Reception
"Oh the places you’ll go; today is your day. Your mountain is waiting, so … get on your way!"
Our bright and colourful Reception classroom presents a setting where imagination and curiosity join forces to begin the greatest adventure of all – big school!
Children naturally move up from our Little Ed’s Nursery into our Reception class, as well as coming from other Nurseries in the local and wider area. Continuing to follow the Early Years Foundation Stage, our Reception children acquire their learning skills through a combination of child-led activities and adult inspired interests using play based learning.
Our undercover decking area enables Reception children independent access to outside learning whatever the weather. Reception children also regularly visit the specifically designed Early Years garden located just next door in Little Ed's Nursery.
Our commitment to small teaching groups allow our highly-skilled staff to celebrate the individuality of every child and support their interests and abilities.
Our Early Years Curriculum is also enriched thanks to the many Prep and Senior School specialist teachers who join the children weekly for Dance, French, ICT, Music, Sport and Swimming. Reception children also benefit from regular visits to our very own Early Years Forest School site within the school grounds.
Daily Routine
The school day in our Reception class begins at 8.25am with registration at 8.30am. The school day finishes at 3.15pm however, recognising that our parents have busy lives, our Reception children can stay with us until 5:30pm thanks to a number of after school clubs.
Reception children are also able to attend the Little Ed's Holiday Club until they are at the end of their Reception year. This provides the opportunity for additional childcare for 13 weeks of the year.
A cooked lunch is provided for the children each day along with a morning and afternoon snack.
Communication & Learning Journeys
As part of our EYFS ethos, we consider good communication between home and school imperative and we value the day-to-day contact we have with our parents. Our dedicated Reception staff are always pleased to meet and chat with parents either before or after school and we host a parents evening every other term for a more thorough update on your child’s development. Furthermore, our fantastic secure “Online Learning Journeys” help our Reception staff to record and celebrate your child’s achievements and interests at school, offering an effective, frequent two-way flow of communication between school and home and making sure you really do play a big part in your child’s school life.
Life in Reception
Life in our Reception class is certainly fun and busy!
Whilst still being part of the Early Years department, the children also start to transition into being part of the Lower Prep. They start to move to different areas of the school such as the sports hall and astro pitch, the music room and swimming pool for some of their specialist lessons. They also join Forms 1 and 2 on the playground for their morning breaks and for assemblies throughout the week.
Alongside the independent learning opportunities provided throughout the day in the Reception classroom, the Reception teacher introduces short daily literacy, maths or PHSE sessions. These are then extended through into the continuous provision within the classroom.
A love of books and stories in the Early Years leads our introduction to reading in Reception. Children are introduced to reading at a pace that is suited to their individual ability. We support early literacy and numeracy skills in a variety of fun and engaging ways to foster an early love of language, reading, writing and numbers.
Reception pupils start their ICT journey by using the interactive whiteboard, as well as ipads in the classroom. As they become more proficient in ICT, laptops are also available for use.
Regular visits to the school grounds and our on-site Forest School area further widen the opportunities for learning throughout the week.
Reception children also benefit from annual external visits from ‘Zoolab’ and a local animal petting farm. They also experience their first day trip away from school in the summer term which is very exciting!
The EYFS Nativity and EYFS Sports Day are highlights of the calendar every year for both parents and children!
After School Clubs
Recognising our parents have busy lives, all of our Reception children can stay at school until 5:30 pm (Monday to Thursday).
From 3:15pm – 4:20pm (Monday to Friday) they are able to stay for 'Fun for Free' which includes a variety of different activities across the week.
From 4:20pm – 5:30pm (Monday to Thursday), children can stay for the ‘Little Ed's picnic club’ along with nursery children, and will be provided with a light supper.
