Reception
- Mrs H Jennings – Teacher
- Mrs L Evans – Teaching Assistant
- Mrs A Watson – Teaching Assistant
- Mrs C Petty – Teaching Assistant
- Morning 8.40 to 11.45
- Lunch 11.45 to 12.30
- Afternoon 12.30 to 3.00
Welcome to Pelaw Reception Class!
At Bullion Lane Primary School, we believe the Reception year provides the foundations for a child’s future learning. We offer a carefully planned early education that builds children’s knowledge, language, independence, confidence and curiosity, while making sure that children feel happy, safe and excited to come to school.
Reception is the final year of the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) and the beginning of children’s journey through school. Our curriculum is designed around the seven areas of learning, with a particular emphasis on the importance of communication and language, personal, social and emotional development and physical development. These prime areas underpin children’s learning across the whole curriculum.
Learning through a balance of teaching and play
Children learn in many ways during their time in Reception. Our day includes carefully planned adult-led teaching, small-group learning, guided activities, purposeful play and opportunities for children to follow their own interests and explore independently.
Our experienced staff know the children well and use their interactions with children to extend thinking, introduce new vocabulary, develop ideas and help children become increasingly independent learners. We carefully consider what children already know and what they need to learn next, building knowledge and skills over time.
We place a particularly strong emphasis on language and vocabulary. Children are given frequent opportunities to talk, listen, explain, question, retell and share their ideas. We know that high-quality conversations and interactions provide an important foundation for learning across all areas of the curriculum.
What will your child learn?
Reception is a very busy and exciting year! Children develop a broad range of knowledge and skills, including:
- Reading and writing through our Read Write Inc. phonics programme, alongside a rich programme of stories, poems, rhymes and high-quality texts.
- Mathematical understanding, developing a secure understanding of numbers to 10 and beyond through counting, subitising, comparing quantities, composition and number bonds.
- Communication and language, developing vocabulary, confidence in speaking and listening, and the ability to express and explain their ideas.
- Personal, social and emotional development, including forming friendships, managing feelings, developing independence, persevering when things are difficult and learning to work cooperatively with others.
- Physical development, including developing coordination, strength, balance and control, as well as learning to look after our bodies and wellbeing.
- Understanding the world, exploring people, communities, nature, the changing seasons and the world around us.
- Creativity and imagination, through art, music, dance, role play, construction, storytelling and imaginative play.
Our curriculum
Our curriculum is carefully sequenced so that children revisit and build on important knowledge and skills throughout the year.
Our themes include:
- Myself and my family
- My schoolcCommunity
- My feelings and emotions
- What are celebrations?
- Night-time adventures
- Minibeast safari
- Whatever the weather
Themes provide a context for learning, but our curriculum is driven by the knowledge, vocabulary and skills we want children to develop. We are flexible and responsive to children’s interests and experiences, ensuring that learning remains meaningful and engaging.
A love of books and stories
Books and stories are at the heart of our Reception curriculum.
Each week, we explore a carefully chosen high-quality text linked to our current learning. We revisit stories regularly so that children become familiar with the characters, events and language, giving them opportunities to develop a deeper understanding and confidently use new vocabulary.
Children build a growing collection of treasured stories that they know and love. We use these books as a starting point for conversations, role play, creative activities, writing, vocabulary development and imaginative play.
Alongside our daily story times, children enjoy rhyme, poetry, songs and opportunities to share books independently with their friends and adults.
Learning outdoors
Our fantastic outdoor environment is an important part of our Reception provision and is used throughout the year.
With our wellies at the ready, children investigate nature, observe seasonal changes, explore water and sand, build and create, develop their physical skills and work cooperatively with others.
Outdoor learning gives children opportunities to develop independence, resilience, problem-solving skills and curiosity while learning about the natural world.
Developing healthy, confident and independent children
We want every child to leave Reception feeling confident, capable and ready for the next stage of their education.
We support children’s wellbeing and physical development through our weekly yoga and PE sessions.
Throughout the year, we help children develop important life skills such as dressing independently, looking after their belongings, taking responsibility for themselves and others, solving problems and persevering when something feels difficult.
We also recognise that children develop at different rates. Our staff carefully observe and assess children’s learning so that we can identify what each child knows, understand where they may need additional support and plan what will help them make progress. Ongoing assessment is used to inform teaching and support children’s learning.
A strong start to school
We understand that starting school is a significant step for children and their families. We work closely with families and nursery settings to make the transition into Reception as positive and successful as possible, helping children to feel secure, confident and ready to learn.
Reception is a year of enormous growth. Children develop new knowledge, discover what they are capable of, make friendships, become increasingly independent and develop the skills they will draw on throughout their school life.
We work hard, we learn lots, we grow in confidence — and, of course, we have great fun along the way!
