Excellence in Reception Teaching (NPD)

Strengthen Reception practice and give every child the best possible start

Excellence in Reception Teaching is a professional development programme for experienced Reception teachers who want to refine their practice and make a sustained difference to children’s learning, development and transition into school.

Reception is a crucial stage in every child’s education. It is where children build the foundations for communication and language, literacy, mathematics, self-regulation, positive relationships and confidence as learners.

Educational Success Partners delivers Excellence in Reception Teaching in partnership with Best Practice Network, one of the UK’s leading providers of professional development and qualifications for education professionals.

Through structured online learning, practical classroom application, formative assessment and personalised mentor support, participants develop the knowledge, confidence and practical strategies needed to deliver consistently excellent Reception teaching.

Strengthen your practice. Support every child. Build foundations for future success.

Excellence in Reception Teaching at a glance

  • 20-week, part-time programme delivered across two terms

  • Approximately 20 guided learning hours

  • Flexible online learning

  • Live online sessions

  • Practical classroom application

  • Formative assessment with no final summative assessment

  • Support from a named Learning Mentor

  • Written feedback and professional dialogue

  • Evidence-informed, Reception-specific content

  • Accessible to Reception teachers in British and international schools

Who is Excellence in Reception Teaching for?

The programme is designed for experienced Reception teachers who want to deepen their knowledge, strengthen their day-to-day practice and improve outcomes for children.

It is particularly suitable for:

  • Experienced Reception teachers

  • Teachers who want to strengthen Reception pedagogy and classroom practice

  • Teachers supporting children with a wide range of developmental needs

  • Teachers working with children with SEND or English as an additional language

  • Teachers who want to improve inclusion and adaptive practice

  • Teachers seeking to strengthen early literacy and early mathematics

  • Teachers who want to develop more effective partnerships with parents and carers

  • Teachers supporting children’s transition into Reception and from Reception to Year 1

  • Schools that want to develop consistent, evidence-informed Reception practice

Participants may work in a wide range of school contexts, including British international schools and settings with varied levels of school readiness, disadvantage, SEND or EAL.

Develop expertise in Reception teaching

Effective Reception teaching requires a detailed understanding of child development alongside the ability to translate that knowledge into purposeful classroom practice.

Teachers make many small but important decisions each day: how to organise routines, plan learning, respond to individual needs, develop language, support inclusion, engage families and prepare children for the next stage of their education.

Through Excellence in Reception Teaching, participants strengthen their knowledge and practice across:

  • Child development

  • Classroom practice and pedagogy

  • Curriculum planning

  • Early literacy

  • Early mathematics

  • Formative assessment

  • Inclusive and adaptive practice

  • Supporting children with SEND and EAL

  • Communication, language and self-regulation

  • Partnerships with parents and carers

  • Working with colleagues and other professionals

  • Transitions from nursery to Reception

  • Transitions from Reception to Year 1

  • Evaluating impact and sustaining improvement

A practical programme designed around your classroom

Excellence in Reception Teaching connects professional learning directly with participants’ day-to-day work.

The programme combines structured online learning with planned classroom application weeks, enabling teachers to test manageable changes, reflect on their impact and refine their practice without creating unnecessary additional workload.

Participants benefit from:

  • Reception-specific examples and case studies

  • Evidence-informed professional learning

  • SEND-inclusive examples from a range of contexts

  • Downloadable summaries and practical tools

  • Low-stakes checks for understanding

  • Clear formative-assessment guidance

  • Annotated examples and success criteria

  • Mentor-facilitated reflection

  • Written feedback

  • Professional learning conversations

  • Opportunities to evaluate and demonstrate impact

There is no final summative assessment. Instead, participants complete formative activities that help them apply their learning, receive feedback and plan how improvements can be sustained in their setting.

Flexible online delivery

Excellence in Reception Teaching is delivered through a blend of:

  • Live online sessions

  • Structured online learning

  • Classroom-based application

  • Formative assessment activities

  • Mentor feedback

  • Professional dialogue and reflection

The programme follows a clear rhythm of learning, application, feedback and refinement across 20 weeks.

Flexible online delivery makes the programme accessible to Reception teachers working in different locations and time zones while allowing participants to continue in their current role.

Mentor support and professional dialogue

Each participant has access to a named Learning Mentor.

Mentors help participants connect the programme’s evidence-informed content to their own classroom, pupils and school context. Participants receive written feedback on their formative assessment tasks and take part in structured professional dialogue about their progress and impact.

This personalised support enables teachers to reflect critically on their practice, recognise successful changes and identify priorities for continued development.

Benefits for participants

Completing Excellence in Reception Teaching will help participants to:

  • Deepen their understanding of child development

  • Strengthen Reception pedagogy and curriculum planning

  • Improve classroom routines, interactions and learning environments

  • Develop effective approaches to early literacy and mathematics

  • Use formative assessment more purposefully

  • Identify and respond to children’s needs earlier

  • Strengthen provision for children with SEND and EAL

  • Develop more inclusive and adaptive practice

  • Build effective relationships with parents and carers

  • Support smoother transitions into Reception and Year 1

  • Apply evidence-informed learning directly in the classroom

  • Evaluate the impact of changes to their practice

  • Build confidence as an experienced Reception practitioner

  • Plan improvements that can be sustained over time

Benefits for schools

Supporting a teacher to complete Excellence in Reception Teaching can help a school to:

  • Strengthen the quality and consistency of Reception teaching

  • Improve children’s learning, development and inclusion

  • Build evidence-informed early years provision

  • Develop staff expertise and confidence

  • Strengthen early literacy and mathematics provision

  • Improve support for children with SEND and EAL

  • Build stronger partnerships with parents and carers

  • Support successful transitions between nursery, Reception and Year 1

  • Retain and develop experienced Reception teachers

  • Embed practical improvements that can be shared across the school

  • Create sustainable improvements in children’s experiences and outcomes

Delivery partnership

Educational Success Partners works in partnership with Best Practice Network to make high-quality professional development accessible to teachers in British and international schools.

Best Practice Network has extensive experience in designing and delivering professional development for teachers, school leaders and early years professionals. Its programmes combine evidence-informed content with structured learning, practical application and personalised support.

Together, ESP and Best Practice Network offer:

  • High-quality, evidence-informed professional development

  • Specialist understanding of British education

  • Practical insight into international-school contexts

  • Flexible online delivery

  • Reception-specific learning and resources

  • Responsive participant support

  • A clear focus on classroom application and sustainable impact

This partnership enables Reception teachers to benefit from a nationally developed professional learning programme while receiving support informed by ESP’s experience of working with British schools worldwide.

Register interest

To register interest in the next cohort of the Excellence in Reception Teaching Programme email mark@espeducation.co.uk