Year R

Welcome to the Reception page.  This page provides you with everything you will need to know about life in Reception. We hope you will find it useful, if you have any further questions then please do not hesitate to contact a member of the Year Reception team.

Classes

  • Goslings: Mrs S Aspinall (M,T,W) & Mrs J Hibbett (Th, F)
  • Ducklings: Mrs E Cheesman (M,T,W,F) & Mrs Deacon (Th)
  • Teaching Assistants:  Mrs Skilton, Mrs Finch, Mrs Dudzik, Miss Chan
  • Speech and Language Support: Mrs A Christmas

Transition

At St Matthew’s, we pride ourselves on excellent transition arrangements.

Feeder Pre-Schools and Nurseries are visited before the children start in September. Meetings are held with Pre-School staff and teachers play along-side the children. Taster Sessions are held in July to give children the opportunity to meet their teacher and explore their new classroom. In September, children start school using a staggered entry system which helps the children settle and get to know the classroom routines.

Home visits

We aim to visit each family in their home environment during the first few weeks of September. This is a very important part of our induction process. At this meeting, the Class Teacher and Teaching Assistant will talk to parents and carers informally, but also ensure all details about their child are recorded. Parents also have the opportunity to ask any questions and ensure any matters of confidential information are shared. This is also a positive experience for the child, as it allows them to be seen in their own environment and share their personal interests and experiences with members of staff.

Reading

Children are expected to bring their book bags into school every day. The reading books will be changed regularly. Towards the end of the year, children will be independent enough to change their books themselves. Initially children will take home a picture book to share with their grown-ups. After phonics teaching commences, children will also have an appropriate reading book to read to their adult at home. You should be reading with your child every day. The children will visit our school library to choose a book of their choice to read with their parents at home.

Rewards

Each day, the class teacher will award dojo points and each week they will pick one star of the week. These are children who have worked hard throughout the week and have shown good Christian Values and a positive growth mindset. Children will receive a certificate to take home with them. In addition to this children will receive a green card for being well behaved or achieving something in school.

Equipment

Every child should have the following named equipment at school:

  • Water bottle
  • Green reading book bag
  • Change of spare clothing including: underwear, socks and jogging bottoms
  • Suitable coat with hood
  • Wellington boots for wet play

Morning snack

Children in Reception are currently entitled to free fruit each day and free milk before they are 5. Please register your child for milk on enrolment.

Lunch

In Reception children are currently entitled to a free hot meal. They will be asked to state whether they are having a school dinner or a packed lunch every morning. If your child is bringing a packed lunch then the box or bag will need to be clearly labelled with your child’s name and class. Anything your child does not eat will be kept in the lunch box.

School day

Registration        8:45am
Playtime             The children have a snack time and playtime during the morning session.
Lunchtime          11:45-12:45pm
Hometime           3:15pm