Early Years

Early Years in Reception Class at Hyde Heath

As Bold Beginnings states, ‘The Reception year holds a unique and important position in education’ and at Hyde Heath we are committed to the provision of a rich and enjoyable first year of schooling which provides our children with a nurturing and supportive environment where they can develop their skills, expand their experiences and become confident and eager learners. 

Our intent is to provide a curriculum that is inclusive, diverse and coherent which is reflective of our school, community and local environment.  We believe our children receive a quality education that is centred around their needs and interests and is tailored to help them develop the knowledge, understanding and skills they need to be happy and successful learners. 

At Hyde Heath we have chosen to implement the Early Years curriculum in a way that ensures the seamless transition of learners from local Pre Schools and Nurseries into our school, and their movement through the school, ready for their progression into new settings for Key Stage 2.  The Early Years Curriculum at Hyde Heath is developed to complement the curriculum in Year 1 and 2, allowing a whole school approach to subject development to be embedded into our ways of working.  Whole school planning ensures that our Reception children feel part of the ‘bigger picture’ whilst also recognising the uniqueness of this stage of education. Our curriculum is ambitious and carefully sequenced to build children’s learning over time. 

We implement the curriculum through the provision of learning experiences that reflect the fact that children learn in many ways and it is important to provide a variety of opportunities and activities.  Practitioners provide enabling environments, using resources and equipment that support the development of learning through play and also create the opportunities for children to repeat and practise skills crucial to their learning development. The Early Years team work together to provide a high quality learning environment for the children, but are also actively developing their own skills through staff development and training. 

At Hyde Heath we are proud of the progress our children make and we regularly evaluate the impact of our curriculum on our learners.  Developing a holistic understanding of each child is our main aim in Reception and it is through this that we are able to evaluate the impact of our curriculum.  We ensure that the children are fully involved in understanding their next steps and goals and we encourage reflection and perseverance in all activities.