Welcome to Darley Dene Primary School

We are delighted that you have chosen our school for your child, and we look forward to welcoming them into our Reception Class in September.

The aim of this booklet is to ensure a smooth transition into school and to help your child settle quickly into their class. Please take some time to read it before your child starts school.

Children settle into new situations at different rates, bringing with them, a range of different experiences. Our first priority is for your child to feel secure, valued and included. Your child will need to adapt to the daily routines of school, become familiar with a new environment and also begin to form positive friendships and relationships with lots of new children and adults.

We hope that the following information will help your child towards this goal.

 

Partnership

Through experience, we believe that the transition into school is most successful when families, schools and other adults (such as: Pre-school/Nursery colleagues and Health Visitors) work in partnership.

Good partnerships require a two-way exchange of information and are promoted by valuing and building on children’s previous experiences and learning.

These partnerships begin before your child starts school and will continue throughout their time at Darley Dene.

Our staff team are committed to providing your child with an excellent education and is always here to listen and help.

 

Getting Ready for School

Below are a few things that you can do before your child begins with us that will help them to settle in and feel more comfortable.

Clearly label all items of clothing – including coats, hats, gloves and shoes, lunch boxes and book bags.

Encourage your child to be responsible for putting away their own things. They will be encouraged to put book bags, books, lunch boxes, water bottles, coats and jumpers in their correct places from the beginning of the school year.

Allow your child to practice dressing and undressing, including using fasteners that they find difficult. Encourage your child to be as independent as possible. We are happy to support your child with dressing and undressing when necessary, but do encourage them to have a go.

Encourage your child to feed him/herself and use a knife and fork independently. Praise your child for showing good table manners.

Reinforce independent toileting and also handwashing and drying. Encourage your child to listen carefully at appropriate times and follow simple instructions. Support your child to take turns when sharing games and activities.

Encourage a sense of responsibility by asking your child to clear away their toys independently.

 

Behaviour

We expect high standards of behaviour from all of our children. We talk to the children about good choices of behaviour and poor choices of behaviour and support them to understand how to make the right choices. Children are praised for their good behaviour choices and are given the reasons why they are being praised. Children are encouraged to talk about any difficulties and problems with their peers, should these arise, and start to feel confident in seeking their own solutions. If we find there are concerns with your child’s behavioural choices or ay other matters, we may ask to discuss these with you. We are here to help solve problems so that a positive way forward can be agreed.

 

Drinks and Snacks

Please ensure that your child has a named water bottle (containing water only) in school every day. Milk will be provided free of charge for your child up until they turn 5 years old. Once they turn 5, milk will still be available but for a small cost. Fresh fruit is also provided as part of the Healthy Schools Initiative. It is essential that we are made aware of any special dietary requirements or allergies.

 

Talking about School

We aim to make the move into our reception class as happy as possible. You can help us by...

Encouraging your child to look forward to school and feel excited about their new experience.

Being positive, as this will help them feel positive too.

Saying goodbye and explaining clearly that you will be coming back to get them later. Please remember, if your child cries when you leave, a staff member will be there to support and reassure your child. We find that children generally settle down and become involved in what is going on in the classroom within 5-10 minutes.

When you pick up your child, ask them about their day and what they have been doing. Praise and reward them settling well.

 

Clothing

It is important that your child brings a suitable coat with them every day as they may choose to spend extended periods outdoors. We require all children to have wellies in school for the same reason. In cold weather, your child will need warm clothing, including a hat and gloves. It is very important that all of your child’s clothes are marked clearly with their name.

 

Uniform

Our uniform supplier is KS Teamwear Uniform can be purchased online or by visiting the shop

201, Laleham Road, Shepperton, TW17 0AH - 01932 267477

School uniform is compulsory for all pupils and includes:

Black trousers

Black shorts

Black skirt

Black pinafore dress

Black socks (not trainer socks, no patterns or colours)

Black tight

Black sensible outdoor shoes with Velcro, buckles

or laces (no boots, trainers, vans, canvas shoes, jelly shoes, sandals, high heels, ballerina or dolly shoes)

Warm and waterproof outdoor coat or anorak

Royal blue V-neck sweatshirt with school logo

or Royal blue V-neck cardigan with school logo.

 

PE Kit

Plain white round next t-shirt

Black shorts

Black plimsolls

Plan black tracksuit, without logos, writing or stripes.

Other than items with logo, uniform can be bought from a supplier of your choice.

 

Earrings

It is a Lumen Learning Trust stipulation that children must not wear earrings while taking part in PE lessons. Members of staff will not be able to remove earrings on behalf of children, so a child must be able to remove their earrings independently or alternatively, earrings are removed before they come to school. This includes children with newly pierced ears; the duration of the lesson is not long enough to allow piercings to close over. We will not allow children to take part in lessons with plaster covering earrings, so it is imperative that children learn to remove/insert earrings themselves.

 

Illness and Absence

Please refer to the illness and attendance leaflet in your information pack and on our school website for the main policies and procedures with regard to illness from school. It is important for you to contact the school each day if your child is absent due to illness or any other reason. We also require you to let us know if your child will be arriving at school later than the normal start time (8:50am) or leaving school before normal dismissal time (3.10pm). To keep all of our children safe, school must know where each child is every single day. If your child is feeling under the weather and has minor symptoms such as a cough or a sore throat, please send them to school. We can administer medications with your consent, and we will always let you know if they are not well enough to be in school. A child with NO absence compared to a child who has less than 90% attendance is 1.3 times more likely to achieve age-related expectations or above and 3.1 times more likely to achieve greater depth. ATTENDANCE REALLY DOES MATTER

 

The Learning Environment

We have one classroom in Reception which is open plan. These large spaces allow us to have different areas to develop specific skills and learning for each child. We also have a well-resourced outdoor area and a separate play area for further activities and sessions. Reception children share this outdoor space with our Nursery.

The Reception space is equipped with a reading corner, home corner, sand area, water area, creative station, listening area, a small world area, construction zone, writing area, maths area, computers and an interactive whiteboard.

Our outside area also includes a sandpit, mud kitchen, a fairy music garden and a trim trial to develop physical development.

At Darley Dene Primary School, we believe that children learn best and teachers teach best when children...

Feel safe and secure

Know what is expected of them

Feel respected and listened to

Are praised whenever possible

Are supported to achieve their full potential

 

Support for Families – The Pastoral Team

At Darley Dene we understand that children can only achieve their best when they feel safe, happy and secure. All of our staff have a responsibility towards the pastoral needs of our children. However, we also have some specialist team members who can offer more focused support. They are:

Mrs Wallace: Pastoral Lead across the Lumen Learning Trust

Mrs Webb: Home School Link Worker (HSLW)

Mrs Jones: Emotional Literacy Support Assistant (ELSA)

Miss De Gouveia: Emotional Literacy Support Assistant (ELSA)

Families may need the support of our pastoral team for a variety of reasons. These can include:

• As a sounding board about something worrying your child, which may not be of an educational nature
• Help to complete forms for outside agencies
• Signposting to advice and assistance from teams in the wider community
• Advice on how to manage particular home situations as a parent, enabling your child to be ready and prepared to learn.

You can find out more about the role of our Pastoral Team on our website. If you require support, prior to your child starting school with us, please contact us and we will be happy to help.

 

Lunch

At Darley Dene under the government's Universal Infant Free School meals initiative, all hot school meals at lunchtime in our school are free for children in Reception to Year 2.

We would strongly urge you to encourage your child to take advantage of this. The ethos behind the government initiative comes from the School Food Plan, which presented evidence that “universal free school meals leads to positive improvements in health, attainment and social interaction, as well as helping families with the cost of living.”

 

Free School Meals

As it states above, all children in Reception, Year 1 and Year 2 receive a free hot meal. However, if you receive one of the qualifying benefits, please ensure that you complete the Free School Meals/Pupil Premium form in your pack. You may be entitled to this benefit, which will also provide you with additional benefits and support at school.

 

Open Door Policy

It is important to keep us informed about things that might affect your child. Your child’s class teacher will be available for you to talk to, and you can take short messages at the start of the day.

The mornings are very busy. If you need to talk for more than a brief moment, please make an appointment to see your child’s class teacher at the end of the day.

This can be done in person or by telephone. Similarly, a staff member will inform you of the things that have happened to your child at school, such as a bumped head, or your child’s class teacher might ask for an appointment to discuss your child’s progress with you.

 

Tapestry and Home Learning

A key focus for our Reception children is the beginning stages of learning to read. Your child is expected to read 5 times a week at home. Tapestry is the latest App in which we share children’s learning with you via the Tapestry platform.

“Stay and Play” sessions have been organised to give families the chance to join their child in school to look at their work and achievements.

We also organise events throughout the year when you will be invited into school for various occasions, such as family consultation evenings.

 

And finally ...

We look forward to working with you and your child to make their time in Darley Dene Primary School happy and rewarding. Please do not hesitate to ask us about any worries you may have, however small they may seem.