Bridgwater College Academy

Reception

At Bridgwater College Academy we aim to deliver a rich, broad and balanced curriculum that challenges learners and ensures progress for all children in their first steps of their learning journey. We believe every child deserves the best possible start in life and we support them to fulfil their full potential. We encourage children to be independent, to play and explore, be active and think creatively through a range of child and adult led learning opportunities, both indoors and outdoors.

  

Children develop quickly in the early years and a child’s experiences between birth and age five have an impact on their future life chances. A secure, safe and happy childhood is important in its own right.

The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) sets the standards that all early years’ providers must meet to ensure that children learn and develop well and are kept healthy and safe. It promotes teaching and learning to ensure children’s ‘school readiness’ and gives children the broad range of knowledge and skills that provide the right foundation for good future progress in school and later life.

Curriculum

As an all through Academy, our curriculum focuses on developing cultural opportunities for our children at every phase of their journey. We do this to provide children with a foundation of knowledge and experiences that enable them to progress to the next stage of their journey, both through the Academy and beyond.

We encourage children to learn from their successes and strengths during their education, providing them with challenge in their learning and resilience when faced with adversity.

Bridgwater College Academy uses the Early Years Foundation Stage framework as a curriculum guide. We offer a curriculum, with a mix of both adult-led and child-initiated activities which support learning and development in the following EYFS outcome areas:

Three Prime Areas of Learning

  • Personal, Social and Emotional Development
  • Communication and Language

• Physical Development

  

Four Specific Areas of Learning

  • Literacy
  • Mathematics
  • Understanding the World
  • Expressive Arts and Design

  

The Early Learning Goals set out what is expected of most children by the end of the Early Years Foundation Stage. The early years education we offer is based on the following principles: it builds on what the children know and can do; it ensures that no child is excluded or disadvantaged; it offers a structure for learning that ensures children are challenged and has clear learning outcomes for both child-led and adult initiated activities.

A yearly curriculum overview for EYFS can we found in a link on this page. The long-term overview details the learning children will be offered and details a brief curriculum structure for the academic year.

 

There are 4 key principles that underpin our practice in Reception.

 

A Unique Child  

We recognise that all children are different. We identify and celebrate their strengths and support their areas for development.

 Positive Relationships  

Our pupils interact well with each other and with the adults in the school. We encourage parents to be involved with their child's education.

Enabling Environments  

Our indoor and outdoor areas encourage exploration, investigation and independent learning.

 

Learning and Development  

Children achieve well and make good progress from their starting points. Learning is playful, practical and purposeful and builds upon prior attainment. We offer a range of learning opportunities such as: learning through play (we call this independent learning), whole class teaching, guided group work and 1:1 learning.

 

Forest School

Forest School is a fantastic and unique learning opportunity which involves children exploring the outdoor natural environment. At Bridgwater College Academy, we are lucky to have our own Forest School area run by a Forest School Leader, Mrs Staple. The sessions allow the children to take part in specifically designed, hands on activities to build skills such as: communication, imagination, confidence, self-esteem and physical development. It supports many areas of the Early Years Foundation Stage curriculum, especially the aspect of knowledge and understanding of the world.

Learning at Home

Bridgwater College Academy recognises how parents and carers play an important part in your child’s progress and development. Each half-term, we send out information on what your child is learning at school. These are called Curriculum maps.

We are a ‘Reading’ school. At Bridgwater College Academy, we demonstrate high expectations through the promotion of reading, respect, and responsibility.   We celebrate the importance of reading through all phases of the school, recognising that a love of reading broadens a child’s vocabulary and allows them to develop their imagination, communication, language and future aspirations.

 Children in Reception go home with book to read at home. These books are phonically decodable books which match the sounds your child has learnt at school. The reason we are ask children to re-read these books are, it allows your child plenty of opportunities to practise reading the sounds that they have learnt and ensure these sounds are securely retained.

  

These books work solely on the decoding skills, which will support all children to become fluent readers where they recognise words automatically, without decoding. The sequence of the reading books sent home will show a progression in their phonics knowledge.

We call homework, home learning. Children in Reception are sent home with weekly simple tasks and activities to do at home. This will be linked with what we are learning in the classroom at school.

At Bridgwater College Academy, we are committed to providing the best possible start to children’s school life.

 Please click here for a EYFS Curriculum Overview by Term 

Curriculum Intent

EYFS Curriculum - Autumn Term 2

EYFS Curriculum - Spring Term 1

EYFS Curriculum - Spring Term 2

BCA Reception Long term Overview

EYFS - Curriculum Progression

EYFS Teaching of PSHE - Jigsaw

Number Formation

EYFS End of Year Aspirations

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/development-matters--2