New Intake Meeting

1. New Intake Meeting 9th July 2019

2. Transition • Contact has been made with some of the pre school establishments • Visits to some pre school providers have taken place • Visits to Sydney Russell Primary School for parents/carers and your child will take place tomorrow, 10th July. • Staff will visit the home of each child in September, to talk to parents. Visits will take place 4th – 11thSeptember 2019.

3. Starting School • Children attend school part time for the first Week • For the first 2 days on the 12th and 13th September they will either attend the morning session or afternoon session. • Morning session: 9.00 – 11.30 • Afternoon session: 12.15 – 2.45 • From Monday 16th to Wednesday 18th September children will attend part-time in the morning and stay for lunch before going home • These sessions will be 9.00-12.30 • Attending part time helps to ease children into school life and gets them use to the routines, staff and other children. • Time is spent with children to ensure they settle into school. • Children start full time on Thursday 19thSeptember: 8.55-3.00

4. School Uniform • Children must wear the uniform every day. • Check what uniform is required, on the list provided. • PE uniform consists of: shorts, t-shirt, plimsolls, jogging bottoms and jumper. All items must be named and in a school PE bag. • PE bags will go home to be washed each half term but must be returned on the first day back, after the half term/holiday.

5. Drinks • Children can have milk and/or water • We encourage all children to use an appropriate water bottle (with a push down lid). • You are responsible for filling them up with water each day and ensuring your child comes to school with it, every day. • You must only fill them with waterand no other drink. • The ‘Cool Milk’ scheme entitles your child to receive free milk until just before they turn 5 years old. Go online to register. • Children can continue to drink milk after they turn 5 years old but you have to go back on line, to register and pay.

6. Snack time • Fruit or vegetables are provided for the children each day, for a snack. • You can provide an extra piece of fruit for the afternoon. • Please ensure it is only fruit or vegetables that you send in.

7. Lunch time • Children stay for lunch on Monday 16thSeptember • Menus are provided. • You can talk to your child about what dinner they would like for the next day. Dinners are always selected for the following day. • Staff eat lunch with the children and support them during the first few weeks, depending how they get on. • Fully trained supervisors get to know the children to help them to settle and encourage them to eat what they can. They will also provide them with the skills to cut their own food.

8. Playtime • After dinner the children use reception play area, which will be familiar to them. • Staff supervise the children and teach them how to play games and socialise with others.

9. Safety • Young children are prone to accidents, most of which are minor • We have first aiders with paediatric knowledge, who administer the appropriate care when someone does get hurt. • Parents/carers will be notified at the end of the day if their child has had a bump or graze. • You will be notified immediately if it is anything serious.

10. Remember • We know playtimes can be a cause of worry for parents but it is an essential part of learning to get along with others. • It can take time for children to feel comfortable at lunch playtimes. • Children need to learn skills like co-operating, talking to others, sharing and taking turns, and this takes time, too.

11. Names on Everything • Anything belonging to your child, must be labelled with your child’s name and class. • Put names on: jumpers, PE bag, PE clothes and plimsolls, water bottles and book bags.

12. The First Few Weeks • We aim to complete an on entry assessment within the first few weeks. This will involve observations of children partaking in practical activities. • This will provide us with a starting point and enable us to plan for the next steps. • We will also consider any information passed onto us via pre-schools and nurseries.

13. Reception Classes • There will be 3 classes for Reception children • Each class will have a class teacher and a teaching assistant • Each classroom has access to the outside learning environment • The same curriculum will be covered in each class.

14. The School Day • Children will learn morning routines: hanging coat, removing reading books from book bags, placing names into dinner baskets, writing names • Whole class teaching • Open learning/ indoors and outdoors • Snack times • Guided groups • Phonic sessions • Lunchtime: routines like washing hands and collecting their dinner • Whole class teaching • Open learning/ indoors and outdoors • Guided groups • Story/music time • Children will learn afternoon routines: collecting their belongings, opening and closing book bags in readiness for home time

15. The Early Years Foundation Stage Curriculum • The Early Years Curriculum comprises of 7 areas of learning: • 3 Prime areas: • Personal, Social and Emotional Development, • Physical Development • Communication and Language. • 4 Specific areas: • Literacy • Mathematics • Understanding the World • Expressive Arts and design

16. Characteristics of Learning There are 3 Characteristics of Effective Learning; • Playing and exploring • Active learning • Creating and thinking critically The characteristics are woven through the 7 areas of learning and are all interconnected. They underpin the learning and development and support the child to remain an effective and motivated learner.

17. Parental Involvement • You, as parents/carers are the child’s main educators • We will ask you to contribute to your child’s on going assessments; through discussions, book looks, reading record book, wow moments, homework book and phone conversations

18. Contributions could include... The information we require, will help us to learn more about the children e.g. • Interests • Friends • Places they have visited • What they enjoy? • What they have learned? • What they would like to learn? • What makes them happy?

19. Any Questions Thank you for coming. See you all again, soon