Reception - Saplings Class
Welcome to our Reception page.
Hello and a warm welcome to the Reception class page. You will find key information which relates to your child's time in Reception.
We are very excited to get to know your children over the coming weeks as they settle in to their new class and we are keen to watch them flourish within our nurturing environment.
The Reception Team:
Mrs Orrell - Class Teacher
Mrs Smith - Early Years Practitioner
Miss Seymour - SEN Support Assistant
Our class pets.
Our reception class learns a lot from our class pets, and Toffee and Fudge the guinea pigs make the experience even more special. These gentle, squeaky companions help the children understand how to care for living things by showing how important fresh food, clean bedding, and quiet handling can be.
Pupils love watching Toffee and Fudge explore their enclosure, munch on vegetables, or curl up together for a nap.
Their presence encourages kindness, responsibility, and curiosity, turning everyday classroom moments into opportunities for learning and empathy.
Toffee Fudge
The Early Learning Goals (ELGs)
The Early Learning Goals (ELGs) are 17 key targets children are expected to reach by the end of their Reception Year (age 5), in the UK's Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) framework, covering 7 areaa of learning (3 prime, 4 specific), to ensure they are 'school ready, with strong foundations for future learning.
Non-statutory Curriculum Guidance for Early Years.
Development Matters is a non-statutory curriculum guidance for early years practitioners in England, designed to support the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) framework. It provides a framework for understanding how children aged 0-5 develop and learn, helping educators to plan and provide high-quality teaching experiences that meet the needs of each child.
Key functions of Development Matters
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- Supports the EYFS Framework: It is guidance that works slongside the statutory EYFS framework to help ensure consistent, high-quality learning for children.
- Focuses on holistic development: It provides a high-level overview of child development, which helps practitioners design an effective curriculum that covers all areas of learning
- Guides professional judgment: The document guides but does not replace the professional judgment of practitioners, who must consider the individual needs of each child.
- Promotes effective teaching: It helps practitioners to support and extend the characteristics of effective learning and to plan challenging and enjoyable experiences for all children.
- Covers key areas of learning: Development Matters addresses all areas of learning and development, including literacy, mathematics, and personal, social, and emotional development.
- Aids with assessment: It guides practitioners on the importance of observation and assessment to improve learning for children.
Our Curriculum
Phonics
At Hill Top we follow the 'Monster Phonics' scheme for Phonics. Phonics is a method of teaching children to read by linking sounds (phonemes) with symbols that represent them (graphemes).
We are seeing great results with the children.
If you would like to find out more, please click here to take you to the Phonics and Early Reading Page.
English
We are using the 'Pathways to Write' scheme from 'The Literacy Company', which provides a scaffold for children to base their own writing. It ensures children are exposed to a range of quality texts.
Click on the link below to find out more:
https://www.theliteracycompany.co.uk/introducing-pathways-to-write/
The Pathways to Write texts used in Reception are:
Autumn Term 1
Peace at Last by Jill Murphy
Goldilocks and the Three Bears by Nick Sharratt
Autumn Term 2
The Three Little Pigs by Mara Alperin & Ag Jatkowska
Farmer Duck by Martin Waddell
Spring Term 1
Lets All Creep Through Crocodile Creek byJenny Lambert
Spring Term 2
The Pirates are Coming by John Condon & Matt Hunt
Summer Term 1
Gigantosaurus by Jonny Duddle
Summer Term 2
The Seas Saw by Tom Percival
Mathematics
We follow the White Rose Maths scheme, which we adapt to suit our provision and the needs of our learners.
Click on the link below to find out more:
Maths resources for teachers | White Rose Education
See below for the yearly overview.
Half Termly Overviews.
Here you'll find our half termly overviews, which will guide you through our topics and learning opportunities.
Autumn Term 1
Autumn Term 2
New Starters
Please click on the link below for our 'New Starters' presentation that we showed at our parent transition meeting we held this year. This presentation contains useful information about your child starting Reception class in September.
