Reception

The very start of the Thorpe House learning journey begins in this most exciting of environments. Reception boys learn predominantly through play and by investigating life through the myriad educational toys, mark-making equipment and exploratory opportunities all around them, with outdoor learning an integral part of the experience through the year. We embrace their interests and follow these to invite them into the world of more formal education. They love learning because it is colourful, tactile and fun. With a huge focus on the Prime Areas of the Early Learning Curriculum, boys are nurtured to be social and expressive children - and highly communicative; to develop physically in both fine and gross motor and to have a good level of self-care. Forest School addresses so many of the Prime Areas and we find it invaluable in Reception. Trips to places of interest for the boys knows no bounds: train rides to the theatre, trips to the zoo and to Windsor Castle, all make the happiest of memories, while nurturing an explosion of excitement in learning and wonderful vocabulary. We are proud to identify the individual boy’s strengths and areas for development; we celebrate intelligence and ability and teach phonics daily. Additionally, the boys are given key words to learn by sight and they have their daily reading book. Maths is very hands-on, and the boys are able to explore number using a multitude of mediums. We are proud of the magic that happens in Reception Class, where our tiniest learn to read and write; the latter in the pre-cursive style. The community joy in these first exciting steps makes this class truly exciting.