This area of learning is about emotional well-being, promoting self-esteem. It is also about developing respect for others, social competence and a positive disposition for learning.

The development of communication and language is at the heart of young children’s learning and a vital part of the Reception curriculum; this includes giving many daily opportunities for speaking and listening for different purposes, developing children’s confidence and skill in expressing themselves. In class the children are given different ways to develop and practise these skills, including speaking and listening to others during ‘Show and Tell’ and ‘news’, learning to ask questions to find out more, being able to explain and present information about something they have brought in to class, or to express an opinion.   The  children are also given opportunities to learn words for class assemblies which they then present to the school, building up their confidence when speaking in front of others on a bigger stage.

This involves encouraging children to link sounds and letters, being read a wide variety of books and beginning to read and write.
Within the Early Years/Foundation Stage, the alphabet is learnt by a method called Jolly Phonics. In Reception, children build on knowledge started in Kindergarten and then develop by learning di and trigraphs. Phonics are the building bricks of all words and will eventually help your child decipher new vocabulary.

In Jolly Phonics the 42 main sounds of English are taught, not just the alphabet sounds. For each sound there is an action which helps the children remember the sound the letter makes. In Reception, as the letters are taught, they are stuck into a ‘Sound Book’ which your child will bring home. The letters are not introduced in alphabetical order. The first group: ‘s, a, t, p, i, n’ has been chosen because they make more simple three letter words than any other six letters. Sounds with more than one way of being written are first taught in one form only; for instance, the sound ‘ai’ (rain) is on the Sound Sheet, the alternatives ‘a-e’ (cake) and ‘ay’ (day) will be taught later.
Children in Reception soon start to use this knowledge in their writing which enables them to write independently. As their understanding of phonics develops they will be able to use digraphs and trigraphs (for example ‘ay’ and ‘igh’) in addition to using the standard spellings of high frequency words. By the end of Reception most children are confidently able to write a short story or recount of an event independently.

Children’s mathematical development arises out of daily experiences in a rich and interesting environment. It involves becoming confident and competent in learning key skills in numeracy and simple mathematical problem solving. In Reception, children build on their early experiences and learn to record their practical work – for example record practical addition of two groups of numbers. Reception children will also start using maths workbooks, recording their answers and working independently.

In this area of learning, children are developing the crucial knowledge, skills and understanding that help them make sense of the world. This forms the foundation stones for later work in science, design and technology, history, geography, information and communication technology.

Physical development in the Foundation Stage is about growth of co-ordination, skills, control, manipulation and movement. Two other very important aspects are increasing self-confidence in what can be achieved and learning about the positive benefits of being healthy and active.

Creativity is fundamental to successful learning. Being creative enables children to make connections between one area of learning and another, extending their understanding. This area of learning includes art, music, dance, role play and imaginative play.

Children build upon prior experiences of the Foundation stage by:

Using and applying Mathematics – developing their knowledge and understanding through practical activities, exploration and discussion.
Number – Using and applying number through problem solving, communicating and reasoning, exploration of the number system, methods of calculation (addition, subtraction, multiplication, division), data interpretation, money and mental maths activities.
Shape, Space and Measure – Understanding patterns and properties of shape, position and movement, time, measurement, capacity and weight.
N.B. The Pre-Preparatory School’s core scheme is ‘New Heinemann Mathematics’.

The science curriculum is organised to stimulate children’s curiosity through opportunities for investigation, discussion, prediction, practical and written work.

Scientific Enquiry
Life Processes and Living Things
Materials and their Properties
Physical Processes (forces, motion, electricity, light and sound)
Many strands of study are incorporated into other subjects across the curriculum.

A selection of topics are covered in Years One and Two, incorporating History, Geography, Art, Design and Technology.

History

Children learn how the past differs from the present, about the lives of significant people from the past, how to use sources of information to help them ask and answer questions and selected time eras.

Geography

Children learn about their immediate environment and the wider world, map reading skills, varying climates and landscapes, how to use geographical vocabulary, fieldwork skills and secondary sources (e.g., pictures and information books) appropriately.

Art, Design and Technology

Children have opportunities to explore artistic techniques through colour, form, texture and pattern using a variety of different materials and techniques. They learn to evaluate their work and talk about how they could change/improve ideas and designs. Children learn about the work of artists and designers in different times and cultures.

Children in all classes, except Nursery and Kittens, enjoy French activities each week, taught by specialist staff. The lessons are short interactive sessions and include the use of puppets, songs and rhymes. The Year Two children begin ‘La Jolie Ronde’ scheme and some written work is introduced.

Children build upon prior experiences of the Foundation Stage by developing skills in:

Speaking and Listening – speaking with clarity, fluency and confidence to different people; listening, understanding and responding to others; participating in group discussion and drama.

Reading – building upon phonological awareness, grammatical and contextual understanding through both non-fiction and fiction books. NB The core reading scheme is New Ginn 360. In addition, a wide variety of other reading schemes are colour-coded to correspond with the core reading scheme, encouraging a broader reading scope. (See notes on helping with reading.)

Written Skills – developing correct use of a wide range of punctuation, grammar and comprehension skills, imaginative story writing, factual accounts, spelling strategies, dictation and handwriting skills.

N.B. All children begin to write in joined-up form in Year Two but learn cursive skills from Reception.