Reception (4-5 years old)

Boys from our Nursery transfer automatically into our Reception year, and are joined by a new intake of approximately twenty boys from external nurseries and playgroups to expand the Reception registration group.

The Nursery boys have the benefit of already being familiar with the school staff and the curriculum, but boys from outside nurseries and playgroups settle in equally well and quickly make friends. Like the incoming Nursery boys, all Reception pupils have the opportunity to attend a Welcome day, when they spend time with their new classmates and teachers. Their new class teacher may also offer a home visit or meet him at his nursery school.

The Foundation Stage Curriculum continues in Reception where the boys work towards the ‘Early Learning Goals'. The Reception teachers plan together so that each class covers common topics and activities, but with an individual approach to suit the differing character of the classes. A mixture of whole class, group work and individual teaching is used, and the children have opportunities to pursue their own interests within this framework. Reading workshops are offered to parents, to help them support their son's reading at home, and these are very well received.

Reception boys may take an optional half day on a Wednesday during the first term only. They can become over-tired at the beginning, and many parents appreciate this opportunity to ease their sons gently into full time attendance.

The Reception group is very much included in whole school activities, which means participation, with years 1 and 2, in such events as Christmas and summer productions, school assemblies, and sports days. We encourage links with their peers at The Falcons School for Girls, by arranging visits between the schools, and on occasions, joint excursions to local places of interest such as Kew Gardens.