Welcome to Reception
Our Class Teachers are Miss Renton and Mrs Taylor Wattam
We are so excited to welcome you to Egerton Primary School!
Our Curriculum
During their reception year children continue to follow the Early Years Foundation Stage Curriculum (EYFS), the same curriculum as followed throughout pre-school and nursery (from birth – 5 years).
The three prime areas of this curriculum are;
- Communication and Language
- Physical Development
- Personal, Social and Emotional Development
These areas are strengthened and applied through four specific areas;
- Literacy
- Mathematics
- Understanding The World
- Expressive Arts and Design
As your child enters school we will be completely focussed on the well- being and involvement of your child as they settle in and become part of their new environment. During the first few weeks we will enjoy getting to know them and helping them to feel safe, secure and inspired. In reception we place a huge emphasis on effective learning.
Our children benefit from a curriculum based upon structured play, both indoors and outdoors. Play forms a fundamental part in quality learning for young children; they structure their understanding through learning with enjoyment and challenge. Through play young learners develop an understanding of the world around them; they internalise, practise and structure ideas, concepts, skills and understanding.
Children learn how to control impulses, interact sensitively, develop an awareness of the feelings of others and the effects of their decisions and actions. It is important that children are able to calculate and take risks and to make mistakes, they should develop the ability to think creatively and imaginatively. In reception we aim to develop young, empowered learners who are learning how to learn. We support and develop children’s learning through planned play activities and through extending and supporting children’s spontaneous play.
At our school, we are proud to use the Little Wandle phonics programme to support the development of early literacy skills in our EYFS classrooms. This structured and systematic approach provides children with a strong foundation in phonics through engaging, consistent teaching. Little Wandle ensures that children are introduced to phonemes and graphemes in a clear and progressive way, building their confidence in both reading and spelling. With its emphasis on high-quality, decodable books, children are able to practise their phonics skills in context, reinforcing their learning and helping them develop fluency. The programme also promotes a love for reading by making phonics accessible and enjoyable, giving our young learners the tools they need to become confident, independent readers. This half term our phonics teaching will progress to Phase 3 where children will learn to read vowel diagraphs within words and apply them to their spelling and writing.
We have daily Literacy sessions based around Greg Botrill’s ‘Drawing Club’. This creative approach encourages children to engage with storytelling through drawing, which not only sparks their imagination but also enhances their ability to express ideas in written form. By using drawings as a starting point, children develop a deeper understanding of narrative structure, vocabulary, and sentence formation in a fun, engaging way. Drawing Club supports the development of fine motor skills, fosters communication and collaboration, and builds confidence in young learners, making it a powerful tool in our early years literacy curriculum. Through this approach, we help children make
meaningful connections between images and words, laying a strong foundation for their future literacy skills.
This half term we will be teaching children through mini themes based around high quality texts. Our topics will include:
· Winter and Antarctica
· Transport
· Space
· Chinese New Year
· Dinosaurs
To see our long term plan for the year please refer to the 'Our Curriculum' page.
If you have any questions do not hesitate to contact us. We are available most days after school or you can email the school office and one of us will get back to you.
Miss Renton and Mrs Taylor Wattam