Welcome to

Reception
2016 / 2017

Good Things Grow Here

WELCOME TO

Mill View Primary School

Starting school is an important time in your childs life. It is a step into a new world with
new people to meet and different routines to learn.
At Mill View we aim to make this transition as smooth as possible and to ensure that it is
a happy time for both children and parents.
We hope that the information contained in this welcome booklet will be useful and that it
will help you and your child to settle in at Mill View Primary School.

Starting School
Children enter Reception on a part-time basis. The schedule for the phasing in period is
clearly outlined below.

Stay and Play Sessions

Tuesday 28 June and Thursday 30 June 9.30-10.30 am

Phasing in Timetable
Wednesday 7 Friday 9 September
Home Visits
Monday 12 - Friday 16 September
GROUP 1:

8.50am 11.30am

GROUP 2:

12.30pm 3.00pm

Monday 19 Tuesday 20 September

GROUP 1:

8.50am 11.30am

GROUP 2:

12.30pm 3.00pm

Wednesday 21 Friday 23 September

GROUP 1 and Group 2:

8.45am 12.00pm

ALL children will attend school full-time from

Monday 26 September 2016
8.45am 3.00pm

School Staff and Organisation

Headteacher

Mrs S. Walters (Mr R. Ford from September)

Deputy Headteacher

Mrs A. Gibbons

Chair of Governors

Mrs M. Connolly

Current EYFS

(Early Years Foundation Stage)

Key Stage One Teaching Staff

Mrs A. Gibbons (Reception)

Mrs S. Wallace (Reception)

Mrs D. Noble (Year 1)

Mrs S. Telford (Year 1)

Mr J. Gilbert (Year 2)

Teaching Assistants
Mrs A. Morris (Reception)

Mrs S. Wallace (Reception)

Mrs S. White (Learning Mentor) Mrs J. Stroud

(Year 1)

Miss S. Davis (Year 2)

School Hours
Morning Session

8.45am - 11.50am Reception

12 noon (Infants) 12.10pm (Juniors)

Afternoon Session

1.00pm - 3.00pm

Afternoon Break

2.30pm - 2.40pm (Infants only)

Children should not be left unsupervised at school before 8:45am, at which time the
school takes responsibility for them.
Please note the car park is for staff only.

School Uniform
All children are encouraged to wear school uniform.
Grey trousers / grey skirt / grey pinafore dress
White polo-shirt / shirt / blouse or red polo shirt
Red sweatshirt/cardigan or red fleece
Grey socks (boys) White socks / grey or red tights (girls)
Wellingtons
In the summer red/white gingham dresses and grey
shorts can be worn.
To order uniform with the school logo on please visit
http://www.stitchdesign.co.uk/. You will be asked for the
school postcode when you register, it is CH2 1HB.
Plain red sweatshirts, cardigans and fleeces purchased
from other retailers may also be worn.

P.E. Kit
We suggest that children wear the following kit to ensure
their safety especially when on apparatus, and to allow
complete freedom of movement while involved in
physical activity.
Black shorts
White T-shirts
Black plimsolls, preferably elasticated
(not trainers)
Please send these in a named drawstring bag which will
remain in school.
All hair must be tied back for P.E. and any earrings and
watches removed.

Personal Belongings
Children are encouraged to keep their own drink bottle in the classroom. This may
contain water only. Snack purses are also stored in the classroom so please ensure your
child recognises which is theirs. Purses should be clearly labelled on the outside.
Children need a school book bag to carry reading books, letters etc. back and forward to
school, available from http://www.stitchdesign.co.uk/.
Please ensure all personal belongings are clearly labelled with your childs
name and class.

Arriving in the Morning

At 8.40am the school bell is rung, the classroom doors and wooden gates to Reception
and Year 1 are opened and children greeted by staff. If you arrive after the gates have
been locked enter via the main school entrance and sign your child in to the late book at
the school office.
Once inside, the children hang their coats on their coat pegs and are encouraged to put
all their belongings away independently. The class teacher and teaching assistant will be
on hand to help until the surroundings become more familiar.

Break Times
To begin with at break times Reception pupils are given the opportunity to play in either
the large playground with Year 1 and Year 2 or their own smaller enclosed yard. Playtime
is supervised by two members of staff. At morning break, children may purchase a drink
and a snack from the snack trolley. Children can bring snack money into school in a
named purse. You will receive information about prices of snacks in September.
Fruit
All our infant children receive a piece of
fruit each day. Please inform the class
teacher if your child cannot eat certain
fruits for any reason.
Milk
All our Reception children receive a free
drink of milk each day. Please inform the
class teacher if your child cannot drink milk.

The Miller Club

Mill View operates its own Out of Hours provision The Miller Club which is open to
children from both Mill View and other local schools. The Miller Club offer the following
services:

Breakfast Club

7.45-8.45am

(includes full breakfast)

After School Club Session 1

3.00-4.30pm

(includes drink and a snack)

After School Club Session 2

4.30-6.00pm

(includes an evening meal)

The Miller Club is a child initiated play setting which offers a wide range of games and
activities for your child to choose from. There is a quiet zone were children can spend
time relaxing watching their
favourite DVDs or for the more
active there is lots on offer
including arts, crafts, sports,
games, gardening, dance,
drama, computers, Wii and lots
more.
All meals are freshly prepared
on the premises each day and
staff are fully trained in first aid
and safeguarding.
Many of our children come to
the Miller Club on a regular
basis to accommodate their
parents working hours or some
use the club on more of a drop
-in basis.
If you would like any further
information about the Miller
Club please contact a member
of staff in the school office.

Lunchtimes
11.50am 1.00pm
Our school meals are managed by the school
rather than an outside caterer. We are pleased to
be able to provide your child with a menu of
healthy meals prepared daily on site using locally
produced ingredients. All children in Reception
will receive a hot school meal as part of the
Governments Universal Free School Meal Plan.
School menus
Weekly hot dinner menus will be sent home for
you to fill in and return to school. Please indicate
their choices on the menu each week and return
promptly.

Kitchen Garden
We are committed to enabling our children to learn about healthy and sustainable living.
We have a thriving kitchen garden which each class use to grow fruit, herbs and
vegetables. The produce we grow is used for cooking in school, class tasting sessions
and is also offered to our families on a donation basis. We have Mill View chickens which
the children learn to look after. Families are offered the opportunity to care for the
chickens at the weekend on a rota basis.

Communication
Virtual Learning Platform
(VLP)
Each child will be given a
username and password at the
Welcome meeting for the schools
Virtual Learning Platform (VLP)
which links directly from our
school website. On here you will
find a homepage for each class, a
messaging system, photos, school
calendar dates, news links and
other relevant school information
such as holidays. We ask that
parents and carers view the VLP
regularly to keep up to date with
everything happening in school.
The Reception class blog is
updated regularly to share with
you what we have been learning
in class. Your child will enjoy
showing you what they have been
doing. They can also write and
share pictures on their own blog
on the VLP.
Newsletter
The school produces regular
newsletters to keep you up to
date with forthcoming events,
diary dates etc. The newsletter is
published on the website. If you
do not have access to a computer
you can request a paper copy be
sent home with your child.
Text Messaging System
The school operates a text messaging system. You will be asked to nominate a number
for the system on your pupil data form. We use this service to remind you of forthcoming
school events, to inform you of emergency closures etc.

Sickness, Accident and Emergency Arrangements

The school has several qualified first aiders. When children become unwell or are
involved in an accident in school, a parent is contacted by telephone as soon as possible.
All accidents are recorded and dated. If your child sustains a head injury while in school
he/she will bring home a slip to inform you and to request that you watch out for any
related symptoms.
The school must have each childs home telephone number and parents/
carers work number where applicable. It is important that these numbers are kept
up to date. Should parents or relatives be unavailable when a child is seriously unwell or
injured, medical advice will be sought and if necessary the ambulance service used.
Please sign the section on medical permission on the admission form.
Medicines
Class teachers are not permitted to administer medicines/drugs to children. In some
circumstances, the Headteacher or member of staff will administer medicine. A parental
request form must be completed at the office in order for this to happen. The school
reserves the right to refuse to administer medicines at all times. Parents /carers are
welcome to come in to school to administer medicines themselves.
Please let us know if:

your child is absent from school due to illness telephone school on the first
morning of absence before 9am. The office opens at 8.30am.

you wish to take your child out of school, within school hours e.g. to attend an
appointment make sure that you sign them out back in again using the book in the
office. This is very important as the register will show that your child is here.

there is any change in your family circumstances that we should know about.

your child is upset (e.g. by a family bereavement or by home/school related

problems). The sooner we know the sooner we can help.

your child has asthma (inhalers must be kept in school, clearly marked with your
childs name. It is important that your child knows how to use their inhaler.

your child has any allergies e.g. plasters, food.

someone else is collecting your child from school. Please ensure your child knows
too.

If you wish for your child to be off school for any reason other than illness, it is
important that you complete an application form seeking authorisation of
absence. Without this your child will be marked as absent without
authorisation and the Education Welfare Office may issue a fine.

Pastoral Care and Behaviour

At Mill View we foster a safe and caring atmosphere using a positive approach to
behaviour management. We have high expectations for all our children and we use a
range of strategies to encourage good choices. We regularly run courses to share our
approaches with parents as they can be useful at home too.
If a childs behaviour gives us cause for concern we involve parents at an early stage. If
you experience challenging behaviour at home you are welcome to come and chat with
staff.

Parent Helpers in School

Many parents like to help in school and we
welcome their support. They help with a
variety of activities depending upon their
personal interests and talents. If you feel
you could spare some time each week on
a regular basis, please talk with your
childs class teacher.
N.B. All parent helpers are asked to
complete a DBS (Disclosure and Barring
Service) check in order to comply with
current legislation relating to working with
children prior to helping in class.

The Parent Teacher Association (PTA)

Mill View has a thriving Parent Teacher Association
which provides a lot of extras for our school by
planning and organising a variety of fund raising
events throughout the year. All new parents are
automatically members of the PTA and are most
welcome to come along and share their ideas at
informal meetings. Anyone who is interested in
becoming involved or who would like further
information should ask for more information from the
school office.

Religious Education
This is a compulsory subject for all schools. Each day we have an assembly of a broadly
Christian nature. Children are encouraged to be caring, helpful and tolerant to others and
to care for the world around them. Our curriculum helps them to develop their
understanding of people of other faiths and to help them to appreciate the customs of
different cultures.

Early Years
Curriculum
Children in the Reception class
follow guidelines outlined in the
Early Years Foundation Stage
document which provides
continuity of education for
children from birth to 5 years.
Activities, opportunities and
experiences are planned to meet
childrens learning needs and take
account of their prior learning.
The curriculum is divided into the
following areas of learning:

Communication &
Language

Physical Development

Personal, Social &

Emotional Development

Literacy

Mathematics

Understanding the World

Expressive Arts & Design

Getting To Know
Your Child
Your child will arrive in the
Reception class with a wide range
of experiences, interests and their
own personality. As your child
participates in their normal
classroom activities, staff will gather
information about your child which
will then form an important part of
planning for their learning. Each
childs individual needs can then be planned for through appropriate learning
opportunities.
A vital part of getting to know your child will be liaising with you, the parents/carers, to
share observations, discuss progress and talk about tnext steps in your childs learning.
Throughout the year the teacher and teaching assistant will gather observations and
assessments summing up each childs progress and learning needs. These are collated
electronically using an app and will be shared with you regularly throughout the year.
Completed assessments and observations will be used to inform parents and Year 1
teachers about each childs progress and learning needs. Data will also be used to
provide information to enable us to compare our results with the national picture.

Children with Special Needs

Where children have special educational needs, the class teacher will ensure that an
appropriate learning and assessment programme is devised for them. This information
will be discussed with the parent/carer. If necessary the teacher will liaise with outside
agencies i.e. Speech and Language Therapist, Specialist Teacher Support etc. Further
details can be found in the special needs policy document in school. If your child is
already receiving additional support from an outside agency, please speak to
the classteacher before your child starts school.

Reporting To Parents
Parent/teacher interviews are held twice yearly at Mill View. The first meeting will take
place in the Autumn Term and there will be a second opportunity to discuss your childs
progress in the Spring Term. During the Summer Term your child will receive an annual
written report. If at any time you feel concerned or wish to discuss any aspect of your
childs progress, life in school, home circumstances or behaviour please make an
appointment to see the teacher.

The Classroom Environment

Through the development of a well organised, quality classroom environment our aim is
to create a warm, comfortable, welcoming place where children feel happy and secure,
and in which the atmosphere and provision lead to effective learning.
We have given a lot of consideration to the use of materials, colour, texture, furniture
and display areas in the creation of a suitable setting for learning.
The layout of the room has been designed to create zoned areas of learning where
children can move about freely, develop independence in their choices and use a wide
range of resources.
The learning environment continues into the large outdoor area adjacent to the
classroom. Children have continual access to the outdoors and this is a vital part of their
learning experience. Children have the opportunity to dig, build, explore their natural
surroundings and create. Waterproof clothing will be provided by school to ensure the
children can access outdoors regardless of bad weather conditions. Your child will need a
pair of wellies to keep in school with their name clearly marked on the soles.

School Visits
During the school year the childrens educational experiences are enriched through visits
to school from actors, story tellers, musicians etc. We also arrange visits to places of
interest as part of their learning.
We appreciate that all these things can be expensive and we try to keep costs to a
minimum. We rely on the voluntary contributions from parents in order to fund these
activities. However, no child is ever excluded because their parents are unable to
contribute. Contributions for school visits should be made via our ParentPay payment
system.

How to Prepare Your Child for School

Good social skills and attitudes are necessary in school and you can help your child by
practising some of these at home.
It will greatly help the teacher if your child can:

Put on and take off their own coat, jumper and cardigan.

Dress and undress. Try to buy shoes and clothes with easy fastenings and let
your child practice. This will help with P.E. activities at school, going to the
toilet, playtime and hometime.

Use cutlery independently to cut and eat food.

Use and flush the toilet and wash his/her hands. Independent and proper use
of the toilet is important.

Respect possessions. Show your child how to treat books and toys with care
and how to put them away after use.

Share and take turns when playing.

Have opportunities for talking and playing with other children and adults,
without you being present all the time.

Recognise and can organise their own belongings.

Talk, talk and more talk

Children learn about language through speaking and listening. From the first day in
school your child will need to join in conversation with other children and his/her
teacher. You can help in many ways.

Ask your child questions and answer theirs.

Watch a favourite T.V. programme together and talk about it.

Encourage your child to sing songs, nursery rhymes and jingles.

Listen to your childs stories.

Encourage your child to listen to short taped stories.

Listen to what your child has to say.

Encourage your child to take turns to talk and listen while other people are
talking.

Sharing books and becoming a reader

From an early age your child can be encouraged
to enjoy books with an adult, and to acquire
some early reading skills.

Look at and share books together.

Show your child how to hold a book

and turn the pages.

Talk about the pictures and tell the

story using the pictures.

Tell and re-tell favourite stories. Your

child will love to hear special stories
repeated.

Share poetry and rhyme books.

Point out familiar signs and labels e.g.

ASDA, OPEN, BUS-STOP etc.

Help him/her to recognise his/her own

printed name.
Drawing and starting to write
We live in a world that is full of pictures and print. Writing is all around and your child
sees writing everywhere in a variety of ways.

Encourage your child to imitate your actions e.g. writing a shopping list,
messages, notices etc.

Always encourage early marks on paper. Dont be anxious to make your child
copy letters, let them experiment and concentrate on drawing plenty of
pictures.

Give your child the opportunity to use a safe pair of scissors and to practice
cutting out pictures from magazines and catalogues.

Let your child have a box or basket to keep a collection of writing and drawing
materials in.

If possible let your child use paint, thick brushes, and big pieces of paper. Adult
paint rollers and paintbrushes with a large bucket of water outdoors is great
fun!

Help your child to make a scrapbook e.g. my birthday party, my favourite toys
etc.

Give your child time to talk about their drawings and to look at them closely.

Always praise and encourage these early drawings and marks on paper. If
possible, show that you value this work by providing a special place in the
house to display it. If you give your child the opportunity to draw and write at
home, the fine control necessary to form letters will develop.

Learning about numbers

There are many opportunities in the home and outside for your child to acquire number
skills. You can help in lots of different ways.

Give plenty of sorting activities e.g. sorting the shopping.

Count by placing your hand on each item as you count together.

Show and point out numbers e.g., on doors, shoes, telephone.

Give lots of opportunities for noticing similarities and differences and matching
things that are the same.

Let your child help with baking by counting the spoonfuls, weighing the
ingredients etc.

Sing number rhymes e.g. 1 2 3 4 5 once I caught a fish alive.

Use playdough to make 5 fat sausages and sing the rhyme together.

Play simple number games, dominoes, snakes and ladders etc.

Set the table together and count the number of plates.

Having fun together
During their time in Reception class children are encouraged to explore and create with a
range of materials and media. Here are a few activities your child may wish to try at
home!

Draw a self-portrait (look in the mirror and talk about eyebrows, nose, freckles
etc).

Knead, squash and roll dough ~ Make a model and tell someone about it.

Read a familiar story and recreate it with simple props.

Build a den, inside or out ~

How can you get the materials
to stay in place?

Make a model out of recycled

materials ~ shoeboxes, cereal
boxes, foil, tubes.

Wash your bike / scooter with

a bucket of water, a sponge
and bubbles.

Make a shop and take it in

turns to be the shopkeeper.

Wash dolls clothes or their

clothes in a bucket / large
bowl / bath ~ What happens
when they get wet? How do
they feel?

Cut out their favourite things

from catalogues and glue onto
paper ~ Can you write a label?

Notes

www.millviewschool.co.uk
01244 381443
Twitter: @mill_view