The Department for Education’s Strong Foundations: The Importance of the Reception Year report (2023) highlights the crucial role the Reception year plays in building the core skills children need to succeed throughout their education.

It places particular emphasis on secure development in spoken language, phonics, early reading, and mathematics, alongside the need to ensure all children - especially those who are disadvantaged -make strong progress from the very start of school.

At Holy Trinity, we are fully committed to these principles and have embedded them into our Early Years practice. Our carefully planned Reception curriculum is ambitious, engaging, and rooted in high-quality interactions between adults and children. We prioritise spoken language and communication, recognising that strong oral language skills underpin all other learning. Staff model rich vocabulary, encourage meaningful conversations, and provide daily opportunities for children to develop their confidence in speaking and listening.

In addition to subject knowledge, we also recognise the vital role of executive functioning-the mental skills that help children plan, focus attention, remember instructions, and manage multiple tasks. These skills are critical for learning and self-regulation, and they develop rapidly in the early years.

Through daily routines, turn-taking games, sustained shared thinking, and opportunities for independent exploration, we support children in building working memory and flexible thinking. These skills not only help children access the curriculum but also support their emotional wellbeing and resilience.

By the end of Reception, our aim is for every child to leave with strong foundations, both academically and in terms of their personal development, so they are confident, capable, and ready to thrive in Key Stage 1 and beyond.