Reception

Welcome to Reception Class

We are delighted to introduce our wonderful teaching team who are here to support and inspire our youngest learners.

Miss McKitterick and Mrs Govier are the class teachers for Reception, providing a nurturing and engaging learning environment for all the children. Mrs Longstaff and Annette support the class all week too, ensuring there is a high pupil: adult ratio.

As part of our well-rounded curriculum, Reception children also participate in PE on Mondays with Mr Johnson.

In amongst the chitter chatter of little voices you will hear children learning as they play, and it is through this learning the life long learning adventure begins.

Our Environment

We strive to ensure that our Reception classroom is a calm environment, with muted colours and natural resources where possible. Consistent visual timetables across classrooms in school help children feel secure and confident, as they always know what is happening and what to expect next. We prioritise well organised, clutter free spaces that provide access to areas of provision for all children and reduce cognitive overload. These areas are clearly labelled with photos and words, as well as silhouettes on shelves, to support children in accessing and caring for their environment. Continuous resources are chosen carefully and long-term planning across Pre-School and Reception classrooms ensure progression in materials and opportunities for learning.  

We have a shared outdoor area that both Pre-School and Reception access, with a large grassy, natural area and a hard surfaced area. The area provides ample opportunity for children to develop their skills across the 7 areas of learning, based on its size and available resources/equipment. The children share learning experiences outdoors to provide opportunities for the older children to model/teach the younger children through their interactions and for the younger children to learn from the older children. Adults carefully support these learning experiences through high-quality interactions.

When you walk into our EYFS classrooms, you’ll see and hear children actively engaged in their learning – accessing continuous provision successfully both indoors and outdoors, communicating with peers and adults, engaging in adult and child led learning opportunities and strengthening relationships with those around them. Adults provide a high level of support, to ensure children understand how to explore learning, access resources and equipment, and challenge themselves. You’ll notice a calm and purposeful atmosphere, where routines are well established, and expectations are clear. This consistency helps children feel safe, valued, and ready to learn. There’s a strong sense of collaboration, with children supporting one another and adults using opportunities for high quality interactions purposefully to move learning forward for everyone. 

Our Curriculum

A yearly overview of learning has been created for Reception class, which progresses from what has been learnt in Pre-School, whilst reinforcing prior learning, knowledge and skills. Our school knowledge curriculum has been developed from EYFS and ensures that children from our youngest year groups are taught knowledge that will support their learning and will be built on as they move through school. In addition to this, foundational knowledge is considered and taught throughout Reception, ensuring children have the starting blocks they need for a successful learning journey into key stage one and throughout their school journey. Please see the document below for additional information as to how considerations and learning opportunities for the EYFS programmes are made at Lancaster Lane Pre-School.   

Reception use their long-term overviews to inform their medium-term planning. This provides more detail on what will be covered during each half term to ensure progression throughout the year and a focus for learning. Medium term plans are adapted based on each cohorts needs and interests each year.  

Continuous provision enhancements are planned for weekly, with adults in class contributing to planning based on the needs and interests of their key worker groups, alongside the influence of the overarching topic and text for that half term. EYFS staff work in collaboration to enhance areas within the outdoor provision based on both classes but also led by the child-initiated learning observed and involved in.  

Phonics and Early Reading

A strong emphasis is placed on developing children’s love of reading from an early age. The Reception class has a well-resourced  reading area, which has a variety of books that can be enjoyed by children. Outdoor reading areas also ensure that children’s love of stories can be transferred into a more natural environment. We create communication friendly spaces, which are language rich and provide opportunities to engage with text within different contexts. The Reception class focus on a particular book each half term and share this with parents to aid parental engagement, alongside key vocabulary from the book that will be discussed and modelled in school and can also be followed up at home. Linked books are also selected carefully to enhance learning and are available for children to access daily, as well as read during daily story times. Reception class also have a lending library trolley, available daily, to borrow books to share at home.  

Our school follows the synthetic, systematic phonics scheme ‘Red Rose Letters and Sounds’. Daily phonics sessions support children in developing their knowledge of phonemes and strengthen early reading and writing skills and application and parents are updated weekly as to phonemes and tricky words that have been taught and can be reinforced at home. Home reading books are issued based on phonics ability and provide children with opportunities to blend CVC words to read, developing from this to CVCC and beyond. These are tailored to meet the needs of children, and all books are decodable and follow the sequence of phonemes/diagraphs taught through the Red Rose Letters and Sounds scheme.

More information on how phonics and reading is taught across school can be found by clicking on this link.

Transition to Y1

At Lancaster Lane Primary and Pre-School, we plan transitions between year groups carefully and consider the needs of all children. 

The move from Reception to Year 1 is the first class move out of the EYFS unit in school and bridges the Early Years Foundation Stage to the National Curriculum. Please see the transition strategy below with more information about how we support children in moving to Y1.