In Reception, our dedicated teachers encourage and promote ‘active’ learning throughout all the areas of the Foundation Stage Curriculum, celebrating each child’s achievements and preparing them for a smooth and happy transition into Key Stage 1. The children’s learning often follows their interests and what enthuses them. We tailor each cohort's planning to the children’s individuals needs and requirements. We stream our phonics teaching to ensure the children are receiving the best possible start to their education.

At Fairchildes we place a big emphasis on our cursive style writing and this is prominent feature in our reception classrooms. It can be a little scary at first, but the children soon pick it up and enjoy using the very ‘grown up’ script.

We put a strong emphasis on building social skills and recognise that each child brings a different talent to our school. These qualities help to make our reception a fascinating learning environment.

Most Nursery children transfer into Reception from our nursery in the September following their fourth birthday and are joined by children from other local nurseries.

Reception children continue to have easy access to the extensive outdoor learning environment and take part in specialist subject areas of the curriculum such as Forest School and our very own Edible Garden. The reception classes attend a weekly music session as well as a weekly PE session. In addition, all children prepare for the annual Reception Sports Day held in the grounds to demonstrate skills developed throughout the year.

In our Early Years setting we understand the importance of an effective start to a child’s education. We offer a fun, stimulating and caring environment allowing the children space to grow independently and develop the confidence needed to take on new challenges.

In the final term of the Reception Year each child is assessed against the Early Learning Goals and the results of these assessments are submitted to the Local Authority in the form of the Early Years Profile, as well as being shared with parents and carers alongside the end of year report. This report is shared with the pupils’ Year 1 teachers to ensure a smooth transition into their next phase of education.