Parents & ChildrenEarly Years at Brinscall St John's
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Where little lights begin to shine ✨
Welcome to Early Years at Brinscall St John’s
Starting school is one of the biggest milestones in a child’s life and we want those very first experiences of school to be filled with wonder, excitement, friendship, discovery and joy.
At Brinscall St John’s, Reception is so much more than the first year of school. It is where children begin their journey with us; where confidence grows, friendships blossom, curiosity is encouraged and every child is supported to shine with the light of Jesus.
We are incredibly proud of our Early Years provision and would love you to come and experience it for yourself.
Come and see us, personalised visits are warmly welcomed throughout the year.
Our Reception children are known, valued and celebrated as individuals.
We combine the warmth and nurture of our small-school family with an ambitious and carefully sequenced curriculum designed to give every child the knowledge, vocabulary, skills and confidence they need to thrive. We believe children learn best when they are happy, secure, curious and actively involved in their learning.
That means our Reception classroom is a busy place!
You might find children investigating, constructing, painting, writing, counting, creating stories, exploring the natural world, solving problems or completely absorbed in imaginative play.
Behind every one of these experiences is careful thought about what we want our children to learn and why.
Our Early Years promise
🌟 Every child is known
Relationships come first. We take time to understand each child's interests, strengths and individual needs.
🌟 Learning is exciting
We want children to wonder, question, investigate, experiment and discover.
🌟 Play has purpose
Our learning environment and continuous provision are carefully designed so children can practise, deepen and apply their learning independently.
🌟 Adults make a difference
Our adults don't simply supervise play. They talk, model, question, introduce vocabulary, challenge thinking and know when to step in – and when to allow a child to discover something for themselves.
🌟 We have high expectations
Being nurturing and ambitious go hand in hand. We want every child to make excellent progress from their individual starting point.
🌟 Children learn to shine
Kindness, Respect, Resilience, Courage, Friendship and Forgiveness are woven through everyday life in Reception.
A curriculum built for our children
Our Early Years curriculum has been carefully designed to identify the important knowledge, skills, vocabulary and experiences we want children to develop throughout Reception.
Learning builds progressively across the year. We regularly consider what children already know, what they need to learn next and how we can help them get there.
Our curriculum covers all seven areas of learning:
Communication and Language
Personal, Social and Emotional Development
Physical Development
Literacy
Mathematics
Understanding the World
Expressive Arts and Design
These areas don't exist in isolation.
A child building a bridge outside might be developing mathematical thinking, learning new vocabulary, negotiating with friends, testing ideas, developing physical coordination and discovering the properties of different materials, all at the same time.
Talk is at the heart of our classroom
Before children can become confident readers and writers, they need opportunities to talk, listen, explain, question and develop vocabulary.
Communication and language therefore run through everything we do.
Adults deliberately introduce new words, model high-quality language, encourage children to speak in increasingly developed sentences and create countless opportunities for meaningful conversation.
Stories, rhymes, songs, role play and conversations are an important part of every day.
Becoming readers and writers
We want our children to leave Reception believing:
“I am a reader.”
“I am a writer.”
Children experience books, stories and language throughout our provision.
Through systematic phonics teaching, children learn the knowledge and skills they need to begin reading independently.
They are surrounded by opportunities to make marks and write for genuine purposes – from making signs and maps to writing messages, labels, lists and their own stories.
Most importantly, we want children to discover the joy of books and develop a love of reading that will stay with them throughout their lives.
Mathematicians from the very beginning
Early mathematics is about much more than recognising numbers.
Our children develop a deep understanding of number, pattern, shape, space and measure through direct teaching, practical experiences, games, stories and exploration.
Children are encouraged to notice, explain, predict and solve problems.
Mathematics then appears everywhere – indoors, outdoors, in construction, at the creative table and throughout children's play.
Our classroom doesn't end at the door
Outdoor learning is an important part of our Reception provision.
The outdoors provides opportunities to learn differently: to explore on a larger scale, investigate the natural world, take appropriate risks, develop physical skills and experience the changing seasons.
Children have regular opportunities to learn both inside and outside, whatever the British weather decides to do!
That's why wellies are rather important at Brinscall St John's!
Growing hearts as well as minds
Academic foundations matter enormously – but childhood is about far more.
We want our children to become kind, confident, resilient and compassionate people.
Our school vision, “Shine with the Light of Jesus,” begins from the moment children join our school family.
Through worship, reflection, stories, relationships and everyday experiences, children begin exploring our values of:
Kindness • Respect • Resilience • Courage • Friendship • Forgiveness
Children learn that their actions matter and that even the smallest person can make a positive difference to the world around them.
Families are part of our team
Nobody knows a child better than their family. We therefore see parents and carers as incredibly important partners in children's education.
We communicate regularly through Tapestry, school communications and face-to-face conversations, sharing children's achievements and helping families understand how they can support learning at home.
We want families to feel part of our school from the very beginning.
Ready for Reception. Ready for Year 1. Ready to shine.
Reception is the beginning of a seven-year journey at Brinscall St John's.
Throughout the year, children gradually develop the knowledge, skills, confidence and independence that will support their transition into Year 1.
Because our Reception children are part of the wider school family from day one, they become familiar with our staff, routines, values, worship and older pupils.
By the time they leave Reception, we want them to be excited about what comes next.
Don't just read about us – come and see us! A website can only tell you so much.
The best way to understand what makes Early Years at Brinscall St John's special is to walk through the door and experience it for yourself.
Come and see our children learning.
Explore our environment. Meet our staff. Ask questions.
And discover what starting school could look like for your child.
We warmly welcome personalised visits throughout the year.
☎ Call our school office: 01254 830700 or email office@brinscall.lancs.sch.uk
Come and discover where your child's light can begin to shine. ✨
How can I help prepare my child for Primary School?
We will have been working closely with your child during their time with us, to help them become as 'school ready' as possible. ‘School readiness’ is a term used to describe how ready children are to start school in reception class. Lancashire County Council has some really useful tips and ideas for parents, including a guide to support you with ideas, reduce any anxieties and feel confident that you have shared all the information that you wanted, to help the school begin to get to know the individual needs of your child.
Please click on the link below to be taken to their website.
LCC: Helping my child get ready for school
Getting Ready 4 School - Top Tips
Helping My Child Get Ready for Starting School
Is your child ready for school?
Thank you