A day in Reception

Our day starts at 8:45 with the children coming in and having a go with settling activities such as letter formation, name writing, fine motor activities etc. After the register we have a short Phonics session and then we continue with our “Talk for Writing” English lesson, in which the children practice core skills such as storytelling, reading and writing. Our continuous provision enables  the children to continue their learning independently or with adult support. Our next session is led by our pupils and their knowledge and interests, mainly focusing on Understanding of the World and Personal and Social Development.  At Chandlers Field Primary School we particularly enjoy carrying out experiments and predicting what the outcome will be. The children are encouraged to share their ideas while we  introduce new vocabulary.

Most of our children opt to have hot dinners which they are excited to choose for themselves. Over the course of the year the children move from spending their lunchtime play in Reception’s outdoor space to joining the rest of the school in the main playground.

Our afternoon session starts with an interactive Maths carpet session . The children carry out independent activities based on their learning and also have the opportunity to read with an adult. In Reception we recognise the importance of reading and we like to end our day with a story.

Curriculum

In Reception we focus on the children’s interests and we try to assist their learning in a fun and memorable way while ensuring they make age related progress as indicated in the Development Matters framework.  We acknowledge that every child learns in a different way so we ensure that all activities are taught in different styles catering for every  child’s abilities and needs.

The teachers enjoy creating an exciting start for a topic which is used as a hook to captivate the children’s interest i.e. the children arrived in school one Monday morning to find a spaceship had crash landed in our playground. Everyone was so excited to investigate what had happened and whose spaceship it could be.

In Reception we  take part in mini local trips, for example going to the Post-box to mail a card for Christmas and we visit Painshill Park in Cobham to carry out some field work on mini-beasts. 

The children are never aware of it but we review and assess them  all the time and this feeds into our planning and teaching strategies. We regularly review the progress made by our children putting in place any interventions or extensions whenever they are needed.

We believe that reading is key to the children’s language and creative development as well as being a vital skill. We ask  that all children read with an adult at home for at least 5 minutes every day. The rest of our home learning is communicated to parents through communication diaries and the weekly blog. 

Access more great advice, tips and downloadable resources at 

https://www.pacey.org.uk/working-in-childcare/spotlight-on/being-school-ready/