Curriculum Overview

Reception Curriculum

In Reception, we follow the Early Years Foundation Stage Framework. There are four guiding principles which shape our practice in the early years. These are:

• every child is a unique child, who is constantly learning and can be resilient, capable, confident and self-assured
• children learn to be strong and independent through positive relationships
• children learn and develop well in enabling environments with teaching and support from adults, who respond to their individual interests and needs and help them to build their learning over time. Children benefit from a strong partnership between practitioners and parents and/or carers.
• the importance of learning and development. Children develop and learn at different rates, and the framework covers the education and care of all children in early years provision, including children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND).

The framework details three characteristics for effective teaching and learning in the early years:

• playing and exploring – children investigate and experience things, and ‘have a go’
• active learning – children concentrate and keep on trying if they encounter difficulties, and enjoy achievements
• creating and thinking critically – children have and develop their own ideas, make links between ideas, and develop strategies for doing things.

In Reception, there are daily opportunities for learning through play for all children, as well as focussed teaching of essentials skills and knowledge for individuals, groups and the class, helping children to prepare for Y1.

The EYFS Framework has 7 areas of learning which are interrelated and provide the foundation for learning in the Primary School:

• Communication and Language
• Personal, Social and Emotional Development
• Physical Development
• Literacy
• Mathematics
• Understanding the World
• Expressive Arts and Design

At our school, subject leaders ensure that the knowledge and skills taught in Reception underpin the learning for their subject as children move into Y1.

Y1 – Y6 National Curriculum Subjects

We follow the requirements of the National Curriculum in Y1-Y6, incorporating the aims and objectives into our medium term plans for each subject. Subject leaders provide teachers with an overview of the key knowledge and skills to be taught in each year group, along with information about how this learning fits into the overall plan, ensuring that teaching is sequential and ensures appropriate progression. Meaningful links are made through cross-curricular ‘learning journeys’ where appropriate, supplemented by discrete subject teaching to ensure appropriate coverage of the key knowledge for each subject area.

Select from the menus on the left to see an overview of the national curriculum subjects at Whiteley Primary School.