Welcome to Reception!

'If you knew how much I love you, you'd cry with joy'

Mary Our Mother - Our Saint in Early Years.

On this page you will find useful information about what it is like to be in our Reception class... if you would like more information about what it is like to learn at our school, please see the 'Our Learning' page on our website.

Are you interested in applying for a Reception place for your child? We welcome visits to our school, please call the school office to arrange a visit.

  • Our Reception is for children who are 4 and 5 years old.
  • Our school is a one form entry school, there are 30 places in each year group (apart from Nursery).

Transition in Reception

At St Francis Xavier we know that all children are different and unique. Our families come from different backgrounds, cultures, communities and also have different beliefs. All children react differently to starting full time school, some children will be used to spending time away from their family members because they have attended a Nursery setting from an early age and some children will have little or no experience of spending time away from family members. Reception staff work with families to make sure transition is as smooth as possible. Parents attend a induction meeting to find out information about Reception class. Children will visit the setting in small groups before they start, this gives staff a chance to get to know the children in a calm and quiet space. Reception staff will also visit the child's pre-school setting (if it is not our Nursery).

Parents and Carers as Partners

At St Francis Xavier we know how important it is to get parents and carers involved in their child's learning. In order to make sure that home and school work together in partnership we engage with parents and carers in a variety of ways. We hold play and stay sessions every term for parents and carers to attend, every child has a home learning book- this is an age appropriate homework book for Reception children- this can also be used as a communication book for parents and carers, Reading development is important for all children even for children young enough to be in Reception- parents are asked to read their child's reading book four times each week and record this in their record book. The children that have read their reading book four times get entered into a prize draw to take our class bear 'Buddy' home for the weekend. 'Buddy' comes with a sachet of hot chocolate to enjoy and also a story of your child's choice from our class library. Every child in Reception class is excited about this and wants to have the opportunity to take 'Buddy' home for the weekend. (If you would like more information about how you can support your child's reading development please see the 'our learning' page on our website.). Parent workshops are held in the Autumn term to support parents and carers in teaching their child to read, these are informative sessions that include skills that are used to teach early reading. We hold parent meeting every term to update parents and carers on their child's progress and next steps, we also hold fortnightly 'surgeries' this is an opportunity to talk to EYFS staff about any concerns or queries that you may have, this could be about your child's learning and development or just for a chat!

Below is a link to our 'End of Reception goals' they are also known as 'Early Learning Goals'. We expect children to achieve these goals by the end of Reception...

Here are the prayers that the children learn and say in Reception class each day...

Here are some photos of our environment...

Useful links for Parents and Carers

Emmaus CMAC
A School Life Website
School Life iOS Mobile Application
School Life Android Mobile Application