We recognise that starting Reception is a big and exciting step for children and their families, and we place great importance on making this transition as smooth and positive as possible. We work closely with pre-school and nursery settings, gathering information about children's experiences, interests, strengths, development and any areas where they may need additional support. We also value the knowledge and insights shared by parents and carers, as you know your child best. This information helps us to build a picture of each child before they start, enabling us to provide familiar experiences, appropriate support and a nurturing environment from the very beginning. Our aim is for every child to feel safe, happy and that they belong.
We support children and families starting school by:
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Phone calls made to Nurseries and pre-school settings to find out important information about the child.
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Visit to pre-school setting to meet and observe children in their familiar setting. We will take a photo of each child to put up in the classroom ready to welcome them when they start, adding to that important sense of belonging. Sometimes additional visits will be needed for individual children.
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New Parent’s Meeting. This involves a presentation about what to expect, what is needed etc. A tour of the Reception Unit and the chance for parents and carers to talk to key members of staff about their child. An Information pack and forms will be given to fill in which help us to get to know the children.
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Family Picnic. This is an opportunity for the whole family to explore the Reception Unit and also a chance to meet other families. This is about having fun in a new space. Children will be given a ‘Goody Bag’ of activities to do over the summer, including playdough and scissors. Sometimes additional visits are made to school to support individual children.
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Phone calls to parents and carers to gather any more information, answer questions and confirm dates.
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Stay & play session in September gives families the opportunity to explore the child’s new classroom, finding important things such as their drawer, peg and the toilet.
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Stay & Play session with family refreshments. This is a chance for the children to be left with their new Beech Green adults for a short time whilst families get to meet key staff members and also other families.
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Children start their sessions on a staggered intake, with the class being split into two groups. The children will do 2 days of mornings or afternoons, then swap over for the following 2 days.
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The whole class will do 2 mornings.
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The whole class will do 3 mornings and also stop for lunch.
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The children will start fulltime. Please note that at times this needs to be flexible in response to the individual child’s needs.
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A ‘Getting the Foundations Right’ meeting in which we explain how we will be teaching phonics and Maths. We will give parents and carers a pack of resources and explain ways in which they can support their child’s learning at home. We will explain our home/school communication system called ‘Tapestry’.