Life in reception class is full of excitement, discovery, and joy. Play is at the heart of everything we do, as it is through play that children learn best – developing confidence, creativity and key skills for the world around us.

In Reception, a lot of our time is dedicated to Adventure Time – our play-based learning approach that allows children to explore, investigate and demonstrate what they know in meaningful ways. During this time, children have the freedom to follow their own interests and apply the skills and knowledge they have gained during adult-led carpet sessions, making valuable connections in their learning. Both the indoor and outdoor environments are designed to be rich, stimulating, and enabling, providing a wide range of opportunities for exploration and problem-solving. These learning spaces are regularly adapted and enhanced in response to the children’s developing interests and needs, ensuring that provision remains relevant, engaging and challenging. Through this balance of guided and independent learning, children develop confidence, curiosity and a deep love of learning.

In our reception class, building strong, trusting relationships is at the heart of everything we do. Staff take the time to truly get to know each child as an individual – their interests, personalities and way of learning – because we believe that meaningful connection is the foundation for all future learning and development.

During “adventure time”, our practitioners use in the moment planning to respond directly to the children’s play and ideas, identifying next steps and supporting progress as learning unfolds. This responsive approach is made possible by the positive relationships staff have built with the children, enabling them to recognise when to extend learning or introduce a new challenge. As a result, children feel safe, valued, and confident to take risks in their learning, allowing them to thrive, develop independence and foster a genuine love for learning.

In reception, we follow the Read Write Inc, phonics scheme, a structured and systematic programme that supports children in learning to read with confidence and enjoyment. The scheme begins with whole-class sessions, where children are introduced to single-letter sounds and begin to oral blend. Once the children are familiar with the initial set of sounds, they individually assess to determine their next steps in learning. This enables staff to group children according to their phonics ability, ensuring that teaching is closely matched to each child’s stage of development.