Welcome Reception Expectations Evening 14 th September 2017 The Reception Team

1. Welcome Reception Expectations Evening 14th September 2017 The Reception Team

2. Attendance Policy

3. Responsible Persons • Headteacher Mrs Guest • Deputy Headteacher Mrs Western • Attendance & Safeguarding Governor Mr Stratford

4. Attendance • It is very important therefore that you make sure that your child attends regularly and the Attendance Policy sets out how together we will achieve this. • Underpinning this commitment is the understanding that unless children attend school regularly and punctually they will not be able to take full advantage of the educational opportunities available to them. • The school has an obligation to return attendance figures to the Department of Education three times a year via school census and keep records for Ofsted inspections as well as reporting to Full Governing Body each term.

5. Targets • The school has a target of 97% attendance set by the Full Governing Body at the start of each academic year and all children, parents/carers have an important part to play in achieving this target. • The minimum level of attendance for this school is 90% attendance and the school website will be updated regularly about progress of the school’s attendance level overall. • Our aim is to consistently achieve this level because we know that good attendance is the key to successful schooling and we believe our pupils can be amongst the best in the county.

6. Guidelines If your child is absent you must Contact us as soon as possible on the first day of absence via;   a message on the school’s answering machine, by email or direct contact with school office. If your child is absent we will Telephone on the first day of absence if we have not heard from you; invite you in to discuss the situation with our Headteacher and a Governor if absences persist.

7. Lateness • The whistle is blown at 8.50 am for the start of school. • If your child is late and misses the start of the day they can miss work and do not spend time with their class teacher getting vital information and news for the day. • Late arriving pupils also disrupt lessons, can be embarrassing for the child and can also encourage absence.

8. Holidays • Taking holidays in term time will affect your child’s schooling as much as any other absence and we expect parents to help us by not taking their child away in school time. • All parents will receive a copy of the Attendance Policy which they are required to sign • Remember that any savings you think you may make by taking a holiday in school time are offset by the cost to your child’s education. • There is no automatic entitlement in law to time off in school time to go on holiday. 

9. Holidays • The 2006 Regulations (revised September 2013) also define the arrangements for holiday leave: Head teachers should only authorise leave of absence in exceptional circumstances. If a head teacher grants a leave request, it will be for the head teacher to determine the length of time that the child can be away from school. Leave is unlikely, however, to be granted for the purposes of a family holiday as a norm.

10. Holidays • All applications for leave must be made in advance and at the discretion of the school a maximum of 10 days in any academic year may be authorised. In making a decision the school will consider the circumstances of each application individually, including any previous pattern of leave in term time. • It is important that you understand the circumstances when leave in term time will not be agreed by us: When a pupil is just starting the school. This is very important as your child needs to settle into their new environment as quickly as possible.

11. Social Media • Churchdown Village Infant School DOES NOThave a Facebook page. Any group page you may see on Facebook has not been set up by the school. If you have any queries at all please ask a teacher first, refer to the school website or ring the school office.

12. The Foundation Stage During your child’s Reception year they will be taught the Foundation Stage curriculum which is a continuation of their development from their Pre-School year. This will prepare them for Year 1, when they enter Key Stage 1. Whilst fun and exciting, your child’s Reception year is an important stage in their education.

13. Development • It is important to remember that children are born ready, able and eager to learn. • Development is not an automatic process and depends on how each individual child engages with other people and their environment. • Playing, exploring, active learning, and creating and thinking critically underpin learning and development across all areas and support the child to remain an effective and motivated learner.

14. Development • Unique Child • Every child is different and learns at a different pace in different ways! • We track this by finding out the characteristics of learning for each child.

16. Personal, Social & Emotional Development • We aim to teach the children to be confident both around the school and when trying new activities. • We encourage them to be polite and well mannered in the classroom, playground and dining room. • We encourage them to respect themselves and their peers, and to take care of their and others property. • They will learn that they can’t always be first and that they need to be fair. • It is important that they learn to sit still and concentrate. • Finally they need to learn how to respond appropriately to all school staff and to instructions they are given.

17. Prime - Personal, Social & Emotional Development

18. Prime - Physical Development • Tuesday (GW), Wednesday (GS) after Half Term • PE, Games, Dance with Miss Keating - Specialist teacher. • Every Afternoon - Activities to develop fine and gross motor skills. • Friday Afternoon – Foundation Stage Round Robin.

19. Prime - Physical Development • PE pumps - please ensure they are the correct size and especially not too big so they can run properly. • PE kit – please ensure that it is brought into school on the first day of term even if it is not their PE day (also put a pair of socks in bags for girls who wear tights to school in colder months) • Girls with long hair must have it tied back and away from their faces. • Girls with earrings must have them taped over or ideally not wear them to school on PE days

20. Prime - Communication and Language Communication and Language is broken down into three sections: Listening and attention Understanding Speaking

21. Planning • Planning is progressive and also adapted to your children’s needs. • A mid term plan (every new term) provides guidance for our weekly plans. (see website) • Weekly plans contain detailed Learning Objectives, Group activities

22. Specific - Maths • We teach maths through play and exploration which builds on previous learning which lays the corner stones for life long skills. • Number Recognition, Counting, Add, Subtract, Multiplication, Division Shape Space and Measure: 2D/3D basic shapes

23. Maths Activities • Through play based activities : • Oral counting • Action rhymes & songs • Stories • ICT games • Exploration

24. Maths Activities

25. Specific -Literacy This is broken down into: Reading and Writing.

26. Term 1

27. Pre-reading and writing • Learning the letter sounds • Letter formation • Blending • Identifying sounds in words • Tricky Words • (See Parent Guide)

28. Letter Sound Order

29. Pencil Grip • Tripod grip • ‘Froggy Legs’ movement

30. Letter Formation • Tracing dots • Pencil stroke directions • Joining digraphs

31. Sounding Out and Blending s-u-n sh-e-d

32. Dictation • Dictate letter sounds • CVC words • Homework phonic books

33. These are the words that you cannot sound out e.g. The, You Tricky Words • Reading – Learn the whole word • Spelling Techniques-Patterns in words • Look, cover, write and check

34. At the end of the 1st ten weeks The majority of children will be able to: • Read and write 42 letter sounds. • Begin to form letters correctly, with tripod grip. • Blend regular words e.g. leg, dark, shoot. • Write simple words by listening for sounds. • Read and spell some of tricky words.

35. At the end of Reception Children will be expected to: • Read and write their full names (birth names) with the correct formation. • Read and write the Reception 85 High Frequency words. • Read appropriately level banded books. • Communicate through talking and writing.

36. Reading Books • Books with no words initially • Read Along books for you to read to them. • Word Boxes. • Levelled books • Reading diaries – please read with your child daily and write a short daily comment and return in their book bags for their class teacher. • The teacher will hear your child read and also put a short comment in their book once a week. • This will allow a 2 way dialogue.

37. Specific – Understanding The World This is broken down into: • People and communities • The World • Technology-laptops, iPads, cameras, smartboard, Story Phones, CD players

38. Specific - Technology Implicit • ICT is taught throughout the curriculum using laptops, iPads, cameras, interactive board Explicit • Turn on/off • Use appropriate vocabulary • Print / save

39. Specific – Expressive Arts and Design This is broken down into: • Exploring and using media and materials • Being imaginative

40. Daily Routine Whistle and line up 8.50am Morning Jobs 8.50-9.00am Register 9 am Assembly 9.10 – 9.30 Literacy/Numeracy 9.30 – 10.30 Break 10.30 – 10.45 Literacy/Numeracy 11.00 – 12.00 Lunch 12.00 – 1.15 Reader’s workshop 1.15 – 1.45 Creative, Physical, PSED, CLL and UW –1.45- 2.45 Story/Music/Circle Time/Quiz 2.45-3.10 Prayer 3.10 Home time 3.15

41. Daily Routine • These routines have been set up to increase the children’s independence • Whistle blown 8.50 am • Children to line up in classes in front of their class teacher • Walk independently into school • Please leave enough room for children to line up • Member of staff at door for messages etc. • If you need to speak to a teacher please see them after school or make an appointment with either Miss Ganderton or Mrs Sellars in the school office

42. Enrichment • Tuesday/Wednesday - pm P.E/Forest School • Thursday – pm Spanish • Friday – am Art, D&T, Music, Drama, French, Science, Forest School, ICT • Friday - pm Gardening, Painting, Physical Development, Cooking, Creative Development, Singing

43. Assessment • Individual Monitoring through: • PIPs Baseline (Performance Indicators in Primary Schools-Beginning & End of Reception). • Planned Focused Observations. • Ongoing Assessment for Learning (Teacher, Self, Peer, Group Assessments) • Tracking progress against: Early Years Curriculum.(age related, ending with Emerging, Expected or Exceeding Levels of attainment at end of Reception)

44. How to Help at Home Imperative to promote success • Daily Reading- please write a comment in Book • Initially-Look at lots of picture books – get the children to tell the story. Ask questions about the story to aid comprehension and encourage creativity. • Play games – e.g. clapping patterns, listening games, rhyming words, chopping game, I spy, counting sounds. • Speaking – encourage your child to speak clearly and correctly. Help them to speak in complete, grammatically correct, sentences.

45. How to Help at Home • Wow Vouchers • Topic Requests at the beginning of each topic.

46. More Help • Writing - it is extremely important to practice writing sounds and letters with the correct formation in their Phonics Books and returning it to school every week. • Pencil hold - check for correct pencil hold with tripod grip. • Word boxes – sounding out the letters correctly i.e. c not ‘cee’, d not ‘dee’. • Blending – runningthe sounds together to make a word, not memorising the words. Practice the skill of blending – very important. • Tricky words – find them in story books and practice reading them from memory. • Picture / reading books / word boxes - please send them to school every day.

47. Requests We would be very grateful if your child would : • Tell the office OR hand a letter to the teacher when they are attending the After School Club • Tell the office OR hand a letter to the teacher when they are going home with someone else.

48. More Requests We would be very grateful if you would: • Ensure your child is here for 8.50am and encourage them to line up independently • Collect your child promptly at 3.15pm • Stand well back so we can see everyone clearly and ensure that your child will get to you safely. • Please wait until we have said our goodbyes to the last child if you need to speak to us.

49. More Requests Please: • Check that all uniform, coats, shoes, forest school kit, book bags, PE kit/bags (available to order from office) and lunchboxes (if needed) are named. • Encourage your child to play calmly, discourage aggressive play. • Continue to practise dressing and undressing using their school uniform. • No toys in school • Children have free access to water all day (No water bottles) • Check book bags every day for important letters etc. • Do not send rucksacks as we have limited space.

50. Drinks • Milk is free for under 5 year olds however you must fill in the Milk Form on line • Milk has to be paid for after your child reaches the age of 5 • Water is freely available at all times throughout the day • Water bottles are not needed