Welcome to Reception!

New Reception Starters September 2023 – please see below your Welcome to Reception booklet and a copy of the presentation from the information evening.

-New Parents Information Booklet 2023:

-New Parents Information Evening Presentation 2023:

Below is a brief summary of some of the key points of information for the parents of Reception pupils.

The Reception year provides the culmination of the Early Years Foundation Stage. The Early Years Foundation Stage charts the development of children from birth until the end of the year in which they are five. It is built on the principle that all children are unique and that their learning and development is brought about by forming positive relationships with others, both adults and peers and by exploring concepts and the world in which they live, in an enabling environment- that is one which offers a wide range of stimulating opportunities to help them to make sense of their world. At Elmlea we believe we offer an exciting, inspiring curriculum to engage our pupils and give them an introduction to the experiences and skills that they need to develop for life-long learning. We create an environment that is child-centred, based on their interests and within which they can take time to be a child whilst learning and having fun at school.

We work towards achieving learning outcomes in seven areas of learning and development as set out in the Statutory Framework for the Early Years Foundation Stage and Development Matters:

• Personal, Social and Emotional Development
• Communication and Language
• Physical Development
• Literacy
• Mathematics
• Understanding the World
• Expressive Arts and Design

Within the Early Years our priority is to provide children with exciting learning opportunities that are self-driven and adult-led. We provide learning spaces for purposeful play inside and out and a variety of enjoyable, challenging activities in order to provide the best support for your child’s development. 

Developing rich language and communication skills are a key part of the curriculum. As are personal and social skills where we support the children to understand others and communicate effectively, self-regulate and manage their emotions. Building relationships with others whilst having fun and playing together in an exciting environment is a key element of the early years curriculum that we want to provide. Learning through play is at the heart of the curriculum and we strive to create a fun learning environment from day 1 of your child’s school life.  

We provide rich opportunities for children to explore and thrive, a few examples of extra-curriculum opportunities that we provide are; watching the caterpillar life-cycle and releasing them as butterflies; visiting a farm and learning all about the animals born in Spring and where our food comes from; specialist PE coaching sessions and opportunities for taking part in tournaments; storyteller visits; local walks; we have had ‘Little Cities’ visit Elmlea to provide role-play opportunities for the children; parental involvement during health week where the children learn about different careers and lots more! 

Further information on how the Early Years Foundation Stage is taught at Elmlea and how you can help as a parent/carer at home will be shared throughout the year in the form of a curriculum information evening, parent-teacher meetings and through online platforms. As part of our practice, each child will have their own electronic ‘learning diary’ that can be contributed to by both home and school and will build a wonderful evidence base for their learning journey throughout the Foundation Stage. Working together with parents/carers is one of the most important parts of providing a tailored early years curriculum that suits every individual learner. We aim to communicate with you before your child starts and then throughout their time with us to ensure that their best interests are always at the heart of what we do.  

Please follow these links to find out what we cover in the 7 areas of learning each term below: 

Our Reception Classes
Within our year group, there are 3 classes: 

Maple, Willow and Oak 

A Typical Daily Timetable–
8:50 – 09:00am Registration and settling time
09:00 – 09:15am Choosing time
09:15 – 10:15am Teaching begins including a carpet session led by your child’s class teacher and then small group work with an English or Maths focus
10:15 – 10:30am Whole school assembly
10:30 – 10:50am Outside snack (please provide fruit in a named container) and break time
10:55 – 11:45am Teaching time and activities
11:45 – 01:00pm Reception Lunch and play time
01:05 – 03:00pm Teaching time and activities, stopping for afternoon milk and fruit 

03:15pm End of the school day

PE Day: Friday 

Things To Remember Each Week:
All Reception pupils need to remember to:
• Bring in a named water bottle and fruit snack each day
• Bring in their reading book and reading record book each day
• Ensure they have appropriate clothes for all weathers e.g. a coat, a sun hat, wellington boots to be left in school

Ways To Support Learning At Home-
More information on this will be shared at our Curriculum evening later in the year, however please do speak to your class teacher if you would like specific ways to support learning at home.
• Read to your child and listen to them read as often as possible (please write a short positive comment in their reading diary once you have done so)
• Talk with your child about what they have done in school and read our weekly newsletter to find out how you can help consolidate that week’s learning at home.

Want to know more about EYFS at Elmlea? Please access our FAQ sheet: