Reception Overview

Reception is part of a child’s journey through the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) and is the final year before children enter Key Stage 1. Learning in Reception is designed to be exciting and inspiring as we look towards supporting children in developing their independence and curiosity. Our enabling environment allows children in Reception to develop their skills through carefully planned experiences which are based on children’s spontaneous play, relevant interests and worldwide celebrations. Sometimes these activities are adult-led for a more structured outcome and sometimes these are child-led. Learning is guided by children’s unique interests and takes place both indoors and outdoors. Children in Reception will regularly access our school forest regularly to develop their problem solving, fine motor skills, gross motor skills as well as social skills such as collaboration and teamwork.

Curriculum and Areas of Learning

Children’s learning is rooted in the Statutory Framework for Early Years Foundation Stage and comprises seven areas of learning, all of equal importance. 

Prime Areas:  

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

Specific Areas:  

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

All of these areas of learning are facilitated through carefully planned provision and activities both indoors and outdoors. Class teachers plan opportunities to promote all areas of learning, as well as the development of progressional skills linked to areas of the National Curriculum. This is done through a range of quality interactions in play, adult directed activities, small group focused sessions, interventions and project based learning tasks. Children's development is also supported through enabling environments and consistent daily routines, which have been carefully planned, developed and enhanced to ensure we are meeting the needs of all children in our care.

In addition to this, children will develop their understanding of the wider world and current topical issues highlighted by the UN Sustainable Development Goals (Global Goals). In Reception, children focus upon the following Global Goals through their Reduce, Recycle and Reuse projects.

Global Goal 2- Zero Hunger

-Help those who do not have enough to eat

-Support small farmers in the things we buy

-Look at how floods and droughts can affect people around the world.

Global Goal 12- Responsible Consumption and Production

-Learn how to reduce food waste

-Learn how to reduce, reuse and recycle

Assessment

The Reception Baseline Assessment (RBA) is a short assessment, taken in the first six weeks in which a child starts reception. The RBS is an activity-based assessment of pupils' starting points in :

• language, communication and literacy
• mathematics

Pupils will use practical resources to complete these tasks and teachers will record the results on a laptop, computer or tablet. It will not be used to label or track individual pupils. No numerical score will be shared and the data will only be used at the end of Year 6 to form the school-level progress measure. However, teachers will receive a series of short narrative statements that tell them how their pupils performed in the assessment, which can be used to inform teaching within the first term.

In the final term of the year in which the child reaches age five, the EYFS Profile is completed for each child to assess their level of development against the early years goals which can be found in the Early Years Framework. This assessment is based on classroom observation and the teacher's in depth knowledge of the child throughout the year. Children will not be tested