Acorn Class (Reception and Key Stage 1)

We start our Castleton journeys as Acorns.

We are a small, mixed age class ranging from ages 4 to 7 years old. We are at the heart of a strong rural community where many generations of local families have attended Castleton School and we value the partnerships we have with both parents and members of the wider community. There is a real sense of family as children encourage and support each other so that they can successfully learn together and grow together, sharing in each others’ success both in and outside school. The older children set great examples for the younger children as they take on roles and responsibilities within a caring and nurturing environment and become independent learners. Reading is at the heart of our curriculum and we spend time listening to stories, poems and rhymes to feed our children’s imaginations, enhance their vocabulary and develop their comprehension. Daily reading and high quality phonics sessions ensure that children develop a love of literature and become confident readers by the time they leave Acorn Class. It is important that our children are immersed in a language rich environment so that they can communicate ideas and express themselves effectively. We love watching their self- confidence evolve and grow during their time in Acorn Class. Puppet shows and stories are a particular favourite!  

We like to follow the children’s interests and create stimulating learning experiences that enable children to explore and investigate. We often take the time to ‘wonder’ and encourage children to ask questions to further their understanding. In Maths, we learn through practical activities and deepen our learning through problem solving and reasoning, based on the White Rose Maths programme.

Acorns are enthusiastic learners who embrace learning opportunities, and this has been seen in the fantastic homework projects that the children complete each half term. Educational visits, sporting opportunities and collaborative work with other schools are well planned to enhance the curriculum and ensure that our children are exposed to a wide range of learning, taking them beyond what they already know and ensuring that they have cultural and social experiences, preparing them for life in modern Britain.

We love to take our learning outdoors and are lucky enough to be surrounded by the beautiful North Yorkshire Moors and have nature on our doorstep. We have a lovely garden and Forest School sessions in the woods are a firm favourite as we learn to build dens, climb trees, light fires and observe what happens as the seasons change.

In Acorn class, we work closely with parents to support the development of each unique child so that they become resilient, confident, life long learners.