1. family and parenting
2. children

Civitas Academy
Welcome to Reception
Routines
Morning Routine
In the morning the children line up by their door in the Reception playground and will be greeted by the
teacher and EYP. Children need to put lunchboxes on the trolley and on a Wednesday Reading books and
Homework books will need to be put in the boxes on the tables.
When entering the classroom children put their things on their pegs and self-register by putting their name on
the lunchbox list or school dinner list. Children then need to write their name.
As we go through the year the children will go from writing names to letter formation to tricky words to
sentences.
The rest of the day continues according to the timetable on the next page.
Register
2 children will be chosen a day to take the register to the office.
Fruit
In Reception children can get their fruit at any point during independent learning. They will need to take their
name off the board and put it in the box. Children are only allowed 1 piece of fruit and must sit on the carpet
to eat it
Outside
Children must ‘sign’ themselves out of the room to be able to use the outdoor area. Children need to remove
their name from the board and put it on the outside list. When there is only 1 adult outside 10 children from
each class can go out. If there are 2 adults 15 children from each class will be allowed outside.
Tidying Up
Inside the classrooms a piece of music, of the class’ choice, will be played to signal the start of tidy up time.
House points can be awarded for good tidying up.
Break times
Break time is at 10.15am.
Rewards
In Reception we give out stickers and house points. Children can earn these for good sitting, manners, being
kind, helpful, having good idea, doing some good work, good lining up, good listening, for any good behaviour
and for sharing and taking turns. At the end of each day children get 10 minutes reward time. If their name is
on the board they lose reward time (see behaviour policy).
House points
House points can be awarded by any member of staff around the school. Children get house points for bringing
their Reading book and Homework books back on time with the work completed and for having their PE kit.
Assemblies
Children in Reception do not go to assemblies until Summer 1 when they only go to one assembly.
In Summer 2 Reception children will then go to assemblies on a Monday and a Friday.
PE
Children in Reception start PE straight away. Children will need to bring PE kit in on a Monday and leave it in
school till Friday.
Homework and Reading books
In Reception children are given homework on a Friday and it is due in on a Wednesday. They need to put it in
the boxes on the tables where they line up in the mornings.
Reading books are given out on a Wednesday and need changing ready to go out on a Wednesday evening.
The children need to place the Reading book in the box on the table where they line up in the morning. At the
start of the year the books will be story books which the parents will needs to read to them and discuss the
story. As the children start to learn their sounds and learn to blend they will be given a book which have the
sounds in they have learnt.
Civitas Academy
Reception Weekly Timetable
Register/ brain gym
Name writing/
Name writing/
Name writing/
Register/ brain gym
Register/ brain gym
brain gym
Name writing/
Register/ brain gym
8.509.00
Name writing/ Register/
Friday
Thurs
Wed
Tuesday
Monday
Day /
Time
9.10- 9.20
9.20 –10.15
Literacy
Independent
focus
Learning
10.15
Break
10.3010.45
10.50 – 11.40
11.40 12.55
1.00 – 1.10
Phonics
Independent
Getting ready
Register and
Learning
for lunch and
brain gym
1.10-1.20
1.15 – 2.40
2.55 –
3.15
Maths input
Independent
Tidy up and
Story and
Learning
get home
home time
Lunch time.
activity/
2.40
things
Modelled
Writing
Literacy
focus
Independent
Learning
Break
Phonics
Independent
Learning
Getting ready
for lunch and
Story and
home time
Register brain
gym
Maths input
Independent
Learning
Tidy up and
get home thing
Maths input
Independent
Tidy up and
Story and
Learning
get home
home time
Lunch time
activity/
Modelled
Writing
Literacy
Independent
focus
Learning
Break
Phonics
Independent
Getting ready
Register brain
Learning
for lunch and
gym
Lunch time
activity/
thing/ change
Modelled
books
Writing
Literacy
Independent
focus
Learning
Break
Phonics
Independent
Getting ready
Register brain
Learning
for lunch and
gym
Maths input
Independent
Tidy up and
Story and
Learning
get home thing
home time
Independent
Tidy up and
Story and
Learning
get home
home time
Lunch time
activity/
Modelled
Writing
Literacy
Independent
focus
Learning
activity/
Modelled
Writing
Break
Phonics
Independent
Getting ready
Register brain
Learning
for lunch and
gym
Lunch time
Maths input
thing/ give out
homework
books
Curriculum
The Early Years curriculum is make up of 7 areas, 3 of these are called the prime areas and 4 the specific areas.
The prime areas are key to the children progressing in the other areas.
The prime areas of learning:



communication and language
physical development
personal, social and emotional development
The specific areas of learning:




Literacy
mathematics
understanding the world
expressive arts and design
Each area is then split in to smaller areas sections.
Communication and Language



Listening and Attention (LA)
Understanding (U)
Speaking (S)
Physical Development


Moving and Handling (MH)
Health and Self- Care (HSC)
Personal, Social and Emotional Development



Managing Feelings and Behaviours (MFB)
Making Relationships (MR)
Self-Confidence and Self – Awareness (SCSA)
Literacy


Reading (R)
Writing (W)
Mathematics


Number (N)
Shape, Space and Measure (SSM)
Understanding the World

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
World (WD)
People and communities (PC)
Technology (T)
Expressive Arts and Design


Exploring Media and Materials (EMM)
Being Imaginative (BI)
At the end of Reception children are assessed by the Early Learning Goals (ELG). There is one ELG for each of
the 17 areas. We have to report the proportion of children achieving the ELG at the end of Reception.
In the run up to ELG’S (in Nursery and Reception) we use the ‘Early years outcomes’, previously known as
Development matters.
Early Years Outcomes
It is split into the same areas as mentioned above. Each area is then split into months:

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Birth to 11 months
8 to 20 months
16 to 26 months
22 to 36 months
30 to 50 months
40 to 60 months
ELGS
Most of the curriculum can be assessed in the children’s first language except from Communication and
Language and Literacy, they have to be assessed in English.
Characteristics of Learning
Alongside the prime and specific areas we also look for different characteristics of learning the children are
displaying.
These are:
Playing and exploring – engagement
Active Learning – motivation
Creating and thinking critically – thinking
Each of these are split into 3 parts:
Playing and Exploring – engagement



Finding out and exploring
Playing with what they know
Being willing to ‘have a go’
Active Learning – motivation



Being involved and concentrating
Keeps trying
Enjoying achieving what they set out to do
Creating and Thinking Critically – thinking



Having their own ideas
Making links
Choosing ways to do things
At the end of Reception we have to report on the ELGs and Characteristics of Learning to both parents and Yr 1
teachers. We do this through the end of year report.
Topics
We start each term with a topic but what we cover for each topic depend on the children’s interests e.g. for
growing and changing we may start by looking at plants and end up looking at caterpillars and butterflies.
Below is the topic cycle we use however this is flexible and may change.
Civitas Academy
Early Years Long Term Overview
Theme/Topic
Key Texts
Term 1
Term 2
Term 3
Term 4
Term 5
Term 6
Ourselves
Celebrations
Once upon a time
Growing and
changing
Under the sea
Down in the Jungle
Handa’s Surprise
Paddington bear
Cultural stories
*Religious stories
*3 little pigs
*Goldilocks
*Hansel and Grettel
*Elves and the shoe
*Enormous Turnip
*Jack and the
Beanstalk
*Titch
Rainbow Fish
Tiddler
Smiley Shark
Commotion in the
Stories about
celebrations
Fact books
Christmas story
maker
*Magic Porridge pot
*Ginger bread man
*Little Red Riding
Ocean
Hooray for Fish
Barry the Fish with
finger and the scary
Hood
*Princess and the
Pea
*Princess and the
hairy monster
Dear Zoo
Song: down in the jungle
Rumble in the jungle
Walking in the jungle
frog
Text Types
Trip. Visit
Special
events/activities
Names
Labelling
Writing captions
Simple cvc words
CVC words
Lists
Invitations
Cards
Parents in to talk
about cultures
Trip to Temple
Settling in
Bonfire Night
Autumn time
Ramadan
Harvest
Christmas
Diwali
Hanukah
Remembrance day
Thanks giving
Story boards
Character profiles
Labels
Instructions
Recounts
Fact writing
Stories
Fact writing
Riddles
Story teller in
Shrove Tuesday
St. George’s Day
Chinese New Year
Burns night
Visit allotment
Parents in to garden
with us
Mother’s Day
Easter
Jewish Passover
Holi
Baisakhi or Vaisakhi
(Sikh)
Aquarium/ Seaside
Reptiles in
Father’s day
Parent contributions
It is important that parents contribute to the children’s learning journeys with information about the things
they are doing at home e.g. reading a sentence, writing number stories, identifying numbers, going to dance
classes and teaching a friend how to dance etc.
When the parent shares with us the things that their children are doing at home we use this to contribute to
the evidence we have already collected and record it in the children’s profiles. We can then use this
information to help form assessment and plan new learning.
English As an additional Language (EAL) and educational needs Learners
In EYFS we use a range of strategies to help EAL learners and children who need extra speaking support. Below
are a few of our strategies.
*Actions
*pictures
*Paired with good English speaker
*Lots of active learning
*Small group work to learn new ‘classroom’ words
*EAL LSA comes in to make observations of Polish children in their first language
*Model correct words/ pronunciation
Children with additional educational needs will have their own individual learning plans with their own targets
on. Time will be made for children to have 1:1 or small group work based on these targets.
If you have a concern about a child please talk to your child’s class teacher first.
We are sure your child will settle in quickly with us at Civitas Academy but if you have any questions or please
contact the school office.