Communication, language and literacy

In Reception there is a strong focus on children’s spoken language. Children’s back and forth interactions from an early age form the foundations for language development. We want the children at Reception age to have the words to communicate and understand the world around them. This underpins all that we do in the early years.

To support communication and language we offer a language rich environment full of pictures, books, words and phrases. Children are surrounded by adults who listen attentively to what they are interested in. Teachers support children to share their ideas and offer questioning to help children develop their communication and language skills. Through conversation, role play and story-telling, children become comfortable using a rich range of vocabulary and language structures.

In Reception, children are read to frequently and are encouraged to engage actively in stories, non-fiction, rhymes and poems. We provide children with extensive opportunities to use and embed new words in a range of contexts.