Welcome to Warren Mead Reception

Warren Mead Early Years provision is committed to giving our children the best possible start to their school life to ensure that they become resilient, aspirational learners and considerate individuals who are proud of themselves every day.

Warren Mead has two classes in Reception - Butterflies and Ladybirds. All classes have a full-time Learning Assistant who support the children and their learning throughout the school day. The Reception classes and staff are listed below:

Both classes share a large zoned indoor and outdoor learning environment which they can access independently.

Reception Curriculum:

The EYFS curriculum is split into seven areas of learning:

PRIME AREAS - physical development, communication and language and personal, social and emotional development.

SPECIFIC AREAS - literacy, mathematics, understanding the world, expressive art and design

Prime Areas of Learning

The Prime areas of learning and development are universal to all children. Learning in the Specific areas is dependent on a secure foundation in the Prime areas, for example if a child is not able to hold a pencil correctly, they will find writing in Literacy very difficult.

Physical Development covers both fine motor skills such as being able to hold a pencil to form letters correctly and gross motor skills such as throwing and catching a ball. In this area of learning they are also developing the skill of managing their own personal hygiene. Communication and Language covers the areas of speaking, listening and attention, and understanding. These areas are about the child making sense of the world around them, being able to understand and communicate with others. Personal, Social and Emotional Development develops the children’s social skills. We look at how children make relationships and relate to each other, about how confident and self-aware they are, and about how they are able to manage their own feelings and behaviour.

Mathematics

In Mathematics, we follow the Mastering Number Maths Curriculum (NCETM). This breaks the curriculum into manageable ‘small steps’ with each one focussing on one key concept. Children are taught through whole-class and small group interactive teaching, where the focus is on all pupils working together on the same lesson content at the same time. This ensures that all can master concepts before moving to the next part of the curriculum sequence.

Writing

To enable children to become successful writers they need to have something to write about.  It is essential that we equip the children with the vocabulary and ideas to support these developing skills. We believe that writing should be purposeful, and activities are planned that are meaningful for the children (for example; shopping lists, signs, labels, instructions).  Opportunities for children to write independently are available in all areas of learning.

Reading/Phonics

It is crucial for children to develop a life-long love of reading. Reading consists of two dimensions: language comprehension and word reading. Language comprehension (necessary for both reading and writing) starts from birth. It develops when adults talk with children about the world around them and the books (stories and non-fiction) they read with them, and enjoy rhymes, poems and songs together. We ensure that through all areas of learning, the children have access to appropriate and high-quality texts to encourage and develop their love for reading.

At Warren Mead, we follow the Read Write Inc phonics scheme to teach your children the knowledge they need to become confident readers and, eventually, confident writers. Your child will receive daily phonics sessions.  In addition, we enjoy phonics games that teach children the listening and sound discrimination skills they need in order to read. We will communicate with you the sounds that your child is learning so you can work with them at home.

EYFS Curriculum Overview