EYFS
Reception Class
Early Years Foundation Stage [EYFS]
The EYFS sets standards for the learning, development and care of your child from birth to 5 years old. The EYFS curriculum is followed within Reception at Ellwood Community Primary School.
Parent Testimonials
“Thank you Mrs King and Mrs Chiswell for all your hard work.”
“Out of all my children I thought that my daughter would struggle the most because of her behaviour and personality at home, but actually she has settled the best.”
“We are grateful for all the support we have received so far and look forward to watching our son grow this year.”
“Thank you all for ensuring my child`s start to school has been better than we could have hoped for. You are doing a fantastic job.”
“We have been really pleased with the support our child has had in settling into school, particularly the help in staying dry at school.”
"We could not be happier that our daughter is beginning her educational years at Ellwood Primary School. From the very first open evening, all School staff have been informative, caring and also patient (especially as a first time school mum, who is still learning the ropes). It is safe to say that E has thrived since starting school and continues to amaze us with the things she's learnt each day. A wonderful setting, an incredible teaching team and a very happy daughter. We are thrilled our girl is part of such a fantastic school".
"Preparing for our daughter to start school felt like a daunting task, which I'm sure is true for most parents. Worrying about her individual quirks and how she'd settle in was top of the agenda for us. Thankfully these worries were quickly whisked away as she comes home each day excited about her learning and giving us the highlights of the day. She's made some great friends and her year 6 buddy is a true credit to the school, allowing her to join in with his games at break and lunch when he could be choosing to play with his class friends. A very well matched pair! Already since September our daughter has had the opportunity to take part in a trip to the local woods, specialised gymnastics sessions, archery, harvest festival and sparklers for bonfire night. Needless to say, she is loving being at school. We love the use of tapestry and dojo for communication and keeping us in the loop with our daughters learning. It's easy to see what has been done in school and often we receive top tips of how to extend this at home. We love how happy she is each morning to go to school and how excited she is to tell us about her day. This to me is the best sign any parent could need".
"Both of our daughters have settled excellently into Ellwood school. The staff go above and beyond to make you feel welcome and we couldn’t have asked for an easier transition into reception for either of them. The reception teacher is a credit to the school and teaches the class with such positivity and praise. Like most 4 year olds it’s very hard to get decent feedback of their day but the communication you get within the reception year is amazing! You get to see everything the children are doing, and also how they are progressing on a day to day basis. Nothing is ever too much trouble and questions and queries always have a sharp response. The standards are high and the children are taught to have good manners and show respect which is exactly the environment I want my girls to be taught in. It’s clear to see how much confidence the children have within the class and so lovely that all of the children’s hard work gets rewarded. The children have endless opportunities within the year and are often off site with forest schools or day trips. Most importantly, the children have a lot of fun! I’m so pleased with our choice of school and the reception class at Ellwood school is the absolute perfect introduction to any child’s educational journey".
As a means to show their appreciation for the time a child had in Reception last year, a very generous grandparent created a wonderful mud kitchen for the new children of Oak class to use in our outdoor area.
Areas of Learning & Development
Prime areas:
Personal, Social and Emotional Development [PSED]
Communication and Language [CL]
Physical Development [PD]
Specific areas:
Literacy [L]
Mathematics [M]
Understanding the World [UW]
Expressive Arts and Design [EAD]
How will my child be taught in Reception?
The EYFS curriculum is delivered through a mixture of adult led and child led learning. The EYFS classroom is set up to allow children to initiate their own purposeful learning alongside small group and whole class activities.
Child initiated learning:
Small group learning:
Whole class learning:
Exploring on Forest Adventures:
The children access learning through play opportunities in a well resourced and high quality learning environment.
As part of the assessment requirements set out in the EYFS, we create an individual digital learning record for each child via 'Tapestry'.
Characteristics of Effective Learning
Children will also learn to develop life long learning skills through three key 'Characteristics of Effective Learning' which are set out within the EYFS:
Playing and Exploring
Active Learning
Creating and Thinking Critically
We learn to develop our 'Characteristics of Effective Learning' with...
Our Outdoor Classroom
The outdoor classroom has been carefully designed to ensure children have access to high quality outdoor learning opportunities. In the EYFS we ensure the children have daily access to the outdoor classroom to support and extend their learning.
Learning in our outdoor classroom:
Imaginative Play
In Reception we explore different role play areas to develop many aspects of our learning. Role play is essential in developing the 'Characteristics of Effective Learning'.