In Reception, children learn through a balance of child-initiated and adult-directed activities and challenges.  The weekly timetable is structured so children have directed teaching Literacy, Phonics, mathematics and specific areas every day.  There are also regular sessions focussing on communication and language and personal, social and emotional development.  Some sessions are taught through group work where children work independently or with a member of staff, allowing them to systematically check for understanding, identify and respond to misconceptions and to provide real-time verbal feedback.

Children are provided with time to engage in exploration through a variety of experiences in and outside of the classroom.  These experiences are planned to support all areas of the children development as well as to promote sustained thinking and active learning.   As part of this, children in Reception have a weekly Forest School experience.  This provision particularly supports physical development, personal, social and emotional development and communication and language skills. 

Reading is at the heart of our curriculum.  We use the Bug Club phonics scheme to support the teaching of reading.  Whole class texts are chosen by our topics and children's interests.  Children also enjoy reading and listening to a variety of books and stories through high quality guided reading,  Drawing Club and Story time sessions.  These help to develop vocabulary and comprehension skills, develop familiarity with high quality texts and provide a model for reading with expression.  Children have access to books which are matched to their phonetic ability, but also those which are linked to topics and their interests.

Our mathematics curriculum emphasises the key concepts of number, calculation and shape, space and measures.  Children learn knowledge and skills through whole class Magical Maths sessions, games and tasks using manipulatives which are then rehearsed and applied during exploration and adult lead activities. Collaborative and practical mathematics experiences are carefully designed to help children remember what they’ve been taught and to integrate their new knowledge into larger concepts.