St Ursula’s Catholic Primary School
TOP TIPS ON PREPARING YOUR CHILD FOR SCHOOL
Children should be encouraged to develop their independence.
Useful skills to practice with the children in preparation for the Early Years Foundation Stage include:
Saying short prayers;
Attending Mass during the year;
Putting on their own coat;
Taking off their jumper, turning it the right way around and putting the jumper on;
Putting on and taking off their own shoes;
Recognising their own names;
Being fully toilet trained;
Washing and drying their hands;
Blowing and wiping their own noses and throwing the tissue into the bin;
Feeding themselves independently;
Looking at books independently;
Having an awareness of letters, words, shapes and numbers in their environment;
Drawing, painting, cutting out;
Tidying up toys;
Play turn-taking games
Talk to children about starting Nursery / Reception and explain that they will stay at school to learn and play with the other children but that someone will come back to collect them each day.
For more tips on early learning and development, visit the NHS ‘Better start for Life’ website: https://www.nhs.uk/start-for-life/early-learning-development/ https//www.henry.org.uk
RECEPTION SCHOOL UNIFORM
St Ursula’s Catholic Primary School is proud of its smart red and grey uniform, which gives our children a sense of unity and belonging to a special community. The school appreciates the co-operation of parents in maintaining the exact uniform both during winter and summer. For further information and more visuals of the school uniform, please go to our website:
https://stursulascatholicprimary.co.uk/join-st-ursulas/school-uniform
Winter:
Long Grey Trousers
White Shirt
School Tie
Red Pullover
Grey Socks
Black Leather Type Shoes
Grey Pinafore (Not Skirts)
White Blouse
School Tie
Red Cardigan
Grey, black or red tights or socks
Footwear:
Smart black/grey ankle boots may be worn in winter. (Boots must not have a heel. No boots with laces for Reception children).
In times of severe cold / wet weather, walking boots or wellington boots may be worn to school and for outdoor use at break and lunch, but children must have their school shoes with them to change into whilst inside the school building if ankle boots are not worn.
Reception to Year 6: Trainers may only be worn with PE uniform. (Children in Reception may only wear trainers with velcro fastenings).
Summer:
Red Gingham School Summer Dress (no separate skirt & top)
Red Cardigan
Black or red leather type shoes (no open toes sandals)
White Socks (no tights with summer dresses)
Short Grey Trousers
School Polo Shirt with logo
Red Pullover
Black Leather Type Shoes
Grey or black socks
Outdoor Coats:
We do have a uniform black or red warm waterproof coat available to purchase online or in our new pop-up uniform shop, however this is not compulsory. Coats should be of suitable style for cold and wet weather preferably with a hood and in school colours if possible.
Blazers:
Grey school blazers, with the red school logo, are available to order, but they are optional. These can be worn at any time.
PE Kit:
Plain black shorts, PE black tracksuit and house colour t-shirt. Your child will be assigned their house colour when their class allocation is sent out.
St Angela St Domonic St Edward St Mary
NURSERY UNIFORM
The Nursery uniform has been designed to ensure the safety, comfort and independence of the children.
Autumn & Winter:
Red St Ursula’s Nursery Sweatshirt
Black jogging bottoms
White St Ursula’s polo shirt
Plain black trainers with velcro fastenings (no laces)
Boots may be worn to and from school in wet weather, but are not suitable for indoors. Please send school shoes to the Nursery for cold/wet weather.
Spring & Summer:
Red St Ursula’s sweatshirt
White St Ursula’s polo shirt
Red pull up shorts
Plain black trainers with velcro fastenings (no laces)
PLEASE NOTE
Skirts, dresses, sandals and open toed shoes are unsuitable for the many physical activities in the Foundation Stage Curriculum and may not be worn.
A warm jacket which is easy to fasten is essential for outdoor play.
Shoes should be of a sensible and safe design with Velcro fastenings. Footwear must be suitable and safe for outdoor activities.
Children will need a spare set of clothes in a bag for emergencies.
Jewellery must not be worn to school. However, an analogue watch can be worn by pupils from Year 1.
Long hair must be tied back. Fashion cuts and gel are not permitted.
All uniform can be purchased online or via our pop up uniform shop, dates as shown on the school calendar.
Website
https://stursulascatholicprimary.co.uk/join-st-ursulas/school-uniform School Calendar
https://stursulascatholicprimary.co.uk/calendar
Please ensure all clothing is clearly labelled with your child’s name
HOW WE DEAL WITH ACCIDENTS & INCIDENTS IN SCHOOL
If your child is ill or has an accident during the school day, they will be checked by a member of staff who is trained in First Aid. We have staff in all areas of the school that have paediatric first aid training.
All incidents, including minor bumps, minor collisions or scrapes are logged via a system called Medical Tracker. School will notify you of any minor accidents when you come to collect your child.
If we feel urgent attention is required, or that your child would benefit from being at home, we will contact you by telephone, therefore it is extremely important that your details are kept up to date and you inform the school office of any changes.
SCHOOL MILK
Every child under the age of 5 is entitled to FREE school milk. Every child over the age of 5 is entitled to milk at a subsidised price.
Parents must register for their child to receive milk and will need to re-register once the child turns 5.
To find out more go to: www.coolmilk.com
HOW WE COMMUNICATE WITH PARENTS/CARERS
SCHOOL DINNER FOR RECEPTION CHILDREN
In order to communicate with our parents and carer’s in a simple and cost effective way, we ask you to download the Schoolgateway app. The school will use this to send out free, instantaneous messages to targeted parent groups with free inapp messaging. You will be able to pay for school trips, clubs and book your child’s lunch via the app.
Havering Catering is the school dinner supplier for St Ursula’s.
In order to book your child a school lunch you will need to download the Schoolgateway app and book a few weeks in advance.
School dinners are currently FREE for all Primary School aged children from Reception to Year 6.
PREPARING PACKED LUNCH
St Ursula’s is a nut free school so please can we ask that no nut products are included in the lunch boxes or brought into the school as treats.
Please do not include the following:
Peanut butter sandwiches
Cereal bars containing nuts
Cakes that contain nuts
Peanut butter cakes
Sauces that contain nuts
Lunchbox Ideas:
Chocolate spread
Granola bars containing nuts
Biscuits / cookies that contain nuts
Some Asian food, including satay
https://www.nhs.uk/healthier-families/recipes/healthier-lunchboxes/ https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/collection/school-lunch-recipes https://babyfoode.com/blog/30-healthy-lunch-box-ideas-for-kids/
Early Years Food Choking Hazards
Below is a table of advice on key foods for care givers who are involved with preparing and serving food for babies and young children (under 5 years old)
Vegetable and fruits Advice
Pips or stones in fruit
Always check beforehand and remove hard pips or stones from fruit.
Small fruits Cut small round fruits like grapes, cherries, berries, strawberries and cherry tomatoes, into small pieces: cut lengthways and then again cut them in halves (quarters).
Large fruits and firm fruits
Cut large fruits like melon and firm fruits like apple into slices instead of small chunks. For very young children, consider grating or mashing firm fruits, or softening them up by steaming or simmering.
Vegetables Cut vegetables like carrots, cucumber and celery into narrow batons. For very young children consider grating or mashing firm vegetables and legumes like butter beans, chickpeas and tofu, or softening them up by steaming or simmering.
Skin on fruit and vegetables
Cooking fruit and vegetables
Consider removing the skin from fruit and vegetables, especially for very young children. Peeled fruit and vegetables can be swallowed more easily.
Consider softening firm fruit and vegetables (such as carrots, broccoli, yam and apples) by steaming or simmering until soft. Serve cut into slices or narrow batons.
Cheese Advice
Grate or cut cheese
Grate or cut cheese into short strips. Cut lumps of cheese as narrow as possible.
Nuts and seeds Advice
Chop or flake whole nuts
Chop or flake whole nuts, peanuts and
Bread Advice
White breadand other breads
White bread can form a ball shape with a dough-like texture at the back of a child's throat, if not chewed properly. Brown bread or toasted white bread are good alternatives. Cut bread, chapatis, naan bread and other breads into narrow strips.
Snacks and other foods Advice
Popcorn
Chewing gum and marshmallows
Peanut butter
Jelly cubes
Boiled sweets and ice cubes
Raisins and other dried fruits
Do not give babies and young children popcorn.
Do not give babies and young children chewing gum or marshmallows.
Do not give babies and young children peanut butter on its own, only use as a spread.
Do not give babies and young children raw jelly cubes.
Do not give babies and young children boiled, hard, gooey, sticky or cough sweets, or ice cubes.
Do not give babies under the age of 1 whole raisins or dried fruits. Cut them into small pieces.
Make sure food is prepared appropriately for children under 5 years old, see: https://www.nhs.uk/start4life/weaning/.
It is also advisable that care givers are familiar with how to respond to a choking incident, see:
How to stop a child from choking: https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/baby/first-aidand-safety/first-aid/how-to-stop-a-child-from-choking/
How to resuscitate a child: https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/baby/first-aid-andsafety/first-aid/how-to-resuscitate-a-child/
Our Core Values:
Faith - Our children have faith and let God be their guide
Respect - Our children have respect for their school and their planet
Kindness - Our children show kindness to everyone through their actions
Honesty - Our children are loyal, honest and understanding of others
Resilience - Our children keep trying their best and never give up
Mission Statement:
“With God at the heart of our St Ursula’s family, we welcome all as we learn and grow together.”