Excellence in reception teaching: check funding eligibility and register

Using the latest early years evidence, relevant to the modern classroom, Excellence in reception teaching is a national professional development (NPD) course to help experienced teachers develop their practice and deepen their understanding of the key areas of child development.

NPD  courses are informed by the best available research and endorsed by the Education Endowment Foundation.

On successful completion of the course, participants will be awarded a Department for Education (DfE) accredited NPD certificate.

Who this course is for

This course is suitable for:

• teachers who have completed their induction
• experienced reception teachers
• teachers moving into a reception role

This course is not designed for teaching assistants.

About  the course

In the Every child achieving and thriving white paper, we committed to new training courses for teachers. NPD courses are designed for teachers who have completed their induction but may not be at a leadership level yet.

In the Giving every child the best start in life strategy, we committed to developing a new training course for reception class teachers.

Reception teachers play a vital role in shaping children’s early educational journeys. This course aims to develop their practice by building the knowledge, skills and professional behaviours required to provide the highest-quality reception year for all children.

This course will help teachers deliver high-quality reception teaching by providing the knowledge, tools and confidence to apply new learning approaches. 

What you will learn

You will learn practical strategies to improve children’s outcomes, including how to:

• expertly apply evidence-based approaches in the classroom
• establish effective communication and language skills to support children’s learning
• build expertise in identifying and adapting to barriers to learning, including special educational needs and disabilities (SEND)
• improve physical activity to help develop children’s well-being and motor-skills
• plan an appropriate curriculum and assessments
• support smooth transitions for children into and out of reception

You can read the full content framework. Providers use this framework to design their course.

Providers 

You can choose from one of the following DfE-approved providers:

• Ambition Institute
• Best Practice Network
• Church of England
• LLSE
• National Institute of Teaching
• University College London (UCL) Institute of Education

How the course is delivered 

The course is designed to fit around your teaching commitments.

It will:

• take around 2 school terms to complete
• combine online learning and self-study (minimum 20 hours)
• include at least 4 hours of live online training

Your chosen training provider can give you full delivery details.

Funding

Funded places are available for participants working in most state-funded settings, including academies.

Examples of settings where funding is not available include:

• schools outside England
• independent schools

If you are not eligible for funding, you can self-fund. You still need to register with the DfE.

When you register with the DfE, we will tell you if you are eligible for funding.

Check funding eligibility and register