Reception
Curriculum & Assessment
In Reception, children follow the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) curriculum. This stage of learning focuses on developing the knowledge, skills and confidence children need to become happy, curious and independent learners.
On this page you will find our medium-term plans for the year, which show the topics and areas of learning children will explore. Parents and carers can support their child's learning at home through conversations and sharing books linked to the themes. Your child's teacher will send home a document each half term to give ideas and suggestions.
The Prime Areas of Learning
The EYFS curriculum is built around three Prime Areas of Learning. These are the most important foundations for children’s development because they help children learn, build relationships and communicate with others.
Communication and Language
Children develop their listening, attention and speaking skills. They learn to follow instructions, ask questions, share ideas and take part in conversations.
Physical Development
Children build strength, coordination and control through activities such as climbing, balancing, running, drawing and writing. They also learn how to look after their bodies and develop independence in everyday tasks.
Personal, Social and Emotional Development
Children learn how to manage their feelings, develop confidence and build positive relationships with others. They learn to work together, share, take turns and become more independent in school.
These prime areas support children in accessing the other areas of the curriculum, including literacy, mathematics, understanding the world and expressive arts and design.
How We Assess Children's Progress
Teachers assess children’s learning through careful observation of their play, activities and interactions throughout the school day. Assessment in Reception is mostly informal and ongoing, allowing teachers to build a picture of each child’s development over time.
We use observations, conversations with children and examples of their work to understand what children can do and what they are ready to learn next. This helps teachers plan activities and experiences that support every child’s progress.
Good Level of Development (GLD)
At the end of the Reception year, teachers make a final judgement about each child’s progress using the Early Years Foundation Stage Profile.
A child is said to have reached a Good Level of Development (GLD) if they are working at the expected level in the following areas:
Personal, Social and Emotional Development
Physical Development
Communication and Language
Literacy
Mathematics
Children who reach a Good Level of Development are considered to have the skills and foundations needed to begin the Year 1 curriculum successfully.
Every child develops at their own pace, and our aim is to ensure that all children feel confident, supported and excited about learning as they move through their early years of school.
Our Reception Classroom
Our Reception classroom is carefully organised to support children’s learning through a balance of teacher-led activities and child-initiated play.
The classroom includes a teaching area, where children come together for group learning such as phonics, story time, maths and discussions. These sessions help children develop new knowledge and skills that they can then practise throughout the day.
Around the classroom you will find a range of continuous provision areas. These are carefully planned spaces that children can access throughout the day, such as:
Construction and small world
Creative and art area
Role play
Writing area
Reading corner
Maths and problem-solving resources
Outdoor learning areas
These areas allow children to explore, practise and apply their learning independently through play.
Teachers also introduce enhanced provision, which are additional activities linked to the current learning focus. These might include a writing task in the role-play area, a maths challenge in the construction area or a creative activity linked to the topic being studied. Enhanced provision helps children revisit key learning in meaningful and engaging ways.
Adults support children within these areas by observing, asking questions, modelling language and guiding learning when appropriate.