Welcome to the Reception Class Page

We warmly welcome you to Donaldson Class!

Welcome to the Early Years Foundation Stage

The Early Years Foundation Stage at Holyport is a two class unit.  We have a Pre-Reception Class (in the mornings called Carle,  and a Reception Class called Donaldson.  

Our classes and staff work in partnership to ensure that we have a shared vision, joint pedagogy, and a progressive curriculum. This is planned together to ensure that our children experience a broad and balanced learning journey combined with opportunities to initiate their own learning and lines of enquiry. 

Curriculum Intent

Children, at Holyport School’s Early Years Foundation Stage Unit, will have an abundance of opportunities to learn through play. We will ensure that learning will be fun, engaging and we will challenge and support all children where ever their starting point. As an EYFS team and effective role models, we will provide high quality interactions in order to develop and deepen the children’s learning opportunities. We will deliver our curriculum through a balance of adult led and child-initiated activities based on the EYFS Framework & children’s interests.

We understand and appreciate the importance of the outdoor environment for our children. It is a continuation of our indoor provision and it will be used at every opportunity. At Holyport Primary School, we provide our children with opportunities to develop their gross motor skills, to deepen their imaginations and also their sense of curiosity. We want the children to feel safe and secure at all times and ensure that our safeguarding procedures are rigorous and kept up to date. Communication is important to us and we greatly value the relationship that we develop with parents throughout this vital year.

Curriculum Implementation

What Early Years Learning looks like

• All children engaged in their learning
• Positive and respectful relationships between children and staff.
• A nurturing, safe and happy environment
• An enabling environment in which children are learning through playing, exploring and developing independence in a purposeful manner
• An environment that will encourage asking questions, taking risks, and reflecting
• An outdoor area that is an extension of the indoor area for encouraging learning and exploration.
• High quality continuous provision both inside and outside, which is planned around the children’s interests, needs and gaps in learning as well as encouraging progression through our curricular goals.
• Continuous provision resources are well stocked and meets the needs of the learners to make progress in their learning.
• A broad and balanced curriculum that is planned but is flexible at the point of delivery.
• A curriculum that is planned with the needs of the children in mind and shows progression when working towards the goals.
• A curriculum and environment that is immersed in story and literature.
• Planning in `the moment’ to move learning forwards and develop children’s interests
• Focus children each week so that adults have a rounded knowledge of children’s interests and in all areas of learning.
• High quality interactions between children and adults.
• Use of key book/poems/festivals/artists/visits and experiences to inspire.
• Balance between child initiated and adult guided learning
• Staff and the environment promoting independence
• Extra opportunities to consolidate/deepen understanding
• Learning will build on previous knowledge, understanding and learning will challenge all pupils appropriately.
• Children building on and expanding their vocabulary and developing their communication skills.
• Adults in class will support, scaffold learning, model, prompt, question, comment, feedback to move learning on.
• Adults and children embracing and celebrating diversity and children experiencing diversity in a range of ways (see EYFS diversity document)
• Promoting use of the characteristics of effective learning (playing, exploring, active learning, creative and critical thinking).
• Learning through practical experiences looking to make links across the curriculum.
• A roleplay area to reflect interests and cover aspects of `real life’ learning.
• Curricular goals to ensure progression through from Pre-Reception to year 6.
• A carefully planned curriculum for Pre-Reception through to Reception.
• Daily teaching session for Read Write Inc phonics
• Daily phonics intervention sessions for those identified as needing it to fill gaps in learning.
• A daily teaching session for Maths using White Rose Maths Mastery approach.
• Reading teaching sessions twice a week in Reception, one to one, focusing on decoding, comprehension, and building fluency.
• Learning from teacher input sessions will be built on and have opportunities for follow up throughout the day.
• Enrichment opportunities; church visits (Easter and Christmas), people in the community visits in class, teddy bears picnic, mobile farm visit, to name a few.
• Weekly PE sessions with dedicated sports coach including opportunities for Scootability sessions
• Interactive displays to celebrate learning.
• Library visits.
• Using Tapestry Learning Journals to communicate to parents and keep them informed of learning through the use of observations.
• Parents are encouraged to contribute to tapestry journals with wow moments and events outside of school.

​SEND Considerations

At Holyport we use a range of strategies for ensuring the delivery of an ambitious Early Years curriculum for all learners, such as:

• Every child is baseline assessed on entry to understand the child's starting point, plan next steps and get to know the child.
• Every child follows the same curriculum topics, being enabled to progress through modelling, scaffolding, prompting gradually moving towards independence. Enabling all children all children to access the curriculum, all children will be able to meet with success.
• Understanding that every child will progress with different levels of support and at different times. This makes every child an unique learner.
• Encouraging children to reach their full potential.
• Plan, do, review approach to next steps for all children.
• Challenging learning through deepening and breadth of study.
• Identification of conceptions and common errors that may pose a barrier to learning.
• Implementing interventions to support children at risk of not making sufficient progress.
• Early identification of children who may need temporary help to fill gaps in learning and those who may have special educational needs will be supported and have any necessary interventions to help them achieve their full potential.
• Work with other agencies when necessary

The Impact

Children leave their Reception year with strong foundations, fully equipped with the attitudes, skills, knowledge and understanding to continue a happy and successful journey through school.  Children leave EYFS at Holyport CE Primary School as confident, independent, resilient and kind individuals with a passion for learning.

Assessment methods used to measure progression:

• Informal baseline assessment through interaction with the children to get to know each child during their first weeks in their class.
• National Baseline assessment during the first six weeks of the Reception year.
• Unpicking what a child can do and what the barriers are, supporting in overcoming these barriers to learning.
• Staff are constantly assessing the children in their everyday activities, through play and adult led interactions, building on current knowledge and understanding and building on this, moving learning forward in the moment, allowing misconceptions to be spotted and effectively addressed at an early stage.
• Discussing and encouraging reflection for next steps with the child.
• Monitor every child’s progression.

• Phonics assessments every half term using RWI.
• Mark making/pencil grip assessments.
• Plan, do, review approach to teacher planning cycles.
• Teacher planning incorporates pupils next steps as well as children’s interests.
• End of reception assessment against the Early Learning Goals to measure a Good Level of Development (GLD)

Who's who?

Miss Sharp

Class Teacher Monday, Thursday, Wednesday and Thursday AM. 

EYFS and Key Stage 1 phase leader

Mrs Harris

Class Teacher Thursday PM and Friday 

Mrs Herridge 

Support Staff

Miss Hains

Support Staff

Mr Wan 

Support Staff