Early Years Foundation Stage

Our vision for Reception

Reception helps children become curious, confident learners who feel they belong. The seven areas of learning grow together through relationships, play, talk, stories, exploration and adult-guided activities. Our Catholic faith and virtues are part of daily life.

What children learn

Reception follows its own 2026–27 Year overview; the mixed-age Year B projects below start in Year 1. The six main projects are:

Autumn	Spring	Summer
Me and My Community; Once Upon a Time	Starry Night; Dangerous Dinosaurs	Sunshine and Sunflowers; Big Wide World

Mini-projects include Exploring Autumn, Sparkle and Shine, Winter Wonderland, Puddles and Rainbows, Shadows and Reflections, and Splash! Children encounter all six RE branches through the year. Books include Peace at Last, A Walk in the Woods, The Gigantosaurus, The Whale Who Wanted More and Clem and Crab. Mathematics moves from matching and early number towards 20, patterns and shape. Understanding the World includes seasons, communities, animals, weather and travel.

Essential Knowledge and progression

Children learn to communicate ideas, listen to others, develop independence, handle books and sounds, notice number and patterns, move with increasing control and describe their world. Adults revisit this learning in meaningful contexts and prepare children for Year 1.

A learning journey: Children may first name objects and describe what they notice outdoors. They then compare autumn leaves with winter weather and begin to explain how the seasons change. In mathematics, they first match and count small groups, then recognise and compose numbers to 5 and 10, before reasoning about numbers to 20 and simple changes in quantity. Stories develop from listening and oral retelling to labels, captions and increasingly independent sentences. These secure starting points support Year 1 science, reading, writing and number.

The Early Years policy explains that the three prime areas—communication and language, physical development, and personal, social and emotional development—support the four specific areas of literacy, mathematics, understanding the world, and expressive arts and design. Children learn by playing and exploring, active learning, and creating and thinking critically. Their transition into Year 1 draws on the Reception teacher’s assessment and discussion with the next teacher.

How we teach it

Adults model language, share stories, teach phonics with Rocket Phonics as the current programme, introduce mathematical ideas through play and guided teaching, and provide opportunities to investigate and make. Mastering Number helps Reception children develop a secure feel for numbers and their composition through regular discussion, representations and practice.

DISCERN in this subject: A seasonal observation can begin with Dialogue about yesterday’s weather, followed by an adult Introducing Essential Knowledge about autumn. Children handle leaves with Scaffolded vocabulary, compare them in Collaborative Thinking, and adults Evaluate Understanding through questions. A child may Record Learning by talking, sorting or drawing. At Next Steps, the class revisits the observation when the season changes.

Children can choose and investigate within thoughtfully arranged indoor and outdoor provision. Adults extend play with conversation, stories, rhymes, questions and demonstrations, while also teaching early reading, mathematics and letter formation explicitly. Our Early Years policy describes daily phonics, carefully matched reading books and regular checks so that children who need more practice receive it promptly.

How all children take part

Adults notice each child’s starting point, model and repeat important language, adjust support and offer different ways to explore and express understanding. Parents and carers can share insights into children’s interests and development.

We work with families from the start and adapt the environment, activities and adult support for children with SEND, children learning English as an additional language and others whose starting points differ. Relationships, predictable routines and the child’s dignity help them feel secure enough to explore and learn.

How we check learning

Staff use observation, conversation, children’s responses and their work to see what children know and can do, then plan teaching and support. Development is considered across all areas of learning.

Feedback is often immediate and verbal. An adult might observe a child sorting objects, ask what makes a group, model a new word and return to the idea later. Notes, children’s work and discussions contribute to ongoing assessment; the Reception teacher completes the Early Years Foundation Stage Profile at the end of the year and shares learning with the Year 1 teacher.

Beyond the classroom

Seasonal change, the local community, stories, celebrations, outdoor play and first-hand experiences all offer opportunities to connect learning with children’s lives. Tapestry is used as a tool to share learning at home.