Excellence In Reception Teaching
Excellence in Reception Teaching is a professional development programme for experienced reception teachers and teachers moving into a reception role who want to strengthen classroom practice, deepen their understanding of child development and improve outcomes for children at a vital stage in their education.
Short, focused and practical, the programme consists of about 20 hours of learning over two school terms, combining flexible self-study with live facilitated sessions that fit around busy school life.ur Heading Text Here
Excellence in Reception Teaching is a professional development programme for experienced Reception teachers who want to strengthen their practice and make a sustained difference to children’s learning, development and transition into school.
Reception is a vital stage in a child’s education. It is where children build the foundations for communication and language, early literacy, early mathematics, self regulation, relationships and confidence as learners.
The programme is designed to support teachers with the practical realities of Reception teaching. It focuses on the small but important decisions teachers make every day, including how they plan learning, respond to children’s needs, create effective routines, support inclusion, work with families and help children move successfully into Year 1.
Excellence in Reception Teaching uses a familiar professional development model, with structured learning, practical classroom application, formative assessment and mentor feedback. There is no summative assessment. Instead, participants are supported to apply evidence informed practice, evaluate impact and plan how improvements can be sustained in their setting.
What will you learn on the Excellence in Reception Teaching?
Excellence in Reception Teaching is designed to help teachers strengthen the knowledge, practice and confidence needed to deliver high quality Reception teaching.
The programme is organised across two terms.
Term 1 focuses on strengthening day to day Reception teaching. Participants explore child development, classroom practice, curriculum, literacy, numeracy, pedagogy and assessment.
Term 2 focuses on inclusion, transitions and sustained impact. Participants explore inclusive practice, effective partnerships, parent and carer engagement, multi agency working and transition into and beyond Reception.
The programme focuses on:
- Child development
- Classroom practice, pedagogy and assessment
- Curriculum, early literacy and early mathematics
- Inclusive practice
- Effective partnerships with parents, carers, colleagues and other professionals
- Transitions from nursery to Reception and from Reception to Year 1
- Evaluating impact and sustaining improvements over time
Who should apply for Excellence in Reception Teaching?
Excellence in Reception Teaching is for experienced Reception teachers who want to refine and strengthen their practice.
It is particularly suitable for teachers who want to deepen their understanding of child development and apply this knowledge to support communication, language, personal, social and emotional development, physical development, self regulation and school readiness.
The programme is also suitable for teachers who want to improve classroom routines, interactions, curriculum planning, formative assessment, inclusion and partnership with parents and carers.
Participants may be working in a wide range of school contexts, including settings with high levels of disadvantage, SEND, EAL or varied levels of school readiness.
This programme is suitable for:
- Experienced Reception teachers
- Teachers who want to strengthen day to day Reception practice
- Teachers supporting children with varied developmental needs
- Teachers who want to improve inclusion and adaptive practice
- Teachers who want to support smoother transitions into Reception and Year 1
- Schools and trusts that want to build consistent, evidence informed Reception practice
Funding eligibility
Funded places are available for participants working in most state funded settings, including academies.
Examples of settings where funding is not available include:
- schools outside England
- independent schools
If you are not eligible for funding, you can self fund, but you must still register with the DfE. For participants who wish to self-fund, the cost is £650.