The Reception year is the last year of the Early Years Foundation Stage which runs from birth to five years old. It aims to give children strong foundations to prepare them for the National Curriculum which begins in Year 1. At the end of Reception children are assessed against 17 Early Learning Goals. In order to inspire and motivate our pupils and teach to the children’s interests, we have adopted an ‘In the Moment Planning’ approach. To read more about this approach please click here.
Learning through play is vital in the Early Years – through play children explore the world around them, build upon previous knowledge and learn how to build effective relationships with others. For most of the day children are free to move between the two large Reception classes and the outdoor area. The environment is set up to allow children access to open ended activities to encourage them to become independent, resilient and creative learners. All adults work with children in the environment to enhance their play, making suggestions, clearing up misconceptions and questioning in order to move the learning on. Records are made of the interactions which include what the child was doing, how the adult intervened and what the result of the interaction was. Evidence of children’s learning is kept in their Learning Journeys which are shared with parents twice a year and are sent home for children to keep at the end of the year. Children also have daily Read, Write Inc. phonics and Maths lessons and weekly PE and Music lessons.
