Why is our Reception Class called Chicks?

Our Reception class is named "Chicks" because just like chicks at the beginning of their journey in the world, our children are at the very start of their school life. Chicks represent new beginnings, curiosity, and rapid development—all qualities we see in our youngest learners as they take their first steps into education.

As chicks grow quickly with care and support, so too do our children—nurtured by their teachers, encouraged to explore their environment, and supported to learn and thrive in a warm, safe setting. The name reflects both their potential and the nurturing environment we provide to help them flourish.

Philosophy

It is the aim of the team at Waltham Gateway Academy that every Reception child has a happy, settled start to their education with us. Reception children and their families are supported with their transition into school life in many ways; teacher visits to nursery settings to meet the children and talk about their strengths and needs with the adults who support them; ‘stay and play’ sessions to continue building relationships with the children and their families; and Academy Information Events where information can be shared and families can visit our setting.

We believe in enabling all children to achieve their potential. Our dedicated Early Years team, alongside the wider school team, use our school values of Care, Courage and Curiosity to enable every child to develop personally, socially, emotionally and academically. The learning environment is a rich and stimulating space that supports and challenges every child to achieve their goals and reach their full potential.

Environment

At Waltham Gateway Academy, we provide a safe, supportive and stimulating learning environment that promotes the fulfilment of our values; Care, Courage and Curiosity alongside engagement and enjoyment. Our Chicks are supported to challenge themselves within familiar routines of play and learning every day.

We promote community through building relationships; encouraging strong communication skills and providing all children with the platform to shine. Children will be encouraged to take chances, make mistakes and develop the resilience for growth. We want our children to want to come to school every day knowing that they belong.

Our outdoor learning environment includes our playground where play and learning can continue, whatever the weather. Carefully planned activities as well as child-led learning are incorporated into the Early Years Curriculum offer.

Curriculum

Our goal is to inspire a love for learning through a broad curriculum that equips children with the essential foundations to flourish as confident young learners, preparing for the next stages of their education and beyond. High quality texts are incorporated into all aspects of the Early Years Curriculum; these texts act both as a hook and also a vehicle for learning. We teach all our children the foundations needed to be life-long learners and aim to spark a love of learning that exists beyond their time at Waltham Gateway Academy.

There are seven areas of learning within the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) that shape our curriculum. All areas of learning and development are important. There are three prime areas and these are particularly crucial for sparking children’s curiosity, and, importantly, for building their capacity to learn, form relationships and thrive.

• Personal, Social and Emotional Development (PSED) - helping children to develop a positive sense of themselves, and others; to form positive relationships and develop respect for others; to develop social skills and learn how to manage their feelings; to understand appropriate behaviour in groups; and to have confidence in their own abilities.
• Communication and Language development (CL) - giving children opportunities to experience a rich language environment; to develop their confidence and skills in expressing themselves; and to speak and listen in a range of situations.
• Physical Development (PD) - providing opportunities for children to be active in order to develop their coordination, control, and movement. Children must also be helped to understand the importance of physical activity, and to make healthy choices in relation to food.

As well as the prime areas, there are four specific areas in the curriculum through which the three prime areas are built and applied.

• Literacy development (Lit) - encouraging children to link sounds and letters through discreet phonics teaching and exposure to high quality texts, and to begin to read and write. Children must be given access to a wide range of reading materials (books, poems, and other written materials) to ignite their interest.
• Mathematics (Maths) - providing children with opportunities to develop and improve their skills in counting, understanding and using numbers, calculating simple addition and subtraction problems; and to describe shapes, spaces, and measures.
• Understanding the World (UW) - guiding children to make sense of their physical world and their community through opportunities to explore, observe and find out about people, places, technology and the environment.
• Expressive Arts and Design (EAD) - enabling children to explore and play with a wide range of media and materials, as well as providing opportunities and encouragement for sharing their thoughts, ideas and feelings through a variety of activities in art, music, movement, dance, role-play, and design and technology.

Working in partnership

By working in partnership with parents, carers and external agencies, where appropriate, we support all of our Chicks to develop the skills and attributes to ensure they are ready for their next stage of learning. Our ‘open door’ philosophy is important to us; working together ensures every child has the best opportunity to thrive.