We are aware that both the physical surroundings and the values of the school affect the children’s ability to learn. Members of staff working in Reception are  responsible for preparing a welcoming, safe and enabling environment within their classrooms and the outdoor spaces. This includes offering a range of activities that the children can reach and select themselves.

We aim to provide a balance between child-initiated play, and well-informed responses to teachable moments. We offer a broad range of experiences to the children in order to stimulate their interest, facilitate meaningful communication and promote purposeful, interactive play. We offer a balanced curriculum to extend their thinking processes. Staff are aware of the benefits of sustaining a dialogue with the children either individually (responding to questions and asking open
questions) or as a group (with shared thinking themes threading through the routines of the class).

Diversity is celebrated. Individual children are enabled to reach their full potential through differentiated approaches to learning. We strive to offer equal access to the curriculum and equal opportunities to experience success to all of the children in our care. All children should feel that all activities are open to them. Resources should reflect the diverse cultures in our world as well as those represented within the school.

The Characteristics of Effective Learning are:

• Playing and exploring – engagement
• Active learning – motivation
• Creating and thinking critically – thinking

The areas of learning in Early Years are:

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

The full Early Years Statutory Framework for children aged 0 to 5 can be seen by clicking here: EYFSP Handbook

Assessment plays an important part in helping parents, carers and practitioners to recognise children’s progress, understand their needs, and to plan activities and support. Ongoing assessment is an integral part of the learning and development process. It involves practitioners observing children to understand their level of achievement, interests and learning styles, and to then shape learning experiences for each child reflecting those observations. In their interactions with children, practitioners should respond to their own day-to-day observations about children’s progress, and observations that parents and carers share. To this end we make systematic observations and assessments of each child’s achievements, interests and learning styles. We then use these observations and assessments to identify learning priorities and plan relevant and motivating learning experiences for each child.

At St John’s we follow a maths curriculum that was developed by Nigel Bufton, whose previous role was HMI for maths in England.

The curriculum is divided into six key concepts for each year group, which ensures children develop their core mathematical knowledge, allowing for sustained progress. Each year builds on the previous year’s concepts.

This approach offers the children a balanced curriculum that develops a range of calculation, problem solving and reasoning skills as an approach to learning. We provide the children with a robust, but enjoyable and practical, maths curriculum which links their learning to real life application. Across all year groups we sequence learning across a lesson, week, unit of work and term to ensure progression and to embed understanding, so that the children can apply their understanding both in maths and in other areas of their learning.

Our day to day teaching encourages children to discuss and share their ideas and thinking, and develop their mathematical language, through offering opportunities for practice, recall, rehearsal and reasoning. Mental maths is also an integral part of our day to day teaching. We believe this approach ensures that the children at St John’s are confident and skilful mathematicians.