Reception
Welcome to Reception
We are always busy in Reception and every day is different! We love learning through play and enjoy exploring the world around us! We work with Mrs Dickinson (Class teacher) Mrs Alvi, Miss Cowan, Miss Donkin (Teaching Assistants), and on Monday's Miss Smith (trainee teaching assistant) also works with us. Mrs Mudd is our lunchtime supervisor and Mr Graham is our PE coach.
Play is the cornerstone of our Foundation Stage curriculum. Through supervised play, children are encouraged to explore, develop, imagine and investigate their surroundings in order to start to understand the world around them. Practical experiences are incredibly valuable and appropriate at this stage of learning. Play provides important opportunities for learning in many ways; observation, exploration, discovery, and communication. These opportunities are developed through both indoor and outdoor activities.
Reception Key Information
We are passionate about developing the children’s love of books and stories so we do place an emphasis on the children developing a positive relationship with literature. Our maths and literacy lessons blend fun, engaging games with focused activities, providing the children with a firm basis of understanding on which to build their later knowledge. We have regular phonics sessions which follow the Read Write Inc scheme. We aim to hear the children read individually as the combination of these activities is the key to ensuring that children learn to read quickly and with confidence.
Teaching in Reception is an absolute pleasure, laying the building blocks for a smooth transition into Year 1 and it is a joy to watch our young children develop into happy, confident children who feel set to succeed on their journey through school.
Classroom Routines
Reading
Reading is an essential part of children's learning and opens them up to new worlds and exciting adventures. The aim is for all children to read at least three times a week with an adult, and to record this in their reading record. Please remember to write in your child’s book when they have finished so we know when to change their book. In Reception we change books on a Tuesday or Wednesday.
PE
We value the importance of physical education to maintain a healthy lifestyle, therefore we have 2 weekly PE lessons in Reception. Our PE days are Monday with Tom the PE coaches and Friday with Mr Graham.
Please bring PE kits in at the beginning of each half term and leave them in for the half term so that children are prepared for any eventuality.
Communication
We share learning and resources through ClassDojo. Parents and children are able to post messages, photos and videos and parents can see work and send messages to the class teacher. This is a really strong way of keeping our learning up to date and staying connected with our class. If you have any difficulties accessing ClassDojo, please contact the school office for further support.
Statutory Tests
In Reception we submit data to the Reception Baseline within the first 6 weeks of your child starting in our class. This is nothing to worry about and children will complete the Baseline 1:1 with Mrs Dickinson. The Reception Baseline assesses children in literacy, maths and communication and language.
Curriculum Areas
The Early Years Curriculum is split into 7 areas of development. Throughout the Year Reception children work towards the Early Learning Goals in each area.
Communication and Language
In Reception we embed listening, attention and speaking throughout all that we do.
Children are expected to listen attentively. We encourage children to speak in sentences and ask and answer questions.
Personal, Social and Emotional Development