Reception 2024 - 2025

Welcome to Reception: Purple and Red Class

Reception is a child's first year of schooling and we want it to be a very happy one so that we instill a love of learning from the onset. There is lots of information below which will enable you to support your child's learning both at home and in school.  Also, look out for your special invites to join us in the classroom at points throughout the year.

Reception Curriculum Overview

Please see below an overview of our exciting learning journey in Reception. A clearer copy can be downloaded at the bottom of this page.

Reception Baseline Assessment (RBA)

The RBA is a short, interactive and practical assessment of your child’s early literacy, communication, language and mathematics skills when they begin school, using materials that most children of your child’s age will be familiar with.  The RBA is not about judging or labelling your child or putting them under any pressure. Your child cannot ‘pass’ or ‘fail’ the assessment. Its main purpose is to create a starting point to measure the progress schools make with their pupils. The RBA will provide an opportunity for your child to have valuable one-to-one time with their teacher at an early stage, so the teacher can get to know your child better. It will provide a helpful snapshot of where your child is when they enter reception, so they can be supported in the most appropriate way. You do not need to do anything to prepare your child for the assessment. Your child is unlikely to even know that they are doing an assessment when they are completing the tasks. You can find more information can be found by following this link: Information for Parents Leaflet; a copy of which can be found in the Files to Download section at the bottom of this page.

Phonics

Phonics is the way in which we teach your child to read. At Hatton Hill, we use the Read Write Inc scheme to give your child the very best start to their reading journey. The clip below explains what phonics is and why your child is learning to read using phonics: 

This clip is also really useful as it shows you how to say the phonic sounds:

Once you are confident and know how to say the sounds, there are further ways in which you can support your child:

Other useful information for parents can be found here: https://home.oxfordowl.co.uk/reading/reading-schemes-oxford-levels/read-write-inc-phonics-guide/  Your contributions are really valued. 

Phonics in Reception Overview

Our Bookshelf of Shared Stories

Listening to stories stimulates our brains and allows us to explore the world, as well as the lives and experiences of different characters. Here are a selection of  the 'focused books' Reception has read so far this year (we will have read many other favourites too): 

Power Maths

At Hatton Hill, we follow the Power Maths scheme from Reception. Power Maths is a whole-class mastery approach which fully covers the  Early Learning Goals. 

Below is an overview of our learning. The document can be downloaded at the bottom of this page. 

Reading for Pleasure

At Hatton Hill we place a high priority on encouraging children to read for pleasure. Reading for pleasure (this means reading with free will and for the pure joy of it) will help your child suceed in school and in life. Children who are keen readers don’t only get better at reading and writing, they develop wider vocabulary and broader knowledge about the world. Reading can also make a significant contribution to the wellbeing of every individual. 

This clip explains why it is important to read with your child:

This clip gives you 10 things to think about while you are reading which will help our child develop a love of reading:

Here is a short film made by The Open University which is designed to support you in sharing books with your child(ren). Conversationally, enjoyably, and effectively, Book Chat develops children's language, comprehension, and pleasure. Please take the time to watch this clip as it will help you help your child enter the fascinating world of reading!

Please find below information about reading for pleasure as well as the year group photo galleries and calendars. Also, more information about the curriculum and a parents' guide to the EYFS.

Healthy Children 

We know that sometimes our pupils cannot come to school because they are really unwell - and that's the right thing to do for them and other students. Medical advice is clear however that children with mild illness will often be well enough to attend - for example if they have a cough, or cold, without a temperature. The NHS guidance Is my child too ill for school? - NHS (www.nhs.uk) is designed to support parents in their decision making about mild illness. 

We also know that pupils fall behind their friends and classmates when they miss school. At Hatton Hill School we want the amount of missed education to be reduced as much as possible. We believe that our community is stronger together, with all of our pupils in school, on time, every day. We are building life skills, life-long friendships and preparing your child for future success. 

It can be tricky deciding whether or not to keep your child off school, nursery or playgroup when they're unwell. The information below is designed to help you make a decision, however if you are concerned about your child, always seek medical advice. 

Is my child too ill for school? https://www.nhs.uk/live-well/is-my-child-too-ill-for-school/ 

Alder Hey Symptom Checker: Please see below a poster and short video clip explaining Alder Hey's new support service in the form of an easy to use symptom checker. This will help parents decide how to best access the appropriate level of care for a poorly child:

School Nurse Attend Anywhere Appointments: The School Health Team is not currently offering face-to-face drop-in sessions at our school. Instead, Attend Anywhere Appointments are being offered online. A leaflet explaining this can be found below and dates on which the service is being offered will be emailed to you and appear on our school calendar. If you are unable to attend either of the allocated sessions but still wish to speak to the school health team. Please contact the team on:

Tel: 0151 247 6354 or via email: [email protected].