St Giles Church of England Primary School

Foundation Stage (Reception)

Welcome!

Welcome to Reception. In our environment we have around 45 children split in to two classes. We share a large open plan classroom and outdoor space which is well resourced and provides children with high quality early education and an enabling environment to learn new things and practise skills. During the day children have the opportunity to take part in a balance of adult focused learning (such as phonics and maths) as well as rich play based learning, which is carefully supported by the adults in the class. We provide an inclusive environment where all the children’s needs are carefully considered and managed. We support all children to access learning, make progress, and succeed at their own level. The mixture of different learning styles helps children to embed knowledge and develop important skills needed for learning. The children in Reception are highly motivated and active throughout the day.

We follow the educational programmes set out in the EYFS statutory framework and work towards the early learning goals which we assess in the summer term and indicate if the child is working towards or at the expected level. There are 7 areas of learning in the EYFS which are divided into the prime and the specific areas. The prime areas include communication and language, physical development, and personal, social, and emotional development. The specific areas include literacy, mathematics, understanding the world, and expressive arts and design.

We complete ongoing discreet assessments throughout the year to ensure we have a clear picture of the children’s development and whether the child needs extra help or further challenge.

A typical day in Reception

Here is an example of what a typical day in reception at St Giles looks like, (although this can change depending on the needs of the children at the time):

Who’s Who?

There are two classes in Reception.

Class 1 - Mrs Gamble (EYFS Lead and class teacher)

Class 2 – Miss Przyborski (Teacher)

Mrs Thurlow (Teaching Assistant)

Mrs Williams (Teaching Assistant)

Miss Braiek (Teaching Assistant)

How to help at home

• Practise phonics with your child, supporting them to –

read and write sounds, blend sounds in words to read, segment sounds in words to spell.

• Getting dressed and undressed independently including –

Put on and take off their coat, gloves and hat.

Zip up their coat, fasten trousers and shoes.

Turn clothes the right way round eg jumpers, coats.

• Encourage your child to care for their personal needs independently –

Going to the toilet independently, washing their hands.

Using a knife and fork at meal times.

• Play games together including –

Counting games, sharing and turn taking, board games, I spy, (look out for our Dinnertime games on Dojo)

• Get those fingers moving! Play with playdough, use scissors, build with Lego, thread beads, paint and draw.

Phonics is a major part of teaching in EYFS. There is lots of information about this on our Phonics page.

Reading at home - parents' role:

• We teach the children to decode, and then have 3 Reading Practice sessions in groups every week, where children read the same 'matched-decodable' book as a group each session, and discuss it with an adult.
• We then send this book home. Your child should be at least 90% fluent with this book. Let them read it to you and build up to 100% fluency. Praise them, encourage them, it's them 'showing off' to you how well they can read, so the book should appear to be 'easy' to read for them. Read it to mum, dad, sister, nan, and whoever else they can!
• We will also send home a book for sharing. This is a book they have chosen that interests them - they might not be able to read all the words, so help them, read it to them, talk about it, explain what any unfamiliar words mean, and build up a love of reading with them. 
• These two very separate approaches will hugely help them - decoding on their own with the Big Cat decodable book, and Reading for Pleasure with the book for sharing - 5 minutes a day, little and often, or more if you have time - thank you!

Spring 2 Information for Parents

Spring 2022 Information for Parents

Information for New Starters in Reception 2021-22

Development Matters

Pre-School reading list

YR Reading List

More information about what we teach can be found under the Curriculum banner - there are planning overviews on the 'Curriculum at St Giles' page, and more information on the 'Early Years Foundation Stage' page.