Reception

Welcome to Reception!

In Reception we follow the ‘Early Years Foundation Stage Statutory Framework’, which consists of the following areas of learning:

Prime Areas

  • Communication and Language
  • Personal, Social and Emotional Development
  • Physical Development

Specific Areas

  • Literacy
  • Mathematics
  • Understanding the World
  • Expressive Arts and Design

Children in Reception continue to learn through play building their confidence and knowledge of the world around them.  They participate in focused groups with an adult to deepen and solidify their knowledge in various areas.  Areas of our classroom are well defined with intentional and purposeful play based activities set out. We create a language rich environment to provide the children with a safe and secure classroom which enables them to build confidence in themselves as they learn new skills and explore the curriculum.

The teaching Staff in EYFS

Our Reception Teacher and EYFS Lead is Mrs Dexter.

Our Teaching Assistant is Miss Anthony.

Our PPA cover teacher is Mrs Riding.

Timetable

All children in Reception have daily sessions of Phonics, Handwriting, Maths and Literacy. They also follow a weekly timetable of focused tasks consisting of the following:

Monday – RE and Communication and Language

Tuesday – PSED

Wednesday – Topic

Thursday – Topic

Friday – Music and PE

Please ensure your child comes to school with their PE kit on a Friday to give them the best opportunity of participating fully in the PE activities.

From September 4th – October 17th children in Reception will be accessing Forest School on a Friday. Please ensure the children come to school with appropriate Forest School clothing on this day ready to access the provision.

In EYFS our ethos is to allow the children to always have access to free flow activities both indoors and outdoors in all weathers. We therefore ask that all children come to school with the following items:

  • Wellington boots
  • Waterproof suit/trousers and coat
  • Gloves, hat and scarf for cold weather
  • Sunhat for warm weather
  • Sun cream for warm weather

Me and My Community

This term in Reception our topic is Me and My Community. The children will be exploring what makes them unique, the special people in their families, the friendships they are building at school, and the community they live in. We will be talking about the roles of people who help us, such as teachers, doctors, police officers, and shop workers, and how these people play an important part in keeping us safe and well. Through high-quality texts including Lost and Found by Oliver Jeffers, The Colour Monster by Anna Llenas, and The Rainbow Fish by Marcus Pfister, we will explore important themes such as feelings, empathy, kindness, and sharing. These books will provide rich opportunities for discussion, role play, and creative activities, helping the children to develop emotional literacy and positive relationships. As part of the topic, the children will also take part in activities designed to strengthen their communication and language, extend their vocabulary, and practise early writing skills. They will use their mathematical knowledge in meaningful contexts, such as counting and comparing family members or sorting objects linked to different jobs in the community. Through this topic, we aim to develop a strong sense of identity, belonging, and respect for others, laying secure foundations for learning across all areas of the Early Years curriculum.

RE

In Reception, our RE topic is Creation and Covenant. The children will be learning that God made the world and everything in it, and that each of us is special and loved by Him. Through stories, songs, prayers, and creative activities, they will explore how we can say thank you to God for His gifts and learn simple ways to care for the world, nature, and each other as part of God’s family.

Home Learning

Children in Reception will receive an accurately matched phonics reading book to bring home each week on a Friday. The children will keep this book for the following week to practice at home at least 3 times and then return this book on the following Friday. Please refer to the ‘Phonics and Early Reading’ page for further support with this.

Children will also bring home a ‘Reading for Pleasure’ book they choose themselves. This is for you to share at home with your child and enjoy spending time reading together!

Your child will bring home a spelling book in Lent Term. This will consist of 3 high frequency words we are focussing on it class. Please practice these at home with your child to help them with their reading and early writing skills. These do not need to always be written in their books, you could use magnetic letters, sand, chalk etc.