Acorns & Conkers: Our Reception classes for 4-5 year olds

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Welcome to Reception! Acorns and Conkers is for statutory school age children aged 4-5. This is the first year of primary school education. Children in Reception continue on their school journey in our recently refurbished classrooms that create a calm and homely environment.

Children in Reception are supported by an experienced team of Early Years teachers and practitioners who care about every child and who encourage children to be independent, ambitious and successful individuals. We have high expectations at Woodlands, and we want children to be the very best version of themselves.

We have two classrooms in reception. One has a literacy focus and the other has a maths focus. Children will access both classrooms at different parts of the school day when they will have access to engaging continuous provision that links to their learning. 

We have exciting and incredibly inviting areas of provision including; a home corner, a maths area, small world and construction areas that have dolls houses, dinosaurs and cars, beautiful reading areas, spaces for painting and junk modelling, music areas and space for a range of writing activities. Adults work alongside the children in these areas, to deepen their learning and play by providing opportunities for talk and discussion. 

As well as time choosing their own learning in the continuous provision we offer, there are also times built into each session for whole class carpet times, with more structured teaching elements such as phonics, maths and writing. As well as small group and individual tasks working with an adult to develop these academic skills. 

In reception the children also do PE lessons, where they have the opportunity to use apparatus and equipment to work on the development of their gross motor skills and hand-eye coordination.

Our outside area is a vast grassy space that offers even more opportunities for children to develop their gross motor control by creating obstacle courses, building with large blocks and ample space for running, jumping, skipping and playing with hula-hoops and skipping ropes. We have a super sandpit with a sand/mud kitchen for lots of imaginative sand and mud recipes!

Session information

Children in Reception Class attend school for five full days per week. Our doors open at 8:40 and home time is at 3:10 Children can either bring their own packed lunch or opt for a school dinner - ALL reception children are entitled to a free school meal. Our dinner menus are posted daily in Dojo, so you can take a look each morning and choose your preferred meal.

What does my child need to bring to school?

• All children should bring a water bottle with their name on.
• In hot weather, come to school wearing factor 50 sun cream and also bring a sun hat.
• In cold weather, your child will need a hat, gloves and scarf.
• A waterproof coat and wellies are really important as we spend lots of time outside.
• We also do not allow children to bring toys or other items from home into Reception as we have a very large space, and we would hate for anything special to get lost.
• A healthy snack of fruit, bagels and milk is provided each day, free of charge. Please do not send any other food items into school other than healthy packed lunches.