This section is still undergoing development!
The Reception Classes follow the Foundation Stage Curriculum.
There are six areas of learning which must be covered through the topic work:
Communication, literacy and language
Knowledge and Understanding
Mathematical development
Physical development
Creative development
Personal, Social and emotional development
The Reception Staff meet weekly to decide on the general focus for the following week's learning. At the end of each week the children are asked what they have enjoyed doing and what would they like to learn next week? In this way the childrens interests are taken into account and the learning is completely child centred. The best learning takes place when children are enthused and excited about what they are doing. The staff also respond to developments in learning that may occur on a daily basis, following an unexpected stimulus - for example something a child brings in that sparks an interest or seeing an amazing spider's web in the garden.
A lot of the children's time will be spent in our lovely newly developed outdoor area where activities are set out to inspire and develop the children's natural sense of adventure and curiosity.
During their time in our Reception Classes the children will cover a number of short topics which include themes such as these below:
Bears - the stories of 'Goldilocks and the 3 Bears', 'This is the Bear' and 'We're Going on a Bear Hunt' will be the inspiration for lots of art work, roleplay and drama, writing and number work. Also the children will compare old and new bears and find different ways to sort them. Winter - the children will go on a winter walk to see the signs and effects of winter on our environment and how it affects themselves. They will mix paint to represent winter colours they see. Change - the children will be observing the changes that occur in the environment around them. How does the garden change during the year, how do they change and develop? Imagine I'm a ....... the children will imagine what it would be like to be an artist, a musician, a poet or author, a vet, an explorer and an athlete. They will look at books and the use computer to find out information and will roleplay doing these jobs. Whenever possible there will be visitors to talk to the children about their job. Celebrations - throughout the year the children will celebrate a wide range of festivals and celebrations from a variety of cultures and religions eg Harvest Festival, Divali, Christmas, Easter, Chinese New Year. They will look at artefacts, hear stories and music and try foods.
Water and the sea
