Our Reception Class are the youngest pupils in our Primary school (ages 4-5 years), and they form part of the Key Stage 1 phase. In Reception learning takes place through a structured approach to play based learning.
Reception is a critical building block in preparation for formal academic learning. Our goal is to prepare each child by the end of the Reception year, to be school ready for Year 1.
To achieve our goal, each child is immersed in a curriculum which aims to develop a range of different skills focusing on the following 7 key learning areas:
Communication and English Language
Effective communication and language skills form part of the essential skills needed for literacy. Young children develop listening skills, language and emergent reading, through opportunities and experiences, within a language rich environment. This enhances their critical thinking, expressing and reasoning capabilities.
Personal, Social and Emotional
Children develop a sense of self-worth and learn how to make and maintain friendships. They develop social skills and learn how to manage their feelings. They understand appropriate behaviour in groups and have confidence in their own abilities.
Physical Development
Physical education focuses on the development of a child’s gross and fine motor skills as well as perceptual skills. This is a fundamental part of holistic development and contributes to a healthy body that builds a healthy mind.
Understanding the World
In Reception we create opportunities for children to understand themselves and the world they live in. This is achieved through topic discussion, exploring, observing and experiencing their environment, people, places, and technology. The aim is to develop future well-balanced members of the local and international community.
Creativity
Children are encouraged to express themselves creatively through visual and performing arts through play based learning and formal lessons with specialists. All children will get the opportunity to participate in class assemblies, performances and plays.
Emergent Literacy
Learning new vocabulary and understanding the meaning of words, develops their spoken language and ability to express themselves. This leads to developing reading behaviours where children use their developed concepts about print. Emergent literacy is where children start to make connections between known sounds, letters and sight words in print. The Mighty Writer program enables children from reception onwards to develop their understanding of the story-development process using tactile and visual tools to retell and create their own stories in a fun and creative way.
Emergent Numeracy
Using the renowned Maths- No problem program children are introduced to basic mathematical concepts and get to know simple mathematical language in a playful, fun and tactile way. Activities, stories and games enable the children to learn maths with their whole body, focusing on numbers, patterns, shapes, space and measure.
The outcome of the Reception Class are children who are ready to face the challenges of the Year 1 programme, who are happy, are able to communicate well, have the ability to think critically and who can share their thoughts and ideas with confidence in English.