Reception – Ladybird

Welcome to Ladybird Class!

Our Early Years setting is a vibrant, playful, and nurturing environment where children thrive. We offer a wide range of engaging indoor and outdoor activities, including painting, playdough, sand and water play, construction toys, role play, stories and rhymes, singing and dancing, climbing, mark-making, and number and problem-solving activities.

Our dedicated and highly trained staff get to know each child individually, providing personalised learning, development, and care. We carefully observe and assess children's interests and progress within the Early Years Foundation Stage Curriculum.

We highly value our strong relationships with parents, which are supported through our online learning journal, Tapestry. Tapestry allows us to share observations and celebrate children's learning with you, and you can also contribute your own observations, comments, and photos from home.

Meet your teacher – Mr Jonathan Jones

Mr Jonathan Jones

Mr Jonathan Jones I’ve been teaching at Botley School for the past six years. During that time, I’ve been lucky enough to work across a range of year groups, which I’ve really enjoyed as it’s given me a broad experience of supporting different children as they grow and develop.

In the classroom, I particularly love teaching Maths. I enjoy making lessons as practical and hands-on as possible, helping children to really understand what they’re learning in a fun and engaging way. Reading is also a big passion of mine—I’m always reading something and love sharing that enthusiasm with the children, whether it’s recommending books or enjoying class stories together.

Outside of school, I like to keep active. You’ll often find me playing rugby, going for a run, or spending time in the gym. I think it’s really important to stay active and positive, and I try to bring that same energy into the classroom. I’m really looking forward to the year ahead and getting to know both the children and parents.

More information about our provision

Reception Provision

Our Learning

Early Years Curriculum

Phonics Open Morning and Writing Workshop March 2026

Please find below information from last year's Phonics Open Morning and Writing workshop:

Oral Health

Please see our Oral Health page for more information.

Days to remember

When do I have PE?

The Reception children have PE on a Monday morning. Please ensure that they have a suitable PE kit in school every day of the week.

When do I have Forest School?

The children have Forest School on a Thursday afternoon. Please ensure that they have the appropriate kit in school on the Thursday.

Stay Safe Online

Don't forget to stay safe online. Have a look at the activities with your Parents and Carers on our Online Safety page.

Please make sure you carefully monitor your child's use of the Internet and check the appropriateness of websites. If you or your child has any concerns, you can report this to CEOP (Child Exploitation and Online Protection).

If you would like to get in touch, you can do so via Tapestry, email earlyyears@botley.oxon.sch.uk or use the Teacher Contact at the bottom of the page.

Useful websites