We have two classes in reception Gruffalo and Rainbow Fish!

In Reception, our learning revolves around play and children will be given the opportunity to explore and investigate learning with independence.  As part of our continuous provision, the children are given times throughout the day where they can independently choose which areas they would like to learn in: both classrooms and outdoor learning environment – we call this learning choices.

Learning Choices are tasks that children can complete independently, are linked to current learning or interests and are purposeful with a clear learning objective. 

  Learning Choices have scaffolding to support children which includes key questions, pictures, links to the learning / contexts and resources / apparatus that extend children.

Learning Choices across the classes each week are very similar, ensuring consistency of provision. Adult focus group work happens throughout the week including guided writing in books as well as practical activities. In addition to Learning Choices, and focus work there are whole class inputs every day a minimum of 2 per day.

DFE accredited Little Wandle Letters and Sounds programme is used to teach phonics. Children are taught as part of a whole class and assessment for learning identifies children who need extra phonics intervention to keep up and close the gaps. 

Adults join in with play regularly, taking the opportunity to model skills and vocabualry within play scenarios. This includes support staff who closely work alongside class teachers, observing children, leading focus groups and leading intervention groups.

Outdoor Learning

Reception are extremely luckily to have a very large outdoor learning environment exclusively for the Reception children!

We believe the outdoor environment is different to the indoor one and thus provides different experiences that they cannot get inside. Our outdoor environments expose children to nature, weather and real experiences of the world around them. We understand that indoor topic based learning can be extended and developed through the outdoor environment, however outdoor opportunities are valued in their own right.

• Our outdoor environment is open-ended and allow children to take their learning in any direction they choose.
• Zones and areas outside are be set up as an invitation to play.

Supporting your child at home

Reading

One very important activity you can do is read with your child every day. Children can take home a picture book any day for an adult to read the help, which we call a reading for pleasure book. Once children can blend, they will be sent home with an additional phonics reading book on a Monday which needs to be back in school on a Thursday.
 

Phonics

Research shows that teaching Phonics in a structured and systematic way is the most effective way of teaching young children to read.  Almost all children who receive good teaching of Phonics will learn the skills they need to decifer new and unfamiliar words. At The Crescent Primary School Phonics in the Early Years is taught on a daily basis and follows the Little Wandle Letters and Sounds programme. Children are taught the skills for segmenting and blending words and are introduced to new phonemes as part of a systematic synthetic approach. The teaching of Phonics continues in Years 1 and 2 as children are introduced to alternative graphemes, lesser known sounds and begin to learn some of the more complicated spelling rules. 

Please click here for more information and some instructional videos on The Little Wandle Letters and Sounds Programme- this can be used to support your child at home.