Ducklings Class

Ducklings Class is our class for the Foundation Stage children.

The class is taught by Ms Lambert (Monday, Tuesday) and Mrs Canning (Wednesday, Thursday and Friday).   Mrs Reeve is the teaching assistant in Ducklings Class.  Both Ms Lambert and Mrs Canning are highly experienced EYFS teachers, having taught in the Foundation Stage for over 10 years each.  In previous schools, both have led the Foundation Stage and they have both been involved in setting up the new Foundation Stage curriculum at Great Tey.

Each term the children have a focus topic to develop their learning - more information on the Curriculum can be found under the Curriculum tab.   The Home Learning ideas sheet for each topic can be found below -

Creep, Crawl and Wriggle                   Starry Night                            Dangerous Dinosaurs

Big Wide World                                  Ready, Steady Grow                  On the Beach

There is an outdoor play area which is used by the children in Ducklings Class.  Learning activities for each of the seven areas of learning are set up in the outside area as well as indoors.

On Monday mornings and Wednesday afternoons, children in Ducklings and Sparrows classes are taught PE by specialist sports coaches with the support of our teaching assistants.  Indoor PE (Dance and Gym) takes place on Monday mornings, with outdoor PE (games or athletics) on Wednesday afternoons (though this sometimes comes indoors if it is too cold or wet!) 

The children in Ducklings Class work hard on their phonic work through daily phonic sessions.  The children are encouraged to read to an adult at school regularly and also at home.

Phonics Guide for parents -  Phase 2        Phase 3        Phase 4       Phase 5

We are fortunate to have regular parent support in the class.  If you are able to offer some time to play games or listen to children read, please see Mrs Canning.

Here are some of our favourite Ducklings Class photos!

Ducklings

Meet The Staff

Martha Lambert

I am a passionate early years teacher with 15 years experience. The early years of children’s lives are so formative and it is a privilege to be able to play a part in sharing and contributing to those early experiences. I love the flexibility that working in the Early Years Foundation Stage offers, being able to respond to children’s questions, interests and needs, often taking learning in unexpected but equally valuable directions.   

After studying for a degree in History at Lancaster, I did a PGCE (post graduate certificate of education) at London Metropolitan University, specialising in early years (3-7 year olds). I began working in Hackney where I taught Reception and later became phase leader for foundation stage. When I left Hackney, I worked as phase leader in Harwich, teaching Reception. I joined the school as it entered Ofsted special measures and played a key role in bringing about improvements which meant it was judged to be Outstanding a year later. 

 I came to Great Tey in 2017 and it is the best place I have worked. Working with Mrs. Canning and Mrs. Reeve, we have developed an environment and approach to learning in Ducklings Class of which I am really proud, building children's independence and love of learning.  The children and staff at Great Tey are fantastic and I absolutely love the caring and personalised approach to education on offer here. 

Carly Canning

My love of the Early Years Foundation Stage began when I had just finished my GCSE exams and I worked at my aunts Pre-School for the final part of the summer term. Twenty three years later and I am still just as inspired and excited by the development of the youngest members of our school. 

Whilst I studied for a degree in Early Childhood and Education Studies at ARU, I continued to work in the EYFS in nursery settings, working my way up to deputy manager and having the opportunity to create a new nursery school. I then completed a postgraduate SCITT course with Essex Initial Teacher Training, starting my teaching career at a very small village school very much like Great Tey. From here I moved to a large infant school mostly working with Year 1 and Reception classes, here I began phase leader and part of the senior management team as literacy lead.   

For me working with the Ducklings class at Great Tey is like being part of an extended family, as an EYFS team we know the children extremely well and this gives us a brilliant advantage in making the learning experience unique and personal to them.  EYFS is a magical place to learn and I love that in the course of a day I can travel on a fishing boat to a pirate island, dine on mud pies with bark and leaf lattes, build zoos, forts and castles, paint rainbows, hunt in the woodland area for phonemes and be back in the classroom at the end of the day to share a favourite story.