Foundation Stage Welcome Booklet

A warm welcome to Boarshaw Community Primary School Foundation Stage.

This booklet introduces you to the Foundation Stage. We hope it will answer most of your queries but if you have any more questions please don’t hesitate to ask any of our Foundation Stage Team.

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Boarshaw Community Primary School, Stanycliffe Lane, Middleton, Manchester, M242PB Headteacher: Ms Harland Deputy Headteacher: Mrs Facchin Telephone: 01616539536 Email: office@boarshawprimary.co.uk Web: www.boarshawprimary.co.uk

Nursery Sea Turtles Reception Clown Fish

Miss Warburton (Nursery Teacher)

Miss Burns (Teaching Assistant)

Mrs Crowther (Reception Clownfish Teacher)

Reception Blue Tang

Miss Sayers (Reception Blue Tang Teacher)

Mrs Windsor and Mrs Daud (Teaching Assistants)

The Foundation Stage works as a unit, which means that for much of the day Nursery and Reception children mix together and all of the adults are involved with all of the children.

Every child in Foundation Stage will be given a ‘Key Person’. Adults will interact with all children in the unit but will have responsibility for the well being of the children in their key group. This will be the person you can speak to should you have any worries, concerns or great news about your child! In the corridor is a display board where you can see who your child’s Key Person is.

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Boarshaw Community Primary School, Stanycliffe Lane, Middleton, Manchester, M242PB Headteacher: Ms Harland Deputy Headteacher: Mrs Facchin Telephone: 01616539536 Email: office@boarshawprimary.co.uk Web: www.boarshawprimary.co.uk

The Foundation Stage doors open at 8.45 with the register taken at 9.00 and during the first few weeks parents are encouraged to come inside and settle the children during this time.

Nursery times: Reception times: 8:45am-1.00pm 8:45am- 3.15pm Lunchtimes: At Boarshaw Primary School we value lunchtime as a learning time. Lunchtime provides an opportunity for children to develop social skills and try new tastes and flavours. A range of meals are available each day and we will encourage your child to try new foods whilst ensuring they eat a wholesome healthy meal every day. The school kitchen offers a range of hot meals, daily sandwich selection and a salad bar. We encourage all children to start school on school dinners and should problems arise we can discuss this with each parent individually. School diners for all Reception children are free. Nursery children must pay for school dinners. Reception children who are entitled to free school meals upon a successful application will receive a school coat. Please speak to the office regarding free school meal applications.

Breakfast club: Breakfast club starts at 8.15 am and children get a choice of toast or cereal and a drink. On Friday’s there is a choice of bagel, crumpets, potato cake or scotch pancake. Breakfast club is £1 a day please complete an application form if you would like your child to attend breakfast club.

Snacks: As part of the Healthy Schools Scheme your child will be provided with a healthy snack of fruit or vegetable every day. Water will also be available to them at all times. Children are also entitled to free milk.

Home time: Nursery children finish school at 1:00pm and Reception children finish at 3:15.

Please arrive on time to collect your child as children can become upset if there is no one to collect them on time. If for any reason you are going to be late collecting your child please telephone the school office on 01616539536. Children can only be collected by a familiar adult please inform staff if the person collecting your child is changing. Parents are welcomed into the unit at home time to collect their children and staff will be available if you wish to speak to them. We ask that if you wish to speak to a member of staff you do so after school as in the morning staff are busy trying to settle children into school.

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Boarshaw Community Primary School, Stanycliffe Lane, Middleton, Manchester, M242PB Headteacher: Ms Harland Deputy Headteacher: Mrs Facchin Telephone: 01616539536 Email: office@boarshawprimary.co.uk Web: www.boarshawprimary.co.uk

Fun, fun and more fun! At Boarshaw Primary we understand the importance of your child being happy and settled and enjoying their learning. Young children learn through play and exploration and this is exactly what is provided in the foundation stage.

Your child will learn primarily through self chosen play and a mix of whole class and small group taught sessions. All of these take place both indoors and outdoors, whatever the weather so it would be fantastic if your child had a pair of wellies and a raincoat/waterproof that is named clearly and left in school at all times, particularly over winter. In the spring/summer months we ask that sun hats are left in school, clearly named, to protect the children when they play outdoors.

Activities are set up to reflect the topic we are focusing on for the half term and are changed and adapted regularly to extend learning and reflect the children’s developing interests. Below are the topics that your child will be learning about over the next year: Autumn 1

Spring 1

Summer 1

Why do you love me so much?

How many colours in a rainbow?

All about me, family, feelings and emotions.

Colour and pattern in the natural and man-made world.

What is a shadow? What is a reflection?

Keeping healthy sports, physical activity and outdoor play.

Autumn 2

Shadows, light and the Sun. Mirrors, reflections and symmetry.

Spring 2

Summer 2

Where does snow go?

Are eggs alive?

Which was the biggest dinosaur?

Winter weather, keeping warm and the properties of ice and snow,

Changes in nature during springtime.

Dinosaurs, herbivores, carnivores and imaginary creatures.

Christmas

Easter

The Foundation Stage is the phase from the age of 3 in the nursery until the end of the Reception year. We follow the Early Years Foundation Stage Curriculum which has 7 areas of learning. Activities are planned around topic themes and the interests of the children. In order to cover all areas of learning children will have the opportunity to take part in a range of activities each day which will cover all seven aspects of the Early Years Foundation Stage curriculum. An overview of these areas is given on the following page if you require more information please speak to your child’s class teacher.

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Boarshaw Community Primary School, Stanycliffe Lane, Middleton, Manchester, M242PB Headteacher: Ms Harland Deputy Headteacher: Mrs Facchin Telephone: 01616539536 Email: office@boarshawprimary.co.uk Web: www.boarshawprimary.co.uk

7 Areas of learning Personal, Social and Emotional Development  Taking care of ourselves and others  Co-operation  Trying new things  Celebrating success  Making friends

Communication and Language  Talking and listening to others  Listening to stories  Asking and answering questions in response to stories and events  Following instructions Physical Development  Dancing, rolling, running, climbing, balancing, crawling  Riding bikes,  Throwing and catching  Use of tools like brushes, scissors and pencils

Literacy  Learn words and texts in different contexts  Read books for enjoyment  Make marks as ‘writing’ for a range of purpose

Mathematics  Recognise and write numbers  Count sets of objects  Use mathematical language and solve problems

Understanding the World  Explore and investigate with all five senses  Being aware of home, environment, families past and present

Expressive arts and design  Explore different materials, tools and techniques  Using imagination in music, role play and art

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Boarshaw Community Primary School, Stanycliffe Lane, Middleton, Manchester, M242PB Headteacher: Ms Harland Deputy Headteacher: Mrs Facchin Telephone: 01616539536 Email: office@boarshawprimary.co.uk Web: www.boarshawprimary.co.uk

At school every child is expected to wear school uniform. Uniform with the school logo is available to buy from the school office, although your child can wear plain garments in the school colours. This consists of:

A white polo shirt and a green sweatshirt or cardigan.

Skirts or trousers should be black or grey.

In the summer girls may wear green checked/striped dresses.

Children should also come to school in a suitable coat and footwear. Long shoe laces can be difficult for young children to manage.  Every child should have a book bag, these will be given to every child at the home school visit.    

All clothing should be clearly marked with your child’s name so we can return them to you promptly.

Children with pierced ears are allowed to wear stud type earrings but no other jewellery is allowed. Children must also be able to remove these themselves for P.E. lessons- if your child can not remove them by themselves, they should not be worn on PE days.

P.E. is a compulsory part of the school curriculum and therefore P.E. kit must be provided. P.E. kit can be purchased from the school office. Nursery children just need pumps. Recpetion: Indoor kit: white t-shirt, black shorts and pumps. Outdoor kit: tracksuit and trainers.

We appreciate that accidents can happen so could you please ensure that your child has a spare set of clothes (including underwear) clearly labelled in a plastic bag and kept on their peg.

Throughout the year we will be outside everyday so please ensure that you child has a waterproof coat with a hood and hat, scarf and gloves on very cold days. It would also be fantastic if your child had a pair of wellies that are named clearly and left in school at all times, particularly over winter. In the spring/summer months we ask that sun hats are left in school and clearly named, to protect the children when they play outdoors.

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Boarshaw Community Primary School, Stanycliffe Lane, Middleton, Manchester, M242PB Headteacher: Ms Harland Deputy Headteacher: Mrs Facchin Telephone: 01616539536 Email: office@boarshawprimary.co.uk Web: www.boarshawprimary.co.uk

At Boarshaw all parents are welcome in school.

We encourage parents to take an active part in their child’s education. Parents are welcomed into the unit from 8:45am every morning to help to settle their child. Parents can then say goodbye before 9:00am when the register will be taken.

There will also be many opportunities throughout the year for parents to come into the foundation stage to take part in their child’s learning, for example ‘Come and Play’ days, library sessions and story sessions. We also encourage the children to share their learning with their parents through reading each night at home and completing a small piece of homework each week. Your child will be given a welcome pack consisting of a reading book bag and stationary such as glue and pencil crayons.

These are all to help your child to settle in and to have the resources needed to complete their homework well.

To monitor your child’s progress each child will have their own learning journey showing activities they have taken part in and achievements they have made within each area of the curriculum. You will be shown when your child starts school where their learning journey is kept and you are free to look at this at any time. We view parents as partners and encourage you to add to your child’s learning journey showing achievements they have made at home. We will be sending home packs of sheets that you can complete as often as you choose.

These will then be added to your child’s learning journey folder.

Before your child starts in the Foundation Stage you will be offered the opportunity to be visited by the staff. This is so that we can help you prepare your child for school and answer any questions you may have. Please sign up for your appointment time at the welcome meeting.

We are sure that your child will be very happy and settled at Boarshaw but should you have any concerns please do not hesitate to speak to your child’s teacher or key person. As you can appreciate the mornings are a very busy time for us, trying to get all of the children settled, so unless your concern or question is urgent catching us at the end of the day is best. We are here to work together to ensure that your child is happy, settled and making good progress.

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Boarshaw Community Primary School, Stanycliffe Lane, Middleton, Manchester, M242PB Headteacher: Ms Harland Deputy Headteacher: Mrs Facchin Telephone: 01616539536 Email: office@boarshawprimary.co.uk Web: www.boarshawprimary.co.uk

Are my clothes, shoes and coats easy to manage?

Please don’t mind if I get paint and chalk on my clothes as it is quite messy in the Foundation Stage.

Please let my teacher know if I am upset about something at home. It will help them understand me at school.

If I am irritable and attention seeking in my first few weeks at school, it is because I am adjusting to my new life and working very hard during the day.

Please make sure I have had breakfast in the morning as my brain finds it difficult to work when I am hungry.

Please make sure that I can go to the toilet and dress/undress by myself.

Please remember to pick me up on time as I hate being the last one left at school. If you are going to be late for me, please try and ring the school to let them know. That way they will make sure I have something nice to do whilst waiting.

Please remember to tell me how good my paintings and drawings are when I bring them home. They may not look quite how you would think they should, but I have tried very, very hard!

I might not bring home paintings and drawings every day but that doesn’t mean I haven’t been working hard.

Please remember to tell my teacher all about me especially if there are changes at home such as a new baby as this will help them to understand me a bit more.

Please help me to remember my book bag every day.

Please try and spend time with me each day doing a fun activity such as reading, counting, helping me to learn my phonemes/letter sounds and even just talking and listening.

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Boarshaw Community Primary School, Stanycliffe Lane, Middleton, Manchester, M242PB Headteacher: Ms Harland Deputy Headteacher: Mrs Facchin Telephone: 01616539536 Email: office@boarshawprimary.co.uk Web: www.boarshawprimary.co.uk

Before starting school it would help if your child can:         

Dress and undress themselves Put on and fasten their shoes independently. Velcro fasteners please!

Independently feed themselves Recognise and attempt to write their own name Listen to and join in with stories and rhymes Share books with an adult and join the local library Wash their hands and blow their nose independently Use the toilet properly and flush it Tidy away toys.

We are committed to working closely with parents and hope to build a good relationship so that together we can best support your child’s development.

Here are some of the ways in which we hope to keep in touch:  Weekly school newsletters  Half termly newsletters specific to the foundation stage  Parent evenings  Twitter @BoarshawP  Website: www.boarshawprimary.co.uk Keeping in Touch If you are unable to pop in and see us you can contact us by telephoning the school office on 01616539536 or emailing: office@boarshawprimary.co.uk Thank you for taking the time to read the booklet. We hope that you have found the information useful and informative. Please let us know if there is something missing. We would welcome your feedback.

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Boarshaw Community Primary School, Stanycliffe Lane, Middleton, Manchester, M242PB Headteacher: Ms Harland Deputy Headteacher: Mrs Facchin Telephone: 01616539536 Email: office@boarshawprimary.co.uk Web: www.boarshawprimary.co.uk