From all at St Bernadette’s Catholic Primary School
Reception
Miss Gooch
Mrs Blackwell
Year 4
Mr Hopkinson
Mrs Huggard
Miss Seeley
Our Staff Team
September 2025
Mrs Woolfall Head Teacher
Mrs Pearson Assistant Head Teacher
Miss Greenhalgh
Assistant Head Teacher
Mrs Dowling SENCo/KS1 PPA
Year 1
Mrs McCulloch
Mrs Mullan
Year 5
Mrs Pearson
Mrs Brown
Site Team
Tom Steve
Year 2
Mr Sheridan
Year 6
Miss Greenhalgh
Mrs Walsh
Year 3
Miss Paul
Mrs Freitas
Mrs Armstrong PPA
Blackpool CT
Mrs Dowling
Office Staff
Mrs Wells – Business Manager
Miss Straughair – Office Administrator
The Foundation Stage
The foundation stage begins at birth and runs all the way through to the start of the national curriculum.
There are seven areas of learning:
• Personal, Social and Emotional Development
• Communication and Language
• Mathematics
• Literacy
• Understanding the World
• Physical Development
• Expressive Arts and Design
How will my child learn?
Children will learn through a mixture of direct teaching and engaging in continuous provision.
Continuous provision describes all the different areas which are available for your children to use every day. Within each of these areas of provision there will be a core range of resources that children can use all the time, throughout the whole year. In addition to core resources, we enhance each area to make it enticing and relevant to the children and their learning.
These continuous provision areas include: Reading, Writing, Maths, Construction, Small World, Role Play, Malleable, Creative and investigation area.
Opportunities to learn outdoors on a daily basis.
During continuous provision (indoor and outdoor) adults will interact with the children to enhance learning opportunities.
Assessment
Within the first 6 weeks of term, children will undertake a statutory baseline assessment that all 4-5 year olds in Reception classes nationally take part in.
The assessment will be carried out by myself on a 1:1 basis using practical equipment. The children think they are taking part in games and it is a lovely opportunity to us to get to know the children as well.
The baseline assessment looks at some of the key areas of learning in the EYFS: maths, literacy, communication and language. From here we will plan activities to build and develop on their skills, interests and knowledge.
Throughout the year, further assessments are made through observations and interactions with the children.
During Autumn and Spring Term, Parent Conference will be held to discuss your child’s progress.
In the Summer term a report will be sent home which will inform you of your child’s progress against each of the areas of learning and development.
Snacks, food and other experiences
Fresh fruit and milk are available every day.
Children should bring a named water bottle from home every day. Please ensure that this contains water and not juice.
All children in Reception, Year 1 and Year 2 are eligible for free school meals. A menu will be sent home with a table for you to fill in with your child’s choice whilst they settle in and we get to know your child’s likes and dislikes.
Children who wish to bring a packed lunch to school may do so. We are a healthy school and as such as ask that pack lunches contain a balanced diet with no chocolate bars, sweets or fizzy drinks.
Snacks, food and other experiences
From time to time we provide different food experiences for the children. These might be in the form of:
• Different and more exotic fruits and vegetables
• Bread, biscuits, cakes etc which the children make/bake themselves.
• Chinese food tasting
Other experiences provided for your children include:
• Natural experiences such as our herb garden that the children can incorporate in the mud kitchen.
• Making sensory playdough with a range of colouring, smells, textures.
For these reasons, we are asking for a small voluntary contribution each term. Letters with the amount will be sent out each term.
School Life
You have been given a new starter pack that contains important information such as term dates and the daily routines and procedures within school. All other important information such as; important dates for your diary, copies of letters and details of clubs can be found on our school website.
Each Friday, we send out a school newsletter which includes details of recent school events, individual and class awards and important information for parents. We also update our school Facebook page regularly with news and photographs.
Please keep up to date with newsletters, Facebook and the school website to ensure you don’t miss anything.
School Uniform
School uniform is available to purchase from Bispham Clothing.
Please take a look at the uniform boards we have on display this evening. There are also price lists available to take.
We ask all items of clothing are labelled. A full uniform list is available on our website.
All children must bring a labelled pair of wellington boots to leave at school as we go outside in all weathers.
All children should bring in spare underwear and a spare set of clothes in their book bag in case of accidents.
Home Visits
Miss Gooch will be making appointments to visit your child at home, if this is something you would like to do.
Visiting your family at home gives your child an opportunity to meet their new teacher in a familiar environment. The teacher is able to introduce themselves and get to know a little more about your child before they start school in September. There is no expectation or pressure for this visit and indeed you may have gone through this process already with your older children.
Each visit will last approximately 20 minutes, during this time, you can ask any questions you may have
Is Your Child Ready for School?
• Can they visit the toilet by themselves?
• Can they dress themselves?
• Can they read their own name?
• Are they used to being away from you?
• There is plenty of time to support your child with these areas so they are as independent as possible ready for ‘BIG SCHOOL!’
Stay and Play/Transition
On Monday, 30th June We will be holding a stay and play transition session for children to meet us and introduce them to the classroom.
Children will visit 1.30 until 3pm On this day
We are in the process of speaking to nursery providers to start getting to know your child and planning visits into settings.
We will begin our school journey on Tuesday 2nd September. The children will be split into 2 groups…
Transition into Reception
We will begin our journey of transition on Tuesday 2nd September 2025. The programme of attendance will be as follows:
On Friday 12th September, we welcome all parents to join us for a Stay and Play in the afternoon to see your child in their new classroom and to meet their year 6 buddy. This will be 1.30pm until 2.45pm.
Buddies
Year 6 ‘Buddy’ System
We have implemented a ‘buddy’ system between our Year 6 pupils and our Reception pupils.
Mrs Pearson, Assistant Head Teacher, will now talk you through how the system works and give you more information on your child’s allocated ‘buddy’.
What is a buddy?
A buddy is someone who guides someone around the school, helps them out and is there for them.
Who is my child’s buddy?
The children in Year 5 have written a letter to the buddy they will have in September.
Who are the Buddies at St Bernadette’s?
Our Year 5 children will begin their Buddy journey in September, as the new Year 6, supporting our Reception children.
As part of their new role, they have written to the children they are supporting (and their parents) to introduce themselves and give examples of the different things they will do with the children.
Thank you for Listening
We look forward to meeting with you all over the coming weeks.
If you would like to sign up for a home visit by the class teacher, please write your name down and specify which date is best for you.
Please don’t forget, we have invited your child in for a visit afternoon on Monday, 30th June, 1.30pm until 3pm. We can’t wait to meet them all!
You now have the opportunity to walk around our school.
If you have any more questions, please do not hesitate to contact us by email or telephone.
