We are delighted that you and your child are joining St Peter and St Paul Church Primary School this coming September.  On behalf of the Staff, Governors, children and parents, it gives me great pleasure to welcome you and your family to our school community. 

We hope that the information on this page will answer many of the questions that you have about your child starting school with us in September and assure you that we will write to you in the coming weeks with further details about your child's induction.

We name our classes after authors and Reception is called Donaldson class. Julia Donaldson has written dozens of picture books full of lovable characters and lyrical rhyming. Her books have swiftly become modern childrens classics. We will celebrate her use of language and encourage a love of reading and storytelling in Reception this year. 

Which Julia Donaldson book is your favourite? 

Transition

To make the transition into school as smooth as possible we like to find out about your child before they start school and we like to give opportunities for your child to become familiar with the spaces and the people that they will be with when they begin. We will have conversations with you to find out about your child's preferences; things they particularly enjoy, find difficult as well as any other context to support their transition to school, ie new siblings arriving! We will ask about your child's pre-school or nursery experience, their current setting and, as we always do, find out where your child is in their learning.

This year we have been able to schedule more opportunities to meet the team and spend some time in the classroom and the grounds!
Initially on Monday 20th May there will be a meeting for parents to attend where I will give you a brief overview of how the school day will look for your child, how we structure the curriculum and practical matters such as how we manage lunchtimes, uniform requirements, PE Lessons and Forest school. Time will be set aside for you to ask any questions and get to know me. 

You can book onto one of two 'Stay & Play' sessions between 4pm and 5pm on Tuesday 25th  or Thursday 27th June. Your child will be able to explore and play in the classroom and garden, getting familiar with the spaces and the resources, while a parent can have an opportunity to ask any questions about starting school, expectations and routines. 

We also see the return this year of the popular Teddy Bears Picnic on Friday 5th July! Parents of older siblings may remember this event where children have time to spend with their new classmates in our outside learning areas, and parents can have a chance to network and get to know each other. These connections and friendships between parents can be very helpful and supportive as you go on the journey of starting school with your child. You will also be able to purchase some uniform items and talk with our representatives of our wraparound care providers, Chaldon Champions.

Additionally, we will contact nurseries/pre schools for a handover conversation with your child's key person, this helps us to see others aspects of your child's experiences as a whole. We may even be able to see them in their setting to say hello! 

Home visits will be arranged for early September. Two members of staff will come to spend some time with your child in their own space and home environment. This often helps to allay any last minute jitters for children and parents, and the children always love to share their favourite things from home with their visitors!  The school office will confirm the date and time for your home visit in July.

EYFS

Reception might be the first year at school, but it's also the 2nd and final year of the Early Years Foundation Stage (FS1 is nursery). The Early Years is all about your child learning through play.

The EYFS tracks development across different areas of learning; 3 Prime Areas: Communication and Language, Personal, social and emotional Development and Physical Development. And 4 Specific Areas: Literacy (including comprehension, reading and writing), Maths (including numbers and patterns in the number system), Understanding the World and Expressive Arts & Design.

Learning in school

Your child will spend a large proportion of their day in school accessing the continuous provision (activities and resources that are independently accessible) and following their interests both indoors and outdoors. The learning activties within the classroom and garden will be set up by staff who have taken into account your child's interests and the skills they are developing. The children can access these areas independently as well as with support and guidance from teaching staff.

At St Peter and St Paul we follow the Primary Knowledge Curriculum, an aspirational and experience based curriculum. The children are given lots of learning opportunities and new vocabulary to help them in Understanding the World. 

During the day, your child will have some short adult led activities focused around Communication and Language, Phonics and Maths. These are active, fun and engaging sessions, planned to introduce, model and explain skills or concepts that children can then explore in depth in their independent play

We use the outdoor classroom and garden all year round as we believe this is vital for children's development. Reception children also have the opportunity to attend Forest School sessions.

Sharing your child's learning with you

At St Peter and St Paul we use an online learning journal called Tapestry to record your children's learning in Reception.

You will be given a username and password to access your child's journal once they start with us. This will allow you to see any photos and videos that have been taken of your child at school and read any observations that the EYFS team have made of them. 

You will also be invited to add to your child's journal as the year progresses.

https://tapestry.info/parents-carers.html

The video below provides further information about setting up your account.