Reception

Reception at St Joseph’s is a happy and engaging environment when children can learn and progress well. Mrs Nicol is the class teacher and Mrs Lowery is our teaching assistant. We benefit from a large open classroom and an enclosed garden with was recently fully redeveloped. The children are welcomed to school by a member of reception staff through the designated Early Years gate. We enjoy exploring activities both inside and out, this is a combination of provision that the children can select themselves such as Duplo, drawing and home corner, and enhanced provision providing tailored activities such as painting, writing opportunities and messy play. In reception communication is at the centre of what we do.  We welcome children from our own nursery and also other local nurseries. We pride ourselves on the children feeling happy and secure at school as we feel that they learn the best in this environment.

Mrs Nicol has now reached the milestone of having taught for 20 years and still firmly believes it is the best job ever! She has worked happily at St Joseph’s for around 6 years and loves the family ethos that this school has. Mrs Nicol enjoys how creative reception is and supporting the children’s development in all areas of learning. Mrs Lowery has a range of Early Years experience and is in her second year of working at St Joseph’s. She enjoys talking to the children and supporting their learning.

There are 7 areas of learning in reception; Communication and Language, Physical Development, Personal Social Emotional Development, Literacy, Maths, Understanding the World and Expressive Arts and Design.

We have lots of play based learning in reception and use the garden as an “outside classroom” with different activities that the children can access. We have daily phonics lessons using Essential Letters and Sounds. The children take home reading books and also choose their own library book every week to enjoy at home.  

Parents/ carers are invited into the Reception class regularly for “Stay and Play” sessions. Receptin are fully integrated into school life at St Joseph’s including attending assemblies, after school enrichment clubs and school discos.

Reception all have a year 6 Buddy and love spending time with them. We play together regularly and also have special events such as Buddy assembly and a Christmas fun afternoon.

The Early Learning Goals (ELGs) are the goals or targets children are expected to achieve at the end of their reception year. They are not the curriculum, but an end point measure of what a child should be demonstrating at the end of the Early Years Foundation Stage. This is completed by the teacher and is their judgment, it does not involve any testing.

Reception children have lots to say about school;

“I like play with the Duplo”

“I love drawing pictures and being at school”

“I am so good at phonics I can read now”

Some comments from receptions parents:

“I enjoy coming into school to the stay and play to see my child enjoying himself in the classroom”

“The staff are lovely and my daughter loves reception they do so much fun things”