Joining Reception in September 2024

Welcome to Parents looking for a school place for September 2024.

We are planning to hold a few open sessions where parents can visit the school and see it in action.  It's important to do this to get a feel for the school in order to make an informed decision so we encourage everyone to visit.

Our open sessions will be on the following dates.  There is no need to ring to make an appointment - just turn up on a date that's convenient to you and we'll arrange for some of our older children to take you on a guided tour of the school.

Tuesday 3^rd October 10am

Wednesday 1^st November 2pm

Monday 4^th December 9:30

Wednesday 3^rd January 2pm

We look forward to meeting with you on your visit but in the meantime, here are 2 short videos of the school which I hope you'll find helpful.  .

Here are 2 short video clips to support induction:

Meet The Team of Reception (EYFS) Staff
	Mrs Thompson                                                     Head of Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) Currently Teaches Robin Class Mondays- Wednesday
	Mrs Coppens Currently Teaches Robin Class Thursdays & Fridays
	Miss Holder Currently Teaches Jay Class
	Mrs Sinclair Teaching Assistant
	Miss Lumabao Part time Teaching Assistant
	Mrs Isaac Part time Teaching Assistant

Once new primary school places are confirmed by the Local Authority, families start thinking about the transition to school. They have lots of questions - from practical ones about drop-off and pick-up, uniform and homework, to concerns about their child making friends or settling with their new teacher.

Transition is really important, partly to allay any worries children might have, but also for parents. It’s a much bigger deal for some families than others, but it’s the start of a seven-year relationship and we want to make sure it gets off to the best start possible. Like most schools around the UK, we invite parents into school for information sessions and arrange for children to meet their teachers.

Things parents can do to help

Getting ready for transition at home might be a new challenge for families whose preschoolers would ordinarily be in childcare in the run-up to starting school. BBC Bitesize Starting Primary School has lots of resources to help you have fun together at the same time as supporting their learning and sense of independence. Why not try singing nursery rhymes together  or playing numeracy game Bud's Number Garden.

There's also advice on how to make your home a fun learning zone , and films to help your child develop independence skills like using the toilet and getting into good sleep habits .

One thing to remember is that pre-schoolers don’t need to do lots of what you might think of as schoolwork at home before they start. My Early Years team will always say that getting dressed and undressed and using the toilet independently are key skills which can be encouraged at home. The simple things can be really helpful, too: getting familiar with numbers, letters and sounds, singing nursery rhymes, and just doing things with your children like baking, getting out in the garden if you have one and simply chatting with them. Parents often underestimate the value of talking with their children, and that’s something that preschool children who are at home might get a lot more of.

How to talk to your child about the change in plans

Things are uncertain at the moment, but this doesn’t need to affect the way you talk about transition with children of this age. We approach a lot of things thinking like an adult, but kids tend to be more resilient than adults in many ways. They don’t need to know that things aren’t happening the way they would do normally. They take things at face value and tend to throw themselves into most things - we just sometimes need to shield them from our own worries. The conversation can be as simple as “we’re waiting for a message to tell us when you’re going to start school, isn’t that really exciting?” And it is really exciting, for them and for their school. We can’t wait to meet them.

For further information check out the rest of Starting Primary School which has lots of ways to help prepare children for different aspects of school life – both practically and emotionally.