Early Learning Goals

Communication and Language

Communication and Language is a key focus of ours at St. Paul’s. During our time in Reception we aim to develop our Communication and Language skills through: Speaking, Listening, attention and understanding. We are given vast opportunities to develop our rich language skills and express ourselves in a variety of situations, which in turn develops our confidence and self-esteem. We have access to the Language Hub which further supports our individual development. We are given opportunities to listen and share in different situations such as whole class, small group and individual teaching activities, and in a variety of worship sessions and educational visits.

Physical Development

Physical Development is another one of our Prime Areas in Reception and is broken down into; Gross motor skills and Fine motor. By developing our physical skills we can: run, jump, cycle and climb, hold a pencil, form super cursive letters, use tweezers, safely hold scissors and keep ourselves safe when using an oven. We develop our physical skills both inside and outside the classroom. We love exploring new ways to challenge our development, and build our control and co-ordination. We are encouraged to understand the importance of physical activity and how to make healthy choices.

Personal, Social and Emotional Development

In Reception one of our Prime Areas is Personal, Social and Emotional Development. We develop this through: regulating and managing ourselves and building relationships with our peers and the adults who support us. Our PSED is of high importance and is focused on throughout our time in Reception as children gain the confidence to try new activities, play co-operatively, show empathy and understand their own feelings and much more.

Literacy

Literacy is one of the Specific Areas in Reception. It is developed through focused, small group sessions and our continuous provision and is embedded in everything we do. We are encouraged to write, read, comprehend and explore as part of our child centred learning and have continual access to reading materials and writing equipment, both indoor and out, to ignite and inspire our interests. Our Literacy focus is text driven and closely linked to our phonics provision, where we follow the Supersonic Phonics Friends scheme. We learn how to link sounds to letters as we begin our reading and writing journey.

Mathematics

Mathematics is another one of the specific areas in Reception and is part of our everyday child centred approach. We are supported and provided with a range of opportunities, as a whole class, in small groups and independently, to explore: counting, understanding and use of numbers, calculating simple addition and subtraction problems, and we are given the time and opportunities to explore to understand numerical patterns.

Understanding of the World

During Reception we endeavour to understand the world through a large variety of topics which encompass a vast amount of different subjects including: Celebrations, All about Me, Journeys and Castle, Knights and Dragons. These are all text driven. We explore different greetings and songs through our chosen Modern Foreign Language - Spanish. We are supported to gain a sense of the physical world and our community through exploration and observation. We do this using a variety of technology and a rich mixture of environments and people including visits to Forest School.

Expressive Art and Design

We are incredibly fortunate in Reception to have a designated learning space called the Activity Area, which focuses on developing and honing our art and design skills. Throughout our provision and specifically in this area, we are whole heartedly supported to use our imagination as we explore different media and materials. We have opportunities to share thoughts, ideas and feelings through: art, music, movement, dance, role-play and design and technology. We take pride in our wonderful creations and thrive during focused activities and continuous provision. 

Characteristics of Effective Learning

COEL are embedded throughout everything we do. In Reception we are encouraged to find out and explore by playing with what we know and having a go. They inspire us to take part in active learning by never giving up, concentrating and persevering. Finally, they encourage us to have our own ideas, make links and think critically