Reception
8:30 to 3 pm Monday to Friday
Starting ‘big’ school is a huge milestone for children and parents alike.
In Reception, more formal schoolwork begins, preparing your child for Key Stage 1. Children are supported and challenged to reach their full potential in all areas, both academic and personal. We celebrate each child’s individual achievements and encourage the development of self-confidence, self esteem and respect for others.
Much of the teaching is topic based and cross-curricular and includes Science, History, Geography, French, Music and ICT. Great emphasis is given to literacy, numeracy and communication skills. Our thorough teaching of phonics will ensure your child makes excellent progress with the majority of children exceeding the Early Learning Goals at the end of Reception.
Children attend school for a full day and are taught in small class sizes by enthusiastic, skilled class teachers while specialist teachers are employed to teach Music, Drama, French, PE and Swimming.
Curriculum
The curriculum for our Reception children follows but is not restricted by, the EYFS. During their time in Reception the children are involved in activities which are linked to the seven Early Learning Goals of the Early Years Foundation Stage Curriculum.
Children revise letters and sounds previously introduced in the morning Nursery. They begin to learn to blend simple CVC words and to develop their visual memory. Reading begins when a child is ready and this varies with each child.
Writing is taught using a variety of media including sand trays, finger tracing, dot joining and copying. Correct letter formation is taught in readiness for the joins in Yrs 1 and 2. Diary writing is introduced in the second term and children are encouraged to begin to write sentences independently. By the end of the year children are writing their news and stories, captions and labels independently.
Children are introduced to various reading schemes depending on the stage they are at when they join Reception. The majority of children recognise letters and know the corresponding sounds. In the first term in Reception, they begin to blend sounds to form CVC words and at the same time are introduced to high frequency sight words. When they are confident in this area of reading, simple phonic based reading books are introduced. Children take their reading books home and return them to school to be heard reading individually twice a week. The accompanying Reading Diary is a valuable addition to the Reading Books in that both parent and teacher can comment on progress made on a daily basis. Children develop at differing speeds and learning to read varies from one child to another. Patience, understanding, encouragement and praise are vital in producing happy, fluent readers.
Schemes used for Phonics teaching are Letterland and Jolly Phonics. Reading Schemes are The Oxford Reading Tree and Little Wandle books (Collins). Many extension readers are used from other schemes and in addition, for competent readers, we have a well stocked Library.
Maths in Reception is taught in a lively and engaging way combining practical activities and learning through play to provide a strong basis for future mathematical learning. Our main tool is Numicon which is a versatile resource that children find enticing and easy to use. Maths is taught in small mixed ability groups. We follow the EYFS curriculum but enhance this wherever possible to extend children to their full potential. The schemes of work used are the Hamilton Scheme and White Rose Scheme while Numicon continues to support and extend the learning and understanding of number bonds introduced in Nursery.
All Reception children take part in various sports activities each week with Football on Mondays, Swimming on Wednesdays, Dance on Thursdays and PE on Fridays. The development of fine and gross motor skills, coordination and balance are all encouraged by participating in these sports. In addition the school garden possesses various climbing frames of varying challenges plus scooters, bikes and small apparatus which are used during play times.
Children are introduced to a variety of songs, games and chants which help develop their aural memory. Music activities which incorporate different pitches and rhythm are undertaken on a regular basis. The Kodaly method of teaching singing is used by the visiting Kodaly singing specialist. The class benefits from two Music classes each week.
This area of a child’s development is one of great importance and we provide many opportunities for children to develop these skills. Increasing self confidence and self esteem in every child is paramount and we do this by frequent praising and by always emphasising the good. Learning to share, take turns and to respect every member of the school community is equally important and the Six Golden Rules underpin our belief in this.
Children in Reception are encouraged to express their thoughts, ideas and feelings. They are able to communicate freely with all members of staff and with each other. Circle times, PSHE sessions and ‘Show and Tell’ provide excellent platforms from which children can describe and discuss events in their lives and what they think, feel or do.
ICT tuition for Reception is guided by the EYFS curriculum where children begin to understand the importance of technology and how it affects everyday life. Keyboard skills, which incorporate fine motor skills, are introduced and this is followed by learning and understanding the use of a word processor. By the end of the year, children will have a good understanding about the use of a computer and tablet.
Through the medium of songs, games and rhymes, the Reception children acquire an understanding and interest in the French language. French classes take place weekly and are given by a French national so the children develop a true accent. The classes are fun and everyday phrases and vocabulary are introduced and increased as the year progresses.
We also offer a variety of specialist subjects to further encourage the pupils' education including; Art, Dance, Drama, Swimming and Carpentry. To Learn more about each of these activities please visit our school life section.
Our work is very much in partnership with parents. We aim to build positive and proactive relationships with families to ensure the best outcomes for your child. We use a dedicated, secure portal to share updates and photographs from your child’s week and operate a consistent ‘open door’ policy so that any concerns you may have relating to your child and the School are dealt with efficiently and effectively.