Joining us in Reception

Children in Reception are 4 and 5 years old. They have often had a previous experience in early years setting and join us full of excitement and a real keenness to continue with their learning journey. Our hope is to nurture this and through a range of approaches meet the needs of each child. 

In Reception, we have 2 classes, RA and RB. They share their learning space and work collaboratively on some areas of the curriculum but they have their own identity as a class. 

Everyday your child will work on adult led activities in reading, writing and maths. Skills are modelled by an adult and then your child will have the opportunity to practise them independently. Topic and other subjects are taught throughout the week.

Our day

Our weekly timetable has some flexibility to allow us to complete projects and follow the children’s interests. Most days include:

Play	Phonics	Reading and outside play	PE	Writing	Lunch 12-1.15	Maths	Topic
We start the day playing alongside the children modelling new skills and introducing vocabulary.	The children work in groups practising blending, reading words and learning new sounds.	Children read to an adult in a small group practising skills of decoding, prosody (intonation / expression) and comprehension.	PE is led by specialist teachers and follows the ‘Real Gym’ programme. Read more.	Writing is based around a text that we share with the class, eg. The Gruffalo. Writing is modelled by an adult and the children practice their phonics skills as they begin to communicate their ideas through writing.		Children follow the NCETM Mastering Number programme. Concepts are introduced and children practice these with an adult. Read more.	Topic work may include art, cooking, discussion, outside investigation and discovery etc.  The topics change each half term and build on skills that the children have begun to acquire.  We also follow the interest and needs of the children.

*We follow the schools’ PSED themes each half term. We use story to explore the themes and have a designated time each week.

Lunchtime 12 – 1.15 pm

Children can choose to have a school dinner or packed lunch. The Reception staff stay with them as they eat and our school support staff then care for them over the lunch break. 

 

Getting ready for Reception

For many children, Reception is a big step academically, socially and emotionally. Parents frequently ask us about things they can do at home to help prepare their child for this transition. Here are a few ideas of things you may wish to try at home. It is not meant as a checklist, just a few ideas:

• Talk about starting school with your child. Discuss with them what they are excited about, what they are anxious about and what they want to know more about;
• Explain the settling period to your child so they know what will happen each day;
• A positive attitude to learning is the key to your child being happy at school. We encourage each child to work at the level that is best suited to their needs and for them to reflect on their learning. It is great to talk to your child about things they want to learn and things that interest them;
• Encourage care and enjoyment of books. Talk about what they enjoyed in the story, who the characters are, what they think will happen next or a fact that interests them;
• Encourage your child to be independent in practical activities such as putting on their coat, using the toilet and eating. Also, give your child opportunities to play by themselves without adult involvement.

 

You may find the following helpful as you prepare for Reception: Starting Reception

Have a question? Get in touch here.