Reception Ryeland

Welcome to our Reception Class

Reception is a place where we celebrate awe and wonder from Reading to Forest School we fire the children’s imaginations in the hope that they will have a lifelong love of learning. In Reception we enjoy a balance between play led, child initiated learning and more formal sessions.  We teach Phonics, Maths and Guided Reading daily and regularly timetable lessons and activities that match the children’s interests. At Shepherd, Reception children create their own weekly planning for their self-chosen learning activities, following their fascinations. The staff skilfully plan the environment and resources to move the children’s learning forward using their interests as a vehicle to teach. The children enjoy a very large indoor environment and a lovely outdoor space in which they can independently explore and learn.

Mrs Luts

I am a great fan of outdoor learning and will integrate Forest School into just about any subject! I have been at Shepherd for four years and have taught for fourteen years in Early years and Year 1. I lead Early Years, Phonics and Forest School at Shepherd and am passionate about teaching to all learning styles. I love books and really value the time I get to spend reading with young children.

This Year

We learn Phonics from the second week of the year, focusing on early Phase 2 and rehearsing phase one skills.

Wellbeing

We enjoy meditation every day after lunch, yoga techniques, wellbeing strategies, celebrating mistakes and gratitudes. We also dance a little every morning to get us in the mood for learning. We promote a positive approach to behaviour management, our reward system is purely positive and we encourage the children to solve conflicts by thinking and talking.

We explore Growth Mindsets with the children, encouraging them to self-belief, self-regulation and perseverance.

To find out more about your child's learning, please see our Curriculum Page.