Reception

Timings

8.30am-4pm Monday - Friday

Daily Routine

Early Years Foundation Stage

In the Reception Class we continue the Early Years Foundation Stage covering seven areas of learning: Communication and Language; Physical Development; Personal, Social and Emotional Development, Literacy, Mathematics, Understanding the World, Expressive Arts and Design.  We achieve this through broad-based topics such as Pirates, Fairytales, Dinosaurs, Space, Places and Transport. At the beginning of each half term, the class creates, with the teacher, a plan of work based on the topic and their interests. We believe it is important to give the children a voice in their learning.

Literacy

We build on the work started in the Nursery on sounds following the Letters and Sounds programme. When your child knows some of the alphabet sounds and can spell several words they start reading scheme books. These books are brought home each day to involve parents in the reading process.

Mathematics

In Reception, mathematical concepts are taught through fun, practical activities, both inside and outside the classroom.  We provide maths activities every day in the form of teacher led tasks such as learning to write numbers correctly or addition sums as well as child initiated number games, computer programs, sand tray and building with 3D shapes.

French, Music and Forest School are taught by specialist teachers.

Indoor environment

The Reception classrooms are on the ground floor and comprise of three rooms containing different areas such as book corner, computer, craft table, painting easel, writing table, role-play corner, sand/water tray and work space. Our resources are clearly labelled and in easy reach of the children. We also have access to resources from across the Pre-Prep including our well-stocked library.

The teachers direct activities in small groups and plan lessons carefully to meet each child’s needs. We use a wide range of resources and apparatus to interest and stimulate the children.

Children have plenty of opportunities to develop learning through a wide range of creative activities such as making cards on the writing table, making junk models of rockets, designing pictures on the computer, playing games and gardening.

Outdoor environment

The outside environment plays an integral part in the children’s lives and there is easy access from the classroom to our beautiful garden and covered patio. We encourage the children to learn through outside play, gardening, painting the patio with water, riding on tricycles, climbing equipment, large sandpit and camp making.

Assessment

We build up an Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) profile for each child over the year by observing the child in their chosen activities. We record the child’s achievements on the profile and use this to plan the child’s learning. The profile forms the basis of reports to parents and is shared with the child’s next teacher.

If a teacher or parent has concerns about the progress of a child we are supported by an experienced SEN team who can advise and assess them if necessary.

Jenny Reynolds, Reception Class Teacher