class!

Meerkat Class is our Reception cohort at Halesbury. We can accommodate up to eight children in our class. The staff team in Meerkat Class consists of a class teacher, three teaching assistants, and a care assistant.

In Meerkat Class, our learning is based on the Early Years Foundation Stage Framework. The children learn through both child-initiated and adult-led play in an environment adapted to meet the sensory and care needs of our pupils.

Our Daily Routine

We start our day with movement time to support the children's transition into school. We then begin our morning routine, which consists of songs, social interaction, and our phonics session. During phonics, we sing a nursery rhyme with actions and finish with a listening activity. The children then engage with a storybook related to our topic for the term.

In the mornings, the children work on individualised targets in Communication and Language and Number. Staff support pupils in achieving these targets by creating and providing resources, modelling activities, and offering help where necessary. We have a mid-morning break, during which the children have a snack and enjoy some outdoor play.

The children have lunch and enjoy some outdoor play before beginning their afternoon activities. Throughout the week, we take part in sessions including IT, PE, Cooking, My Independence, PSHE, Art, Music (delivered by Rhythm Time), and World Around Us (which encompasses Science, History, Geography, and RE). The curriculum is planned around our topics for each term and is adapted to suit the individual needs of our pupils. Throughout the year, pupils also participate in Forest School, Swimming, and timetabled access to the Light Room.

We finish the day with an afternoon snack. After snack time, the children are encouraged to relax on bean bags, mats, yoga balls, and peanut balls before getting ready to go home.