At Wetherby, our Reception curriculum is designed to nurture curiosity and inspire a love of learning from the very beginning of a child’s academic journey. Our curriculum combines core subjects, such as Mathematics, Literacy, and Phonics, with a wide range of foundation subjects taught by specialist teachers. This approach ensures that every boy is engaged, challenged, and supported in developing essential skills for lifelong learning.
We believe that education should be an exciting exploration of children’s interests, building on the knowledge they acquire through enriching experiences, such as interactive workshops and stimulating school trips, which include a trip to London’s famous West-End theatre district and Hertfordshire Zoo’s Dinosaur World. These opportunities allow boys to deepen their understanding of the world around them, while we continue to expand and support their ever-growing knowledge base.
Our curriculum is structured around engaging themes that spark imagination and creativity throughout the year, including:
To Infinity and Beyond – A journey into space and discovery, encouraging children to think big and explore the universe.
You’re Going to Hear Me Roar – A celebration of strength, confidence, and the wonders of the prehistorical world
I’m the King of the Castle – An exploration of history, castles, and the stories that shape our world.
Literacy is built around high-quality stories using a three-week cycle that immerses children in language and inspires early writing. Activities progress from recounts to predictions and descriptive writing, all enhanced by an enriching text that the boys grow to love and confidently recite, supporting early oracy. Texts include classics such as The Gruffalo by Julia Donaldson and Paddington Bear. The inclusion of technology adds further excitement, with Paddington even “visiting” the classroom virtually, sparking creativity and deepening engagement with writing. Recognising that research shows boys’ hand and finger muscles are not fully developed by age 5 and a half, we also incorporate Dough Disco sessions each week as a standalone subject. This fun, hands-on approach uses dough-based activities to strengthen fine motor skills, laying the foundation for confident writing, and ensuring that Literacy time is safeguarded as an opportunity to write.
From the start boys begin recognising 2- and 3-digit numbers in Maths, developing a strong understanding of place value. This foundation supports their learning in addition and subtraction, including solving word problems. Later in their first year, the focus expands to 2D and 3D shapes, money, and measurement, ensuring a broad mathematical understanding. By the Summer term, as the boys prepare for Year One, we consolidate all mathematical knowledge to ensure they are equipped with the essential building blocks for the next stage of their education.
Alongside Literacy and Maths, boys enjoy weekly sessions in Music, Art, Sport, Computing, and Science, led by specialist teachers. These lessons introduce them to algorithms, influential artists, explosive experiments, and core sporting skills that not only build athletic ability but also strengthen gross motor development. Phonics, taught daily for 30-minutes, follows the AnimaPhonics programme where the boys learn to read through visual characters, auditory songs, and physical actions supporting all learning styles; visual, auditory, and kinaesthetic.
We also understand that every child develops at a different pace. To ensure individual progress, daily interventions in Literacy, Maths, and Phonics are delivered by the teaching team. These sessions provide targeted support for those who need to consolidate foundational skills, as well as interventions offering stretch and challenge for more able learners. This ensures that every boy is taught at a level that matches his academic ability, with high expectations and a commitment to helping each child reach his full potential.
Wetherby prides itself on offering an exciting and engaging curriculum that supports boys at the start of their academic journey and fosters a community of lifelong learners.
Wetherby’s reputation for preparing our boys for the next stage of their education is unrivalled. Each year boys progress to the leading preparatory schools such as Wetherby Prep, St Paul’s Juniors, Westminster Under and Kings College Junior School.
Read this article by Paul David, Headmaster of Wetherby Prep in Education Choices Magazine: Education Choices Winter 2025 online by educationchoicesmagazine - Issuu
