Starting School

We are very excited for you to be joining us at St Thomas’ and can't wait to meet you. We have planned your induction carefully to help you settle into your new classroom and we are sure that very soon you will have made lots of new friends and be enjoying all of the lovely activities that we offer. We have a wonderful Early Years department here at St Thomas’; the team work really hard to make it a fantastic place for your child to be!

I hope you enjoy looking through our website as this is a great way to give you an idea of what to expect. Hopefully, you can find the answers to any questions you may have but if not, please feel free contact the school and I will do my best to help! 

 Mrs Rowles – EYFS Lead

New Starters to our school.

Please apply for a place at our school through admissions at Stockport Council.

https://www.stockport.gov.uk/start/apply-for-a-school-place

Contact number - 0161 217 6022

Our Nursery now offers both 15 and 30 hours provision. This is free for parents who are eligible - check www.gov.uk to find out if you may be eligible. If you are not eligible we can still offer 30 hours at a cost of £50 a week.

Starting School

We are really looking forward to welcoming your child to our school in September. Starting school / Nursery is one of the most important days of your child’s life and we all work very hard to make the experience a happy one for everyone. Below you will find answers to some of the questions you may have as your child gets ready to begin their school journey. If you have any other questions, please ask and we will be happy to help.

What will happen before my child starts school?

Before your child starts school there will be:

• An induction meeting where you meet our Headteacher Mr Sanchez, our Deputy Head teacher Miss Weekes and the Early Years team at St Thomas’.
• Parents are invited into school with their child in September to be involved in transition and to help settle them into their new environment.
• Transition normally takes a week of the children attending part time and then they will attend full time (Reception). In Nursery children attend for 15 or 30 hours dependent on their entitlement and have a short transition alongside their parent until they are settled.

Where do I bring my child in the morning?

The EYFS department have their own playground. A member of staff will unlock the gate at 8.35am and at 3.15pm to let you in.

Nursery enter through the first door. Reception enter through their classroom door which is at the end of the playground and turn left.

Please make sure that you and your child get into a good habit of being on time for school. After 8.45am you will have to bring your child through the main entrance and they will be marked late on the register. The children finish at 3.15pm Please collect them from the same door and be on time for your child as it can be distressing for them to be left waiting. We appreciate that from time to time unavoidable situations may occur – please telephone the school office or message us through Class Dojo to let us know if you are going to be late.

Where does my child put their coat?

Both Nursery and reception children have a cloakroom area. Each child will have their own peg with their name on.  We try and encourage the children to come into school independently. There will be adults on hand to help them, so please don’t worry. To ensure children’s safety at the end of the day an adult will call your child’s name. This may take a little longer initially as the teachers need to become familiar with all of the adult’s faces too!

What does my child wear?

Please put your child’s name in all of their belongings! Please remember there will be lots children of the same age in the same uniform in Nursery and Reception.  At St Thomas’, all children wear a uniform. Your child needs to wear grey trousers, shorts or skirt; a white polo shirt and school sweatshirt.  In warmer weather girls can wear a red and white summer dress. They must wear black shoes. Please make sure they have a Velcro or buckle fastening which your child can do up themselves. No jewellery, including ear-rings, is allowed. Nail varnish and temporary tattoos are also not allowed as part of our uniform policy. We do have outside play every day so your child will need a warm waterproof coat which they should be able to attempt to fasten themselves. All children will need to bring wellington boots for outside play.  We also ask for a set of spare clothes in case of accidents which can be kept on their school peg.

How can I help?

Your support is vital and we value the links between home and school. Children make the best progress when home and school work together and we hope you will enjoy getting involved with your child’s learning. We use Class Dojo to show the learning experiences your child is having at school. We expect all parents to read with their child each day and to share information about what your child can do at home. This plays an important part in building up a picture of your child and their learning journey.

Do I need to send a snack?

Children are provided with fruit and a drink each day. There is no need to send any additional food or drink for your child.

What about lunch? All children in Foundation Stage and Key Stage One are currently entitled to a free school lunch. If you want to provide your own packed lunch please send them in a suitable bag or box with your child’s name written clearly on it. Please do not send fizzy drinks, glass bottles or jars or sweets. Please send a healthy and balanced packed lunch with no more than one biscuit or treat each day. The teaching staff will stay with the children until they are settled into their lunchtime routine. We encourage children to eat with a knife and fork and to use good manners. Practising this at home will help your child to be more independent at lunchtime.

Do I need to bring anything else?

Please purchase a burgundy book bag from the Office. Please get into the habit of bringing this to school every day from the very beginning. Your child will bring sounds home to practise as well as a reading book and reading record (Reception) and in Nursery they bring a library book home weekly. Please bring this bag to school every day.

What if my child needs medicine or has an allergy?

All parents are asked to fill in a form stating their children’s medical needs e.g. asthma. If your child needs medicine such as an inhaler in school you will be asked to fill in another form and bring in their medication. This will then be placed in a clearly labelled bag and given to your child as necessary. All staff have lists in their registers of children with medical needs such as asthma or an allergy. The kitchen also has this information to help them plan meals for children who cannot eat certain foods. For children with more specific needs or serious allergies, medical plans are made and shared with all staff. If your child has been given medicine that is prescribed by a doctor to be taken four times a day, we can give this to your child once a day in school. Again a form must be signed and medicines handed in at the school reception.

Are there any before or after school clubs? We have an excellent breakfast club which runs from 8 a.m. until 8:35 each day for Reception children and upwards. The current cost for this is £1.50 per day, which includes breakfast. Places are limited and need to be booked online and paid for in advance. Children can arrive at 8.00am.  There are currently no after school clubs for children in Reception/ Nursery.

How do I make payments to school?

Our school is now cashless and only accepts online payments through Parent Pay. You will be give details of this when your child starts school.

Transition

There will be a meeting for parents in July the term before your child starts school. This will be an opportunity for you to meet Mr Sanchez our Headteacher, Mrs Rowles the EYFS Lead and all the other member of the EYFS team.

Transition in September.

Nursery children - The children who are starting Nursery will attend either 15 or 30 hours. Before they start they will attend part time until they are settled. Parents can attend the transition sessions with their child to help them settle in.

Reception children - Children who are starting Reception will attend part time for a week (one session parents will attend with them)

During the first session all parents will meet the class teacher and listen to a presentation linked to the curriculum and answer and questions you may have.

Start well – Further support can be given to families of children starting school from the following link:

Start Well – Give your child the best start in life (startwellstockport.co.uk)

Children already in receipt of an Education and Health Care Plan, parent/carers must contact Stockport’s Special Education Needs and Disabilities Team to discuss the transition arrangements for their child specialeducation@stockport.gov.uk 

If there is anything that you are unsure of please don’t hesitate to contact a member of the EYFS team and we will try and answer any questions.