Our Early Years curriculum
Nursery
You can find out more about Star class, our wonderful nursery provision, here.
Please find below the year overviews for nursery.
Reception
Sun class is Hemyock’s warm and welcoming Reception class and the start of children’s exciting learning journey at Hemyock Primary School. We believe that the reception year is a crucial time for children to develop their love of learning and to build a solid foundation for their future education.
The reception year is planned around the EYFS. This stands for Early Years Foundation Stage, which is a framework used in schools in England to support the development and learning of children from birth to the age of five.
Read more about the EYFS framework below.
Statutory framework for the early years foundation stage
The EYFS focuses on seven areas of learning: communication and language, physical development, personal, social and emotional development, literacy, mathematics, understanding the world, and expressive arts and design. Our approach and curriculum at Hemyock is designed to meet all areas of the EYFS and provides a holistic, play-based approach to learning, where children can explore, learn and discover new things in an inspiring and nurturing environment
You can find our overview of the year below.
Learning in Reception
In Reception, children will be encouraged to learn through play, exploration, and inquiry, as well as more structured activities such as circle time, specific inputs, and group activities. We will be promoting the development of their independence and social skills, as well as their creativity and imagination.
In Sun class, all staff are there to support your child's learning and development in line with the EYFS framework. We offer a welcoming and inclusive environment where children can feel happy, safe, and valued. Building strong relationships with children is a top priority for us as we believe this forms the foundations of children’s future at school.
Building strong home/school links is vital in Reception. We aim to ensure that you are a part of your child’s exciting new learning journey, are able to talk about what children have done at school and know how to support them at home. We use the app Tapestry to support this important relationship. Staff and parents/carers can share notices, updates, pictures and observations with each other.
Assessment plays an important part in helping parents, carers and practitioners to recognise children’s progress, understand their needs, and plan activities and support. At the end of Reception year, the teacher will complete an EYFS profile for each child. This file provides parents and carers, practitioners and teachers with a well-rounded picture of a child’s knowledge, understanding and abilities, their attainment against expected levels, and their readiness for year 1. This will indicate whether children are meeting expected levels of development or not.
If you have any questions about the Reception year, Sun class or the EYFS, please do not hesitate to get in touch with us. For new starters in September, we send out a pamphlet with more information about the transition and the specifics of what to expect when joining Sun class.
“When we give every child the best start in their early years, we give them what they need today. We also set them up with every chance of success tomorrow.” – Development Matters
You can find out more about starting school with us in the leaflet below.