Reception 2024 - 2025

Our Reception class is a happy, safe and stimulating environment where children are cared for, nurtured and encouraged to learn and reach their full potential. We work in partnership with parents to enable our children to learn in a fun and exciting way through their play.

Members of staff in Reception.

• Mrs Sue Bagshaw - Early Years, KS1, Engish Leader and Class Teacher
• Mrs Laura Rollason - Class Teacher
• Mrs Emma Jackson - Learning Assistant
• Mrs Karen Forshaw - Learning Assistant
• Miss Katie Sheedy - Learning Assistant

The  environment indoors and outdoors is designed to enable children to develop the independence and confidence they need to become really engaged in their learning. Resources are clearly labelled and stored to enable children to get them out and put them away themselves. In this way, they can make choices about what to use and when to use it, whilst developing a sense of responsibility and care towards their classroom.

At Garswood Primary School, we believe that parents are a child’s first educators and we recognise how important parent influence is throughout a child’s time in the Early Years. We aim to work closely with parents and carers, to ensure that every child has the best possible start in school and in life!

 The key focus during EYFS is on teaching children routine and easing them into the idea of learning in a structured environment. This gets kids ready for beginning more formal teaching in KS1.

The four main EYFS principles that schools and practitioners work to adhere to are:

• A Unique Child: Every child is unique, and each one responds to different learning methods in different ways. Importantly, every child is capable of being a strong, resilient and capable learner with the right guidance.
• Enabling Environments: The environment in which a child learns should prompt and encourage good learning techniques. An enabling environment is one which caters to each individual child's needs and gives them the freedom to expand their knowledge and development.
• Positive Relationships: Children should be encouraged to be strong and independent when required, forming the basis for positive relationships that they will go on to have. They should also be given the safety and security to bolster the relationships they have with those closest to them.
• Learning and Development: By following the EYFS Seven Areas of Learning, both Prime and Specific, each child will be taught a wide range of skills to aid their physical and mental development.

Curriculum

What we plan for the children to learn has been sequenced carefully, taking into account their starting points and proparing them for the next stage of their education - moving onto the National Curriculum. The detailed curriculum map is available on request, though there are some summary documents showing how the Foundation Stage is at the very start of every subject in the National Curriculum. These can be found on the menu at the top of the website - Garswood, curriculum, curriculum maps. 

Outdoor Play

The outdoor area is seen as an integral part of the early years provision and it has been planned to enable children to learn outside for some or most of the time to engage in the same quality of learning as they would indoors. By deviating between indoor and outdoor play, it can help children with their learning outcomes on Understanding the World, as well as giving them opportunities to explore new ideas and engage problem-solving skills. Please ensure your child has a pair of wellies that they can keep in school.

Forest Schools

Children will have a forest shool set of sessions three times per year with Mrs Bagshaw. These will take place in the secong half of HT1 and first half of HT2, HT3, HT6. We will provide the forest school waterproofs. Please ensure your child has suitable additional clothing E.g. thermal layers, hats, gloves in winter and sun hats and sun cream in summer.

Homework

Homework for Reception will be sent home on a Friday and is due to be returned to school by the following Wednesday. Each week children will have a phonics actvity in books, a reading book, a book to share and a maths activity. House points are awarded for effort each week. The work is consolidation of class work.

Reading books

We will be sending a picture book for you to read with your child every Friday. They will also be asked to read the phonics books they have been reading in class. Please record all reading in the new reading sheet and send it back.