Starting School
If your child has been allocated a place at Greenleas for next September, we look forward to welcoming them. We will be holding a welcome evening for you to come and find out all about the school and ask any questions you may have. We will be posting out a letter to inform you of all the upcoming dates very soon including the days when your child will be coming for their visit.
Welcome to Greenleas Primary School
Starting school is an important and exciting time for both you and your child. During the weeks and months before the big day, you might have some questions, or even worries, about what happens at school. The purpose of this booklet is to try to answer some of those questions.
You are your child's first teacher and they will have learned to do many things during their time at home with you. You have a special understanding of your child's characteristics, likes and dislikes, and particular needs. In school, we want to build upon all that you have done, working with you as partners in the education of your child.
Preparing your child for school
Starting school can be a time of mixed feelings, not only for your child but also for you. There may be anxiety about the unknown and this is why we encourage you to bring your child into school before starting in September.
As part of the Induction process the children will be welcomed into their Reception classrooms for an afternoon visit, towards the end of the summer term. This visit will enable your child to become familiar with the classroom. It is also a good time for them to begin to get to know their teacher and some of the members of the class.
When your child begins school in September, the starting dates will be staggered so that the children enter their classes in small groups. We have found that this allows the children to settle well and enables the teachers to give them plenty of time and attention during those important early days.
Lunchtime and playtime can be a little daunting for young children. Initially we will have separate playtimes for Reception children, to give them the time to make friends within their peer group and to become familiar with the playground. For the same reason, we ask the full time children to go home for lunch during their first week with us. Again, we have found that this eases the transition to school. If your child is going to eat a cooked meal at lunchtime, they will have more confidence in the dining hall if they are able to use a knife, fork and spoon comfortably.
There are other ways you can help your child to settle into school easily.
Help them to practise everyday skills such as:
* getting dressed, changing into
different clothes, putting coats on.
* putting his/her shoes on,
(shoelaces are difficult for many
4/5 year olds.)
* wiping and blowing his/her nose.
* going to the toilet and washing
his/her hands afterwards. (If your
little boy has never used a urinal
before, it will be useful to take him
into the school toilets at the start or
end of one of his visits.)
Small children are rarely able to concentrate for long periods, but it will help them when they start school, if they are able to sit and do so for about ten minutes at a time. Many activities help to build concentration. Here are some suggestions:
Give your child time to let off steam before you settle down to a quiet activity.
If your child rarely settles to any activity, make sure that you give him/her tasks which are not too demanding. Give lots of praise and perhaps a reward of a favourite story when he/she has completed the task.
When your child has a friend visiting, give both children a task to complete together. This could be building a model, or finishing a jigsaw. As well as improving concentration, this will help develop valuable social skills.
All memory games encourage concentration. You could try "I went to the shops and I bought a ....." Each player takes it in turns to repeat the list and add an item of their own.
In September it will help your child if he/she is able to listen to and follow simple instructions. Again, games like "Simon Says" are ideal for this. When your child is ready, you can make the game more complicated by giving two, then three instructions.
Don't expect too much all at once and try not to worry. The important thing for your child is having a go and a positive attitude will give him/her the confidence to try something new.
Their learning should be fun and feel easy.
Reading
Sharing books with your child
It is never too early to start reading and enjoying books with your child. The value of time spent reading to your child cannot be over-emphasised. We would like to make the following suggestions to help make the most of your reading together.
1. Choose a time when your child is not too tired and when distractions are at a minimum. (Not when your child's favourite TV programme is about to start !)
2. Make story time comfortable and happy. Make sure that your child can see the print and pictures clearly.
3. Choose a wide variety of material: stories, poems, nursery rhymes, traditional tales, instructions, invitations, information. Choose topics/stories that are interesting to your child.
4. Always start at the front of a book and always look at the left hand page first. Although this may not seem to matter with a picture book, it will help your child understand that a story begins at the front of a book and continues in sequence through the pages.
5. Before reading each page, allow your child time to look at the details in the pictures, then encourage him/her to look at the print when you read. Sometimes, when you share a book, follow the words with your finger, showing the direction of print, so that your child can see that it is the print which tells the story.
6. Allow lots of time for discussing what you read. Encourage your child to make predictions: "What do you think will happen next ?", "Why do you think they did that ?". Ask your child whether they liked the story and why.
7. Teach your child to value books and to look after them. Encourage your child to hold them properly and not to spoil them in any way.
8. Books can be expensive. While children like to have some books of their own, the local library will be able to provide a good selection of suitable books.
Reading at school
When your child is ready, we will begin to teach them to read by using a balanced combination of three strategies. One on its own is not so effective because some children may find one method more difficult than others.
1. "Whole word" or "Look and say"
Children learn to read many words by looking at their whole shape. For example, most children can read their own names before they know the sounds of the letters.
Christopher yellow pig
2. "Phonics"
The children will learn the sounds that the letters make and learn to recognise them by sight. When they are ready they will begin to blend the sounds together. They can then begin to tackle and read words they have not seen before.
d - o - g sh - i - p
3. "Whole language" or "Real Reading"
When we read, we often use our knowledge of normal sentence structure to predict the next word. We read for sense and meaning. This helps us to read fluently and with understanding.
Once upon
a ..............
there was a
king. He
lived in a
.................
Reading activities
In order to start to recognise letters and whole words children need to develop their visual discrimination skills. At this stage, sorting and matching games can be very helpful.
Here are a few suggestions:
1. When washing up or setting the table, ask "Can you find a cup with this pattern ?" or "Can you sort out the big spoons and the little spoons ?"
2. Make collections of buttons, beads, toys or pictures and sort them according to similarities and differences.
3. Play games such as lotto, snap and dominoes to help observation and discrimination skills.
4. Using a simple book, (Spot or Miffy books are ideal), show your child a word that stands out. e.g. "Spot". Discuss its shape and the first letter. See if your child can find the word again. They will love to win if you make a game of this !
5. Make a bingo game, using useful or familiar words. (Not necessarily ones your child can read.)
6.
The winner is the first to cover all his/her words with the cards. See if your child can read the words with you at the end.
6. Take a simple book, with one sentence on each page. Write one of the sentences on card and cut it up into separate words. Can your child put the words in order, by comparing with the page in the book?
Stick the ordered words onto a sheet of paper and your child can draw a picture to illustrate the sentence.
7. Games like "I Spy" can help to develop your child's phonic skills. To begin with, put some objects - each beginning with a different letter on a table. As your child gradually learns the sounds of more letters, you can play the game using any object in the room.
8. Understanding rhyme is an important literacy skill. Read lots of rhymes and encourage your child to supply the rhyming words. (They especially enjoy funny or silly rhymes !) Say a word and see if your child can think of something that rhymes with it.
9. When reading a story to your child, you can develop their "whole language" skills. e.g. stop from time to time and ask your child to guess the next word or words. If their answer doesn't make sense, ask "Do you think that sounds right ?" If their guess is close, e.g. house instead of cottage, you could say "That's a good guess, but look closely at the word. What does it begin with ?"
Lots of praise and encouragement from you will build their enthusiasm for books and reading.
Writing
Writing is a complex activity which children learn gradually. In the early stages, it is important that they develop their hand eye co-ordination and fine motor skills. In school we provide a range of activities and experiences to help improve accuracy and control, such as peg boards, jigsaws, construction toys, lacing cards and bead threading. The children also enjoy a variety of drawing, tracing and painting activities which encourage them to use and control a range of pencils, crayons, pens, chalks and brushes. In this way, the children learn to manage writing implements and to discover and practise ways of making different marks on paper.
At home it is important to encourage your child to hold a pencil correctly, as bad habits are easily formed but difficult to change once established.
Always praise and encourage your child's attempts to write. Many children produce lines of "scribble" next to their drawings and are very proud of their own "writing". It may bear little resemblance to real letters, but is an important and positive stage of development as it shows clearly that the child understands that print carries meaning. When showing your child how to write something, or teaching them to write their name it is important to use lower case letters and to form and direct them correctly. Capital letters should only be used at the beginning of a name or sentence.
As the children continue to improve their reading and writing skills, we encourage them to write simple sentences and for a range of purposes.
e.g. I can hop. I can jump. I can read.
Mummy is here. Here is Mummy.
They may write shopping lists, letters to Father Christmas, invitations and thank you letters. At first we do not correct every spelling error as this can be very discouraging for the child, and we see their attempts at creativity and communication for pleasure as valuable. Gradually we will begin to correct words that we feel the child should know.
Mathematics
In school, we encourage the children to discover maths through a range of practical activities. Sorting objects by shape, size and colour, estimating and measuring, counting, adding up, taking away and recording information are all important aspects of early maths. Alongside their practical work, we encourage lots of talk to develop their mathematical language and vocabulary. We also often ask the children to explain and describe their work, as this further reinforces their understanding.
There are lots of games and activities that you can try at home to help prepare your child.
Naming Shapes : teach your child the names of the mathematical shapes.
triangle square rectangle circle
You could try games and tasks to reinforce this. "How many circles can you see in this picture ?". "What shape is the window on your train ?" etc.
Sorting objects : devise practical activities, such as sorting bricks into colours, shapes and sizes. Your child could then count the number of bricks in each group. Tidying and putting away their own toys is good experience as well as a valuable social skill!
Counting : help your child to recite the numbers from 0 to 10, (and beyond if they are confident.) You could use counting songs and rhymes as well as counting stories.
1,2,3,4,5
Once I caught a fish alive, Five little speckled
6,7,8,9,10 frogs...........
Then I let it go again !
Show your child how to count on his/her fingers.
Practise counting in different situations. Only work with a number your child can manage.
Make it a part of your everyday conversations. e.g. "How many cars are in your toy box ?", "Can you set the table for four people ?", "How many hops can you do ?" etc.
Practise counting real objects and emphasise the need to do this slowly and carefully. Help your child to point to and touch the objects at the same speed as saying the numbers.
Early addition : start by asking your child questions such as "If I have one apple and I buy one more, how many do I have ?". Use real objects when doing this. As your child gains confidence, increase the numbers slowly. Ask "How many altogether ?". Let your child work with the objects, so that they grasp the concept of combining two sets together and then counting the total. If you feel your child is ready, begin to use the terms : "plus, add, and, makes, equals."
Early subtraction : if your child finds it easy to do addition, you could try doing similar activities with taking away. Use the words : "take away, makes, equals".
With number work, always use real objects to begin with, then pictures, before moving on to use numbers on their own.
Where possible, relate maths activities to familiar, real-life situations.
You will probably be able to think of many other useful and suitable activities.
The Reception Curriculum
The foundation stage is for children aged 3 - 5, and it covers the years they spend in nursery or pre-school and reception. During this time the staff who work with them will focus on the early learning goals.
These goals set out what most children are expected to achieve by the end of the foundation stage. The curriculum underpins all their future learning and covers six broad areas.
Personal, social and emotional development.
We promote an inclusive ethos and provide opportunities for each child to become a valued member of the class. Your child will grow in self-confidence, show an enthusiasm for knowledge and learning, develop an awareness of their own needs, know the difference between right and wrong and improve their self-help skills.
Communication, language and literacy.
We provide opportunities for all children to talk and communicate in a wide range of situations, to respond to adults and each other, to practise and extend the range of their vocabulary and to listen carefully. In this way, your child will learn to talk confidently and clearly.
Your child will explore and enjoy words and text in a broad range of contexts. They will experience a rich variety of books, songs and poems.
Mathematical development.
Your child will develop an understanding of maths through stories, songs, games and imaginative play. They will explore number, measurement, pattern, shape and space.
Knowledge and understanding of the world.
Your child will explore and find out about the world around them. They will learn about everyday technology and what it is used for. They will find out about the people and places that have significance in their lives. They will learn about different cultures and beliefs.
We provide a variety of contexts and encourage them to solve problems, make decisions, predict, plan and ask questions.
Physical development.
Your child will develop and practise their fine and gross motor-skills. They will learn to move confidently and handle equipment with increasing control. They will increase their understanding of how their bodies work and what they need to do to be healthy and safe.
Creative development.
Your child will explore and share their thoughts, ideas and feelings through: art, design and technology, music, movement, dance, and imaginative role play.
Baseline assessment
You will probably have heard of this and it is not something that you or your child should worry about.
When your child enters their reception class, we will carry out a baseline assessment. It is not a formal test and your child will not notice anything unusual.
The assessment helps us to find out about your child's learning needs and enables us to plan teaching which is appropriate to each child. Also, by having a known starting point, we are able to monitor your child's progress throughout school.
The initial part of the baseline assessment is carried out by you, the parents. In our Induction packs we provide a Welcome booklet, which we ask you to complete. Your contribution forms a valuable basis for the two baseline assessments which we then carry out in school. PIPS, (Performance Indicators in Primary Schools,) is a national scheme and is carried out by your child working through a series of activities on the computer. Starting Points is a Wirral scheme which is used with all children in nursery and reception classes. It takes the form of simple games and classroom activities. Both schemes are approved by the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority (QCA).
Once the assessments are complete, we will invite you into school to have a meeting with your child's teacher. This provides an opportunity for us to discuss the outcome of the assessments. It is also a good time to talk about how your child is settling into school and gives you a chance to raise any questions you may have.
During the spring term we hold parents' evenings when you can make an appointment to see your child's teacher. You will be able to look at your child's work and discuss their progress. Finally, at the end of the summer term, we provide a written report detailing your child's achievements. Again you will be invited into school to talk about this.
If you have any concerns, staff are always available to see you. The ideal times for this are at the start and end of the school day, when we are able to provide an opportunity to discuss issues without interruption.
Not every child will be ready or able to do the things we have suggested in this booklet. Go at your child's pace, if you go too fast, you may put him/her off altogether. Praise everything he/she attempts. A confident child is a happy child, and a happy child learns more quickly than a worried one.
We recognise that every child is important and has a unique contribution to make to our school. The involvement of parents contributes to the quality of the children's school experience and to their educational and personal success.
We hope that this booklet is just the beginning of a successful partnership between home and school, with your child at the centre.
Welcome to Greenleas Primary School
Starting school is an important and exciting time for both you and your child. During the weeks and months before the big day, you might have some questions, or even worries, about what happens at school. The purpose of this booklet is to try to answer some of those questions.
You are your child's first teacher and they will have learned to do many things during their time at home with you. You have a special understanding of your child's characteristics, likes and dislikes, and particular needs. In school, we want to build upon all that you have done, working with you as partners in the education of your child.
Preparing your child for school
Starting school can be a time of mixed feelings, not only for your child but also for you. There may be anxiety about the unknown and this is why we encourage you to bring your child into school before starting in September.
As part of the Induction process the children will be welcomed into their Reception classrooms for an afternoon visit, towards the end of the summer term. This visit will enable your child to become familiar with the classroom. It is also a good time for them to begin to get to know their teacher and some of the members of the class.
When your child begins school in September, the starting dates will be staggered so that the children enter their classes in small groups. We have found that this allows the children to settle well and enables the teachers to give them plenty of time and attention during those important early days.
Lunchtime and playtime can be a little daunting for young children. Initially we will have separate playtimes for Reception children, to give them the time to make friends within their peer group and to become familiar with the playground. For the same reason, we ask the full time children to go home for lunch during their first week with us. Again, we have found that this eases the transition to school. If your child is going to eat a cooked meal at lunchtime, they will have more confidence in the dining hall if they are able to use a knife, fork and spoon comfortably.
There are other ways you can help your child to settle into school easily.
Help them to practise everyday skills such as:
* getting dressed, changing into
different clothes, putting coats on.
* putting his/her shoes on,
(shoelaces are difficult for many
4/5 year olds.)
* wiping and blowing his/her nose.
* going to the toilet and washing
his/her hands afterwards. (If your
little boy has never used a urinal
before, it will be useful to take him
into the school toilets at the start or
end of one of his visits.)
Small children are rarely able to concentrate for long periods, but it will help them when they start school, if they are able to sit and do so for about ten minutes at a time. Many activities help to build concentration. Here are some suggestions:
Give your child time to let off steam before you settle down to a quiet activity.
If your child rarely settles to any activity, make sure that you give him/her tasks which are not too demanding. Give lots of praise and perhaps a reward of a favourite story when he/she has completed the task.
When your child has a friend visiting, give both children a task to complete together. This could be building a model, or finishing a jigsaw. As well as improving concentration, this will help develop valuable social skills.
All memory games encourage concentration. You could try "I went to the shops and I bought a ....." Each player takes it in turns to repeat the list and add an item of their own.
In September it will help your child if he/she is able to listen to and follow simple instructions. Again, games like "Simon Says" are ideal for this. When your child is ready, you can make the game more complicated by giving two, then three instructions.
Don't expect too much all at once and try not to worry. The important thing for your child is having a go and a positive attitude will give him/her the confidence to try something new.
Their learning should be fun and feel easy.
Reading
Sharing books with your child
It is never too early to start reading and enjoying books with your child. The value of time spent reading to your child cannot be over-emphasised. We would like to make the following suggestions to help make the most of your reading together.
1. Choose a time when your child is not too tired and when distractions are at a minimum. (Not when your child's favourite TV programme is about to start !)
2. Make story time comfortable and happy. Make sure that your child can see the print and pictures clearly.
3. Choose a wide variety of material: stories, poems, nursery rhymes, traditional tales, instructions, invitations, information. Choose topics/stories that are interesting to your child.
4. Always start at the front of a book and always look at the left hand page first. Although this may not seem to matter with a picture book, it will help your child understand that a story begins at the front of a book and continues in sequence through the pages.
5. Before reading each page, allow your child time to look at the details in the pictures, then encourage him/her to look at the print when you read. Sometimes, when you share a book, follow the words with your finger, showing the direction of print, so that your child can see that it is the print which tells the story.
6. Allow lots of time for discussing what you read. Encourage your child to make predictions: "What do you think will happen next ?", "Why do you think they did that ?". Ask your child whether they liked the story and why.
7. Teach your child to value books and to look after them. Encourage your child to hold them properly and not to spoil them in any way.
8. Books can be expensive. While children like to have some books of their own, the local library will be able to provide a good selection of suitable books.
Reading at school
When your child is ready, we will begin to teach them to read by using a balanced combination of three strategies. One on its own is not so effective because some children may find one method more difficult than others.
1. "Whole word" or "Look and say"
Children learn to read many words by looking at their whole shape. For example, most children can read their own names before they know the sounds of the letters.
Christopher yellow pig
2. "Phonics"
The children will learn the sounds that the letters make and learn to recognise them by sight. When they are ready they will begin to blend the sounds together. They can then begin to tackle and read words they have not seen before.
d - o - g sh - i - p
3. "Whole language" or "Real Reading"
When we read, we often use our knowledge of normal sentence structure to predict the next word. We read for sense and meaning. This helps us to read fluently and with understanding.
Once upon
a ..............
there was a
king. He
lived in a
.................
Reading activities
In order to start to recognise letters and whole words children need to develop their visual discrimination skills. At this stage, sorting and matching games can be very helpful.
Here are a few suggestions:
1. When washing up or setting the table, ask "Can you find a cup with this pattern ?" or "Can you sort out the big spoons and the little spoons ?"
2. Make collections of buttons, beads, toys or pictures and sort them according to similarities and differences.
3. Play games such as lotto, snap and dominoes to help observation and discrimination skills.
4. Using a simple book, (Spot or Miffy books are ideal), show your child a word that stands out. e.g. "Spot". Discuss its shape and the first letter. See if your child can find the word again. They will love to win if you make a game of this !
5. Make a bingo game, using useful or familiar words. (Not necessarily ones your child can read.)
6.
The winner is the first to cover all his/her words with the cards. See if your child can read the words with you at the end.
6. Take a simple book, with one sentence on each page. Write one of the sentences on card and cut it up into separate words. Can your child put the words in order, by comparing with the page in the book?
Stick the ordered words onto a sheet of paper and your child can draw a picture to illustrate the sentence.
7. Games like "I Spy" can help to develop your child's phonic skills. To begin with, put some objects - each beginning with a different letter on a table. As your child gradually learns the sounds of more letters, you can play the game using any object in the room.
8. Understanding rhyme is an important literacy skill. Read lots of rhymes and encourage your child to supply the rhyming words. (They especially enjoy funny or silly rhymes !) Say a word and see if your child can think of something that rhymes with it.
9. When reading a story to your child, you can develop their "whole language" skills. e.g. stop from time to time and ask your child to guess the next word or words. If their answer doesn't make sense, ask "Do you think that sounds right ?" If their guess is close, e.g. house instead of cottage, you could say "That's a good guess, but look closely at the word. What does it begin with ?"
Lots of praise and encouragement from you will build their enthusiasm for books and reading.
Writing
Writing is a complex activity which children learn gradually. In the early stages, it is important that they develop their hand eye co-ordination and fine motor skills. In school we provide a range of activities and experiences to help improve accuracy and control, such as peg boards, jigsaws, construction toys, lacing cards and bead threading. The children also enjoy a variety of drawing, tracing and painting activities which encourage them to use and control a range of pencils, crayons, pens, chalks and brushes. In this way, the children learn to manage writing implements and to discover and practise ways of making different marks on paper.
At home it is important to encourage your child to hold a pencil correctly, as bad habits are easily formed but difficult to change once established.
Always praise and encourage your child's attempts to write. Many children produce lines of "scribble" next to their drawings and are very proud of their own "writing". It may bear little resemblance to real letters, but is an important and positive stage of development as it shows clearly that the child understands that print carries meaning. When showing your child how to write something, or teaching them to write their name it is important to use lower case letters and to form and direct them correctly. Capital letters should only be used at the beginning of a name or sentence.
As the children continue to improve their reading and writing skills, we encourage them to write simple sentences and for a range of purposes.
e.g. I can hop. I can jump. I can read.
Mummy is here. Here is Mummy.
They may write shopping lists, letters to Father Christmas, invitations and thank you letters. At first we do not correct every spelling error as this can be very discouraging for the child, and we see their attempts at creativity and communication for pleasure as valuable. Gradually we will begin to correct words that we feel the child should know.
Mathematics
In school, we encourage the children to discover maths through a range of practical activities. Sorting objects by shape, size and colour, estimating and measuring, counting, adding up, taking away and recording information are all important aspects of early maths. Alongside their practical work, we encourage lots of talk to develop their mathematical language and vocabulary. We also often ask the children to explain and describe their work, as this further reinforces their understanding.
There are lots of games and activities that you can try at home to help prepare your child.
Naming Shapes : teach your child the names of the mathematical shapes.
triangle square rectangle circle
You could try games and tasks to reinforce this. "How many circles can you see in this picture ?". "What shape is the window on your train ?" etc.
Sorting objects : devise practical activities, such as sorting bricks into colours, shapes and sizes. Your child could then count the number of bricks in each group. Tidying and putting away their own toys is good experience as well as a valuable social skill!
Counting : help your child to recite the numbers from 0 to 10, (and beyond if they are confident.) You could use counting songs and rhymes as well as counting stories.
1,2,3,4,5
Once I caught a fish alive, Five little speckled
6,7,8,9,10 frogs...........
Then I let it go again !
Show your child how to count on his/her fingers.
Practise counting in different situations. Only work with a number your child can manage.
Make it a part of your everyday conversations. e.g. "How many cars are in your toy box ?", "Can you set the table for four people ?", "How many hops can you do ?" etc.
Practise counting real objects and emphasise the need to do this slowly and carefully. Help your child to point to and touch the objects at the same speed as saying the numbers.
Early addition : start by asking your child questions such as "If I have one apple and I buy one more, how many do I have ?". Use real objects when doing this. As your child gains confidence, increase the numbers slowly. Ask "How many altogether ?". Let your child work with the objects, so that they grasp the concept of combining two sets together and then counting the total. If you feel your child is ready, begin to use the terms : "plus, add, and, makes, equals."
Early subtraction : if your child finds it easy to do addition, you could try doing similar activities with taking away. Use the words : "take away, makes, equals".
With number work, always use real objects to begin with, then pictures, before moving on to use numbers on their own.
Where possible, relate maths activities to familiar, real-life situations.
You will probably be able to think of many other useful and suitable activities.
The Reception Curriculum
The foundation stage is for children aged 3 - 5, and it covers the years they spend in nursery or pre-school and reception. During this time the staff who work with them will focus on the early learning goals.
These goals set out what most children are expected to achieve by the end of the foundation stage. The curriculum underpins all their future learning and covers six broad areas.
Personal, social and emotional development.
We promote an inclusive ethos and provide opportunities for each child to become a valued member of the class. Your child will grow in self-confidence, show an enthusiasm for knowledge and learning, develop an awareness of their own needs, know the difference between right and wrong and improve their self-help skills.
Communication, language and literacy.
We provide opportunities for all children to talk and communicate in a wide range of situations, to respond to adults and each other, to practise and extend the range of their vocabulary and to listen carefully. In this way, your child will learn to talk confidently and clearly.
Your child will explore and enjoy words and text in a broad range of contexts. They will experience a rich variety of books, songs and poems.
Mathematical development.
Your child will develop an understanding of maths through stories, songs, games and imaginative play. They will explore number, measurement, pattern, shape and space.
Knowledge and understanding of the world.
Your child will explore and find out about the world around them. They will learn about everyday technology and what it is used for. They will find out about the people and places that have significance in their lives. They will learn about different cultures and beliefs.
We provide a variety of contexts and encourage them to solve problems, make decisions, predict, plan and ask questions.
Physical development.
Your child will develop and practise their fine and gross motor-skills. They will learn to move confidently and handle equipment with increasing control. They will increase their understanding of how their bodies work and what they need to do to be healthy and safe.
Creative development.
Your child will explore and share their thoughts, ideas and feelings through: art, design and technology, music, movement, dance, and imaginative role play.
Baseline assessment
You will probably have heard of this and it is not something that you or your child should worry about.
When your child enters their reception class, we will carry out a baseline assessment. It is not a formal test and your child will not notice anything unusual.
The assessment helps us to find out about your child's learning needs and enables us to plan teaching which is appropriate to each child. Also, by having a known starting point, we are able to monitor your child's progress throughout school.
The initial part of the baseline assessment is carried out by you, the parents. In our Induction packs we provide a Welcome booklet, which we ask you to complete. Your contribution forms a valuable basis for the two baseline assessments which we then carry out in school. PIPS, (Performance Indicators in Primary Schools,) is a national scheme and is carried out by your child working through a series of activities on the computer. Starting Points is a Wirral scheme which is used with all children in nursery and reception classes. It takes the form of simple games and classroom activities. Both schemes are approved by the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority (QCA).
Once the assessments are complete, we will invite you into school to have a meeting with your child's teacher. This provides an opportunity for us to discuss the outcome of the assessments. It is also a good time to talk about how your child is settling into school and gives you a chance to raise any questions you may have.
During the spring term we hold parents' evenings when you can make an appointment to see your child's teacher. You will be able to look at your child's work and discuss their progress. Finally, at the end of the summer term, we provide a written report detailing your child's achievements. Again you will be invited into school to talk about this.
If you have any concerns, staff are always available to see you. The ideal times for this are at the start and end of the school day, when we are able to provide an opportunity to discuss issues without interruption.
Not every child will be ready or able to do the things we have suggested in this booklet. Go at your child's pace, if you go too fast, you may put him/her off altogether. Praise everything he/she attempts. A confident child is a happy child, and a happy child learns more quickly than a worried one.
We recognise that every child is important and has a unique contribution to make to our school. The involvement of parents contributes to the quality of the children's school experience and to their educational and personal success.
We hope that this booklet is just the beginning of a successful partnership between home and school, with your child at the centre.