Reception Class (EYFS)

The Early Years Curriculum

We have four guiding principles to help shape your child’s education.

1. Every child is a unique child, who is constantly learning and can be resilient;
2. The children learn to be strong and independent through positive relationships;
3. The children learn and develop well in enabling environments with teaching and support from adults, who respond to their individual interests and needs and help them to build their learning over time;
4. We focus on the importance of learning and development, understanding that every child develops and learns at different rates. Support and challenge are offered according to each child’s abilities.

Children are taught to learn both on their own and together, nurturing their individual talents in the context of the group as a whole. Promotion of social skills, including kindness, tolerance, respect and diversity, is key in everything we do.

What are the Early Learning Goals?

Communication and Language:

• Listening, Attention and Understanding
• Speaking

Personal, Social and Emotional Development:

• Self-Regulation
• Managing Self
• Building Relationships

Physical Development:

• Gross Motor Skills
• Fine Motor Skills

Literacy:

• Comprehension
• Word Reading
• Writing

Mathematics:

• Number
• Numerical Patterns

Understanding the World:

• Past and Present
• People, Culture and Communities
• The Natural World

Expressive Arts and Design:

• Creating with Materials
• Being Imaginative and Expressive

An Exciting Curriculum

Topic-based learning at PGP allows children to develop necessary skills and to achieve the Early Learning Goals. Topics are exciting and imaginative, involving exploratory and hands-on learning. Activities take place inside and outside the classroom. The children also venture outside the school on a range of exciting outings, while authors, speakers and drama companies visit throughout the year to inspire our youngest learners. Strong community links are also fostered, including visits from the fire brigade, the police and local community figures.

Learning through Play

Structured sessions take place in topic, literacy, maths, supported reading, TPR/Understanding the World, music, French and computing but there are many ‘free-flow’ sessions where children take part in child-initiated activities. With close support from staff, children are always encouraged independently to extend their own learning and thinking.

Making Progress

Children have phonics, creative writing and maths work books used in designated teacher-led tasks. During ‘free-flow’ sessions, staff are continually interacting with the children and are supported in building an individual Learning Journey. Observations are uploaded to an online portal, Evidence Me. They are shared weekly with parents. In the summer, children are assessed against the Early Learning Goals and a fuller report is sent home just before the end of term. Parents are encouraged to share their child’s achievements at home by sharing these on Evidence Me, which are shared and celebrated with the class. Examples might include riding a bike for the first time, visiting a special place or joining a new club.

Developing Independence

We aim to develop each child’s self-esteem, confidence and independence. In Reception, within a few weeks we encourage children to enter the building on their own so that they can hang their coats on their pegs and prepare for the day independently. However, we do encourage all parents to come into school each Friday morning to look at the work they have been doing, have a brief catch-up with the teacher and celebrate all their successes that week.

Partnership with Parents

You are the most important person in your child’s life and have a fundamental role to play in your child’s education. Together we can ensure that your child’s experience at Parsons Green Prep is a huge success.

We pride ourselves on the links we have with our parents and community. Parents can engage with the school through:

• Parent meetings
• Open classrooms on a Friday morning
• Reception Parent and Child learning mornings
• Introduction Evening in September
• Weekly bulletins known as the Book Bag email
• Termly newsletter
• Assemblies and performances
• Parent Phonics workshops
• Learning Journeys
• Reading Records
• Sharing children’s learning through the app Evidence Me

Effective communication and our relationship with parents are key to establishing a safe, welcoming, and purposeful environment. Your child’s class teacher will work in partnership with you, keeping you up to date not only with academic progress but with everything else affecting your child’s progress through school.