Reception Curriculum

Growing Curious Learners. Developing Brave Changemakers.

At St Mary's, we believe childhood should be filled with joy, wonder and possibility.

Our Reception curriculum has been carefully designed to provide every child with the very best start to their education. Through meaningful play, rich experiences and nurturing relationships, we inspire children to become confident, curious learners who develop a lifelong love of learning.

We believe children learn best when they are actively engaged in first-hand experiences, supported by skilled adults who know when to guide, when to observe and when to step alongside children as co-adventurers in learning. Every interaction, experience and environment is carefully considered to help children develop the knowledge, skills and vocabulary they need to flourish.

Our curriculum is built around six global themes and big questions that encourage children to think deeply about themselves, their community and the wider world. Carefully planned learning experiences enable children to make meaningful connections across the curriculum whilst developing the confidence to ask questions, solve problems and express their ideas.

Learning extends beyond the classroom through purposeful experiences within our local community. By exploring the world around them, children develop a strong sense of belonging and begin to understand that even the smallest actions can make a positive difference.

Above all, we want every child to leave Reception as a Brave Changemaker—someone who is kind, resilient, compassionate and curious; someone who believes in themselves, values others and knows they have the power to make a positive difference in the world around them.

This document provides an overview of how our Reception curriculum is carefully designed, implemented and evaluated to ensure every child can explore, enjoy and excel together. Our commitment to excellence is underpinned by continual reflection and a determination to provide the very best experiences for every child.

This commitment has been recognised through the Bristol Standard, a nationally and internationally recognised framework for continuous improvement in Early Years education. The validation panel praised how our values of Enjoy, Explore, Excel Together – Be Amazing! are woven throughout every aspect of our provision. They recognised the strong partnerships we build with families from home visits onwards, our play rich and creative curriculum inspired by the work of Greg Bottrill and Alistair Bryce-Clegg, and our deep understanding of children's personal, social and emotional development. They particularly celebrated how our curriculum embraces neurodiversity, meets children where they are in the moment and enables every child to flourish.

Our Curriculum Intent

At St Mary's, we believe every child deserves a joyful, ambitious and inspiring start to their education. Our Reception curriculum has been carefully designed to develop the knowledge, skills and dispositions children need to flourish both now and in the future.

We recognise that children learn best through meaningful experiences, high-quality interactions and purposeful play. Our curriculum therefore provides a balance of carefully planned adult-led teaching alongside rich opportunities for children to explore, investigate, create and apply their learning independently within an enabling environment.

Our vision is to develop Brave Changemakers—children who are curious, compassionate and resilient; children who think critically, communicate confidently and understand that they have the power to make a positive difference in their school, their community and the wider world.

Our Curriculum Drivers

Our curriculum is built around six interconnected drivers that underpin learning throughout the Reception year.

High Quality Texts

Books are at the heart of our curriculum. Carefully chosen texts introduce ambitious vocabulary, stimulate imagination and provide meaningful contexts for learning across all areas of the Early Years Foundation Stage.

Play and Exploration

We believe play is the natural vehicle through which young children learn. Carefully planned continuous provision allows children to revisit, practise and apply new knowledge whilst developing independence, creativity and problem-solving skills.

Communication and Language

Language underpins everything we do. Through storytelling, Drawing Club, Babble Jab, Helicopter Stories, Poetry Basket and high-quality adult interactions, children develop the vocabulary and confidence needed to become effective communicators.

Learning Beyond the Classroom

Children regularly learn within the local community through weekly visits, community partnerships, seasonal observations and first hand experiences. These opportunities help children develop a strong sense of belonging whilst making meaningful connections between their learning and the world around them.

Community and Belonging

We believe children learn best when they feel safe, valued and connected. Relationships with families, the local community and one another form an integral part of our curriculum, helping children develop empathy, responsibility and respect for others.

Brave Changemakers

Throughout the curriculum, children are encouraged to think deeply, ask questions, solve problems and understand that even the smallest actions can make a positive difference. These qualities prepare children not only for Year 1, but for life beyond school.

Our Global Curriculum

Learning is organised around six global themes, each driven by a Big Question that encourages children to think deeply about themselves, their community and the wider world.

These themes provide meaningful contexts for learning, enabling children to make connections across all areas of the curriculum whilst developing the knowledge, skills and values needed to become thoughtful, compassionate and globally aware citizens.

Our Curriculum in Action

At St Mary's, we believe children learn best when they are fully immersed in meaningful experiences that spark curiosity, inspire imagination and encourage exploration. Every day is carefully planned to provide a balance of adult-directed teaching, child-initiated play and high quality interactions that enable children to deepen their understanding and apply their learning in purposeful ways. Adults work alongside children as skilled practitioners and co-adventurers in learning, knowing when to guide, when to observe and when to step alongside children as they explore, discover and create.

Our curriculum is brought to life through a range of carefully chosen approaches that work together to develop confident communicators, creative thinkers and enthusiastic learners.

Story Dough

Building the Foundations for Writing

Children begin their Reception journey with Story Dough. Through storytelling, play dough and imaginative play, children develop communication and language, fine motor control, creativity and confidence. Story Dough provides the foundations for Drawing Club by encouraging children to create, talk, imagine and represent their ideas before moving into drawing and writing.

Drawing Club

The Heart of Our Literacy Curriculum

Drawing Club forms the spine of our literacy curriculum. Through high-quality texts, rich discussion, drawing and writing, children develop vocabulary, comprehension, imagination and early writing skills. Every week, carefully chosen stories introduce new knowledge, inspire curiosity and provide meaningful opportunities for children to communicate, solve problems and become authors of their own ideas.

Adventure Island and Play Projects

Learning Through Imagination

Adventure Island provides an imaginative world that runs throughout the Reception year. Through memorable characters, mysterious discoveries and purposeful challenges, children become active participants in their own learning. Play Projects build upon children's interests and connect learning across the curriculum, encouraging collaboration, enquiry and creativity whilst developing the Characteristics of Effective Learning.

The Message Centre

Writing with Purpose

The Message Centre sits at the heart of our classroom. Here, mark making has real purpose as children write messages, create signs, solve problems and communicate their ideas. By giving writing an authentic purpose, children quickly discover that writing is meaningful, enjoyable and an important part of everyday life.

Babble Jab, Helicopter Stories and Poetry Basket

Finding Our Voice

Language underpins everything we do. Through Babble Jab, children learn to think deeply, justify their ideas and develop ambitious vocabulary through playful conversation. Helicopter Stories give every child the opportunity to become an author as their stories are scribed and brought to life through drama and performance. Poetry Basket develops children's love of language through rhythm, rhyme and repeated oral storytelling, strengthening communication, memory and early reading skills.

Together, these approaches create a language-rich curriculum where communication, imagination and curiosity sit at the heart of learning. Stories become adventures, conversations become opportunities for discovery and play becomes the vehicle through which children explore, practise and deepen their understanding. Every experience is carefully designed to develop not only the knowledge and skills children need for future learning, but also the confidence, resilience and creativity that enable them to flourish as Brave Changemakers.

"The most powerful learning happens when children are captivated by a story, inspired by an experience and encouraged to wonder."

 The Seven Areas of Learning

At St Mary's, our Reception curriculum is carefully sequenced across all seven areas of learning within the Early Years Foundation Stage. Learning is interconnected rather than taught in isolation, enabling children to make meaningful links between knowledge, skills and experiences.

Each area of learning is planned progressively across the year whilst remaining responsive to children's interests, developmental needs and emerging fascinations. Through our Global Curriculum, children revisit and deepen knowledge within meaningful contexts, ensuring learning is purposeful, memorable and enjoyable.

Communication and Language

Communication and language sit at the heart of everything we do. Every interaction is viewed as an opportunity to extend vocabulary, develop thinking and build confident communicators. Through high-quality stories, Babble Jab, Helicopter Stories, Poetry Basket and rich conversations with skilled adults, children develop the language they need to become successful learners across the curriculum.

Personal, Social and Emotional Development

Children's wellbeing underpins every aspect of school life. Through Jigsaw, Emotion Coaching, Zones of Regulation, our Christian values and Brave Changemaker ethos, children learn to understand themselves, build positive relationships and develop resilience, empathy and independence. We believe that children who feel safe, valued and connected are best placed to flourish.

Literacy

Our literacy curriculum is built around a love of stories. Children begin their Reception journey with Story Dough, where storytelling, imaginative play and talk develop the communication, creativity and fine motor skills that provide the foundations for writing. As children become ready, they move into Drawing Club, which forms the spine of our literacy curriculum. Supported by carefully selected high-quality texts and daily Read Write Inc. phonics sessions, children develop the knowledge, vocabulary and confidence to become successful readers and writers, whilst meaningful writing opportunities encourage them to see themselves as authors from the very beginning.

Mathematics

Children develop secure mathematical understanding through NCETM Mastering Number, daily Maths Meetings and practical investigations. Mathematics is woven throughout the day, enabling children to apply their learning through play, problem solving and real-life experiences that develop confidence, reasoning and mathematical thinking.

Understanding the World

Our Global Curriculum encourages children to become curious about themselves, their community and the wider world. Through seasonal investigations, caring for our growing beds, weekly community visits, educational visits, visitors to school and first-hand experiences, children develop a deep understanding of people, places, nature and the world around them.

Physical Development

Children develop strength, coordination and independence through a carefully planned balance of indoor and outdoor learning. Story Dough, fine motor activities, handwriting, PE, construction, climbing and active play help children build the physical skills required for both learning and everyday life whilst encouraging confidence, resilience and healthy lifestyles.

Expressive Arts and Design

Creativity is celebrated throughout our curriculum. Through music, art, dance, role play, construction, storytelling and imaginative play, children learn to express themselves in a variety of ways whilst developing confidence, originality and a lifelong appreciation of the arts.

Together, these seven areas create a broad, balanced and ambitious curriculum that nurtures the whole child. By making meaningful connections across all areas of learning, we ensure children leave Reception with the knowledge, skills, confidence and curiosity they need to thrive in Year 1 and beyond.

Learning Beyond the Classroom

At St Mary's, we believe some of children's most powerful learning happens beyond the classroom walls. We make purposeful use of our local community to provide authentic experiences that enrich the curriculum, inspire curiosity and help children make meaningful connections with the world around them.

Children regularly learn beyond the school gates through visits within our local area, educational visits, community partnerships and experiences that provide real life contexts for learning. These opportunities enable children to apply their knowledge in meaningful situations whilst developing confidence, independence and a strong sense of belonging.

Learning beyond the classroom allows children to observe seasonal change, care for living things, meet people from a wide range of professions and backgrounds, explore their local environment and develop an appreciation of the communities of which they are a part. These experiences provide meaningful opportunities to ask questions, solve problems and develop communication skills within authentic contexts.

Our curriculum also encourages children to become active members of their community. Through partnerships with local organisations, businesses and families, children learn that they can contribute positively to the lives of others whilst developing empathy, responsibility and respect. They begin to understand that communities are built through kindness, cooperation and shared responsibility.

Whether learning within school or beyond it, we believe first hand experiences create lasting memories. By bringing learning to life through purposeful opportunities and meaningful encounters, we help children develop the knowledge, confidence and cultural capital they need to flourish both now and in the future.

"Learning becomes meaningful when children experience it, not simply learn about it."

Knowing Every Child

At St Mary's, assessment is not something that happens at the end of learning—it is an integral part of every day. We believe the most effective assessment comes from truly knowing each child as an individual: understanding their strengths, interests, motivations and next steps.

Our practitioners spend time observing children within both adult-led learning and child-initiated play, carefully noticing how they think, communicate, solve problems and interact with others. These observations help us develop a rich understanding of every child's learning journey and ensure that teaching remains responsive, ambitious and purposeful.

Assessment is based upon ongoing professional judgement rather than isolated tasks or tests. Through conversations, observations and meaningful interactions, practitioners build a complete picture of each child's development across all areas of learning.

Observation in Action

Throughout the week, practitioners gather observations of children's learning across the seven areas of the Early Years Foundation Stage. Alongside these regular observations, focused 'deep dive' observations provide opportunities to gain a deeper understanding of individual children's interests, learning behaviours and characteristics of effective learning.

These observations enable us to celebrate achievements, identify emerging next steps and ensure that every child receives the support and challenge they need to flourish.

Responsive Planning

Assessment directly informs planning. Adults continually reflect upon children's interests, fascinations and developmental needs, adapting the learning environment and planning meaningful experiences that build upon what children already know and can do.

This responsive approach ensures our curriculum remains ambitious whilst recognising that every cohort—and every child—is unique.

Working in Partnership with Families

Parents are children's first educators and play a vital role in our assessment process. Regular conversations, shared celebrations and home contributions help us build a complete picture of every child, ensuring that learning at home and school is connected and valued equally.

Together, these approaches enable us to understand every child deeply, celebrate their achievements and support them to make excellent progress throughout their Reception year.

"The best assessment begins with truly knowing the child."

 The Impact of Our Curriculum

Our Reception curriculum is designed to ensure that every child leaves St Mary's as a confident, capable and enthusiastic learner who is well prepared for the next stage of their education.

At St Mary's, success is measured not only by what children know, but by who they become.

By the end of Reception, children have developed the knowledge, skills and vocabulary needed to make a successful transition into Year 1. They are confident communicators, enthusiastic readers, curious mathematicians and creative thinkers who approach new challenges with resilience and independence.

They have experienced a curriculum rich in stories, play, exploration and first hand experiences. They have learned to ask questions, solve problems, think critically and work collaboratively whilst developing a genuine love of learning.

Most importantly, they have grown as people.

They understand the importance of kindness, respect and responsibility. They know how to build positive relationships, value different perspectives and contribute positively to their school and local community. Through meaningful experiences, they begin to recognise that even the smallest actions can make a positive difference to the lives of others.

Our children leave Reception as Brave Changemakers—young people who are curious about the world, compassionate towards others and confident in themselves. They understand that learning is an exciting lifelong journey and believe that their ideas, actions and voices matter.

As they move into Year 1, they take with them not only secure foundations for future learning, but also the confidence, resilience and curiosity to continue exploring, enjoying and excelling together.

"Every child leaves Reception with a story to tell, a future to embrace and the confidence to believe they can make a difference."