Reception

Communication & Language

Listening, Attention and Understanding

Children in Reception

Understand how to listen carefully and why listening is important.

Learn new vocabulary.

Use new vocabulary through the day.

Ask questions to find out more and to check they understand what has been said to them.

Use new vocabulary in different contexts.

Listen carefully to rhymes and songs, paying attention to how they sound.

Learn rhymes, poems and songs.

Engage in non-fiction books.

 

At the end of Reception, these Early Learning Goals form the basis for an assessment profile:

• Listen attentively and respond to what they hear with relevant questions, comments and actions when being read to and during whole class discussions and small group interactions.
• Make comments about what they have heard and ask questions to clarify their understanding.
• Hold conversation when engaged in back-and-forth exchanges with their teacher and peers.

 

Speaking

Children in Reception

Articulate their ideas and thoughts in well-formed sentences.

Connect one idea or action to another using a range of connectives.

Describe events in some detail.

Use talk to help work out problems and organise thinking and activities explain how things work and why they might happen.

Develop social phrases.

Engage in story times.

Listen to and talk about stories to build familiarity and understanding.

Retell the story, once they have developed a deep familiarity with the text; some as exact repetition and some in their own words.

Listen to and talk about selected non-fiction to develop a deep familiarity with new knowledge and vocabulary.

 

At the end of Reception, these Early Learning Goals form the basis for an assessment profile:

• Participate in small group, class and one-to- one discussions, offering their own ideas, using recently introduced vocabulary.
• Offer explanations for why things might happen, making use of recently introduced vocabulary from stories, non-fiction, rhymes and poems when appropriate.
• Express their ideas and feelings about their experiences using full sentences, including use of past, present and future tenses and making use of conjunctions, with modelling and support from their teacher.

 

Personal, Social & Emotional Development

Self Regulation

Children in Reception

Identify and moderate their own feelings socially and emotionally.

Manage their own needs: - personal hygiene

Know and talk about the different factors that support their overall health and wellbeing: - regular physical activity - healthy eating - toothbrushing – sensible amounts of ‘screen time’ - having a good sleep routine - being a safe pedestrian

 

At the end of Reception, these Early Learning Goals form the basis for an assessment profile:

• Show an understanding of their own feelings and those of others, and begin to regulate their behaviour accordingly.
• Set and work towards simple goals, being able to wait for what they want and control their immediate impulses when appropriate.
• Give focused attention to what the teacher says, responding appropriately even when engaged in activity, and show an ability to follow instructions involving several ideas or actions.

 

Managing Self

Children in Reception

See themselves as a valuable individual.

Show resilience and perseverance in the face of challenge.

 

At the end of Reception, these Early Learning Goals form the basis for an assessment profile:

• Be confident to try new activities and show independence, resilience and perseverance in the face of challenge.
• Explain the reasons for rules, know right from wrong and try to behave accordingly.
• Manage their own basic hygiene and personal needs, including dressing, going to the toilet and understanding the importance of healthy food choices.

 

Building Relationships

Children in Reception

Build constructive and respectful relationships.

Express their feelings and consider the feelings of others.

Think about the perspectives of others.

 

At the end of Reception, these Early Learning Goals form the basis for an assessment profile:

• Work and play cooperatively and take turns with others.
• Form positive attachments to adults and friendships with peers.
• Show sensitivity to their own and to others’ needs.

Physical Development

Gross Motor Skills

Children in Reception

Revise and refine the fundamental movement skills they have already acquired: - rolling – crawling – walking – jumping – running – hopping – skipping - climbing

Progress towards a more fluent style of moving, with developing control and grace.

Develop the overall body strength, co-ordination, balance and agility needed to engage successfully with future physical education sessions and other physical disciplines including dance, gymnastics, sport and swimming.

Use their core muscle strength to achieve a good posture when sitting at a table or sitting on the floor.

Combine different movements with ease and fluency.

Confidently and safely use a range of large and small apparatus indoors and outside, alone and in a group.

Develop overall body-strength, balance, co-ordination and agility.

Further develop and refine a range of ball skills including: throwing, catching, kicking, passing, batting, and aiming.

Develop confidence, competence, precision and accuracy when engaging in activities that involve a ball.

 

At the end of Reception, these Early Learning Goals form the basis for an assessment profile:

• Negotiate space and obstacles safely, with consideration for themselves and others.
• Demonstrate strength, balance and coordination when playing.
• Move energetically, such as running, jumping, dancing, hopping, skipping and climbing.

 

Fine Motor Skills

Children in Reception

Develop their small motor skills so that they can use a range of tools competently, safely and confidently. Suggested tools: pencils for drawing and writing, paintbrushes, scissors, knives, forks and spoons.

Develop the foundations of a handwriting style which is fast, accurate and efficient.

Further develop the skills they need to manage the school day successfully: - lining up and queuing - mealtimes

 

At the end of Reception, these Early Learning Goals form the basis for an assessment profile:

• Hold a pencil effectively in preparation for fluent writing – using the tripod grip in almost all cases.
• Use a range of small tools, including scissors, paint brushes and cutlery.
• Begin to show accuracy and care when drawing.

Literacy

Comprehension

Children in Reception

Re-read books to build up their confidence in word reading, their fluency and their understanding and enjoyment.

 

At the end of Reception, these Early Learning Goals form the basis for an assessment profile:

• Demonstrate understanding of what has been read to them by retelling stories and narratives using their own words and recently introduced vocabulary.
• Anticipate – where appropriate – key events in stories.
• Use and understand recently introduced vocabulary during discussions about stories, non-fiction, rhymes and poems and during role-play.

 

Word Reading

Children in Reception

Read individual letters by saying the sounds for them.

Blend sounds into words, so that they can read short words made up of known letter-sound correspondences.

Read some letter groups that each represent one sound and say sounds for them.

Read a few common exception words matched to the school’s phonic programme.

Read simple phrases and sentences made up of words with known letter–sound correspondences and, where necessary, a few exception words.

 

At the end of Reception, these Early Learning Goals form the basis for an assessment profile:

• Say a sound for each letter in the alphabet and at least 10 digraphs.
• Read words consistent with their phonic knowledge by sound-blending.
• Read aloud simple sentences and books that are consistent with their phonic knowledge, including some common exception words.

 

Writing

Children in Reception

Form lower-case and capital letters  correctly.

Spell words by identifying the sounds and then writing the sound with letter/s.

Write short sentences with words with known letter-sound correspondences using a capital letter and full stop.

Re-read what they have written to check that it makes sense.

 

At the end of Reception, these Early Learning Goals form the basis for an assessment profile:

• Write recognisable letters, most of which are correctly formed.
• Spell words by identifying sounds in them and representing the sounds with a letter or letters.
• Write simple phrases and sentences that can be read by others.

Mathematics

Number

Children in Reception

Count objects, actions and sounds.

Subitise.

Link the number symbol (numeral) with its cardinal number value.

Understand the ‘one more than/one less than’ relationship between consecutive numbers.

Explore the composition of numbers to 10.

Automatically recall number bonds for numbers 0–5 and some to 10.

 

At the end of Reception, these Early Learning Goals form the basis for an assessment profile:

• Have a deep understanding of number to 10, including the composition of each number.
• Subitise (recognise quantities without counting) up to 5.
• Automatically recall (without reference to rhymes, counting or other aids) number bonds up to 5 (including subtraction facts) and some number bonds to 10, including double facts.

 

Numerical Patterns

Children in Reception

Count beyond ten.

Compare numbers.

Select, rotate and manipulate shapes in order to develop spatial reasoning skills.

Compose and decompose shapes so that children recognise a shape can have other shapes within it, just as numbers can.

Continue, copy and create repeating patterns.

Compare length, weight and capacity.

 

At the end of Reception, these Early Learning Goals form the basis for an assessment profile:

• Verbally count beyond 20, recognising the pattern of the counting system.
• Compare quantities up to 10 in different contexts, recognising when one quantity is greater than, less than or the same as the other quantity.
• Explore and represent patterns within numbers up to 10, including evens and odds, double facts and how quantities can be distributed equally.

Understanding the World

Past & Present

Children in Reception

Comment on images of familiar situations in the past.

Compare and contrast characters from stories, including figures from the past.

 

At the end of Reception, these Early Learning Goals form the basis for an assessment profile:

• Talk about the lives of the people around them and their roles in society.
• Know some similarities and differences between things in the past and now, drawing on their experiences and what has been read in class.
• Understand the past through settings, characters and events encountered in books read in class and storytelling.

 

People, Culture & Communities

Children in Reception

Talk about members of their immediate family and community.

Name and describe people who are familiar to them.

Understand that some places are special to members of their community.

Recognise that people have different beliefs and celebrate special times in different ways.

Recognise some similarities and differences between life in this country and life in other countries.

 

At the end of Reception, these Early Learning Goals form the basis for an assessment profile:

• Describe their immediate environment using knowledge from observation, discussion, stories, non-fiction texts and maps.
• Know some similarities and differences between different religious and cultural communities in this country, drawing on their experiences and what has been read in class.
• Explain some similarities and differences between life in this country and life in other countries, drawing on knowledge from stories, non-fiction texts and – when appropriate – maps.

 

The Natural World

Children in Reception

Draw information from a simple map.

Explore the natural world around them.

Describe what they see, hear and feel whilst outside.

Recognise some environments that are different to the one in which they live.

Understand the effect of changing seasons on the natural world around them.

 

At the end of Reception, these Early Learning Goals form the basis for an assessment profile:

• Explore the natural world around them, making observations and drawing pictures of animals and plants.
• Know some similarities and differences between the natural world around them and contrasting environments, drawing on their experiences and what has been read in class.
• Understand some important processes and changes in the natural world around them, including the seasons and changing states of matter.

Expressive Art & Design

Creating with Materials

Children in Reception

Explore, use and refine a variety of artistic effects to express their ideas and feelings.

Return to and build on their previous learning, refining ideas and developing their ability to represent them.

Create collaboratively sharing ideas, resources and skills.

 

At the end of Reception, these Early Learning Goals form the basis for an assessment profile:

• Safely use and explore a variety of materials, tools and techniques, experimenting with colour, design, texture, form and function.
• Share their creations, explaining the process they have used.
• Make use of props and materials when role playing characters in narratives and stories.

 

Being Imaginative and Expressive

Children in Reception

Listen attentively, move to and talk about music, expressing their feelings and responses.

Watch and talk about dance and performance art, expressing their feelings and responses.

Sing in a group or on their own, increasingly matching the pitch and following the melody.

Develop storylines in their pretend play.

Explore and engage in music making and dance, performing solo or in groups.

 

At the end of Reception, these Early Learning Goals form the basis for an assessment profile:

• Invent, adapt and recount narratives and stories with peers and their teacher.
• Sing a range of well-known nursery rhymes and songs.
• Perform songs, rhymes, poems and stories with others, and – when appropriate – try to move in time with music.