Ethos

Our Reception year is key in starting the children on a positive journey of learning which will be continued throughout their school life. We believe that children learn best through playing & exploring, being active and developing creative & critical thinking skills. We aim to support children’s learning by offering an exciting, child-centred curriculum with lots of practical, hands-on experiences. We strive to develop the ‘whole’ child so they become confident, active and independent learners.

Typical Day (8:45 - 3:15 - 32.5 hours per week)

A typical day in our Reception allows the children to access a range of play-based learning opportunities in both our indoor and outdoor learning environments. At times the children’s learning is led or supported by an adult and at other times they are encouraged to select their own activities and engage in independent learning. The children are offered a healthy snack during the morning and a hot lunch, freshly cooked on site, is provided at lunchtime. 

Curriculum:

We follow the Early Years Foundation Stage curriculum which covers seven areas of learning & development.

Prime areas of learning:

Personal, Social and Emotional Development

Physical Development

Communication and Language

Specific areas of learning:

Literacy

Mathematics

Understanding the World

Expressive Arts and Design

This curriculum also specifies some key skills and attitudes children need to develop in order to become effective ‘life-long learners’. These are called the Characteristics of Effective Learning and we ensure that children are given lots of opportunities to develop these characteristics as part of their every-day learning.