Presentation for parents of children starting school September 2019

1. Welcome to
Marlow C of E Infant School
Inspire learning, Ignite curiosity
Reception Parents’ Meeting
Monday 24th June 2019

2. Welcome
Sharon Reynolds
Head Teacher
Assistant Head Teachers
Vicki Burkitt Sarah Downing Rebecca Fearn
Reception SENCo Key Stage 1
Wendy Beckett
Communications Officer

3. We are motivated:
 By a love of children, understanding that
each child is unique and has different needs
 To create inspiring learning for the children
 To do all that we can to make sure that each
child reaches their potential
 By seeing children learning, growing in
confidence and challenging themselves as
they journey through the school
What motivates us at ‘Sandygate’

4. Mr RichardsonMrs Chaney Mrs Sam
Mrs Burkitt
The Reception Team
Mrs Thirlway Mrs Howarth

5. Together we ensure that each child has...
 Love and care
 Physical contact and comfort
 Security and stability
 Nutrition, warmth and protection
 Play exploration with managed risks
 Education
 Friends
 Expectations
 Attendance
 Values and purpose in life
Home and School is a partnership

6. PREPARING FOR SCHOOL
What we do to help prepare for your child for
starting school:
 Transition afternoons
 Transfer morning (Tuesday 2nd July)
 Information pack
 Home visits

7. Transfer morning
 All children come into school to spend the
morning in their classes
 Tuesday 2nd July
◦ 9.15
◦ 9.30
◦ 9.45
(your time will be in your information pack)
 Bring your child to the Reception sliding doors
and drop them off at the time given in your
pack
 Pick up at 12 noon from the Reception sliding
doors NOT the main school entrance

8. Information pack
 Provides you with key information which
aims to help make your child’s transition to
school as smooth as possible
 Gives you an idea of what you can expect as
a parent
 Outlines what is expected of the children and
of you as parents

9. Information pack - contents
Please read the pack carefully as it is a
source of important and useful
information:
• Key dates and times
• An introduction to our school
• Forms
• Additional leaflets and information
about suppliers and clubs

10. Information pack – key dates
At the front of the pack:
• Provides the answers to
many questions
regarding
• Transfer morning
• Dates for home visits
and first day of school
and start times

11. Information pack - forms
 There are lots of forms in the
back of the pack
 Blue forms are forms that
MUST be returned to school
at the latest by transfer
morning
◦ Tuesday 2nd July
 Admission form - proof of
child’s date of birth
 Other forms are not mandatory
 Use the checklist to help you
make sure you don’t forget
any forms

12. Home visits
 Feedback from teachers and parents is very
positive
 Allow the teaching team to see your child in their
own environment and helps them to quickly get to
know the children
 Your chance to share information about your child
on a 1:1 basis
 Each visit is about 10 minutes
 Visits will take place on either Wednesday 4th or
Thursday 5th September
 Please complete the form to accept your visit and
return by Tuesday 2nd July (or before if possible)

13. Home visits - feedback
“A very warm, welcoming experience that really prepares
the child & parent before the nerve wracking first day!
Both teachers coming was really unexpected and very
nice. Reassuring and all questions answered. Brilliant
idea!”
“A great opportunity to discuss personal issues about our
child. They both demonstrated a genuine interest in
understanding our child. Made our child feel comfortable
and more confident to meet his teachers at home in a
relaxed environment. A great opportunity for teachers to
interact with their pupils on their own territory.”

14. PREPARING FOR SCHOOL
What you can do to prepare your
child for school:
• Complete the Getting Ready for school sheet
• Attend school events and information sessions
• Organise picnics or other social contact with
children who will be their school friends
(email list)
• Organise school uniform
• Lunchtimes – set up

15. How to prepare your
child for school
• Please complete this
form honestly as we
use this to inform our
baseline assessments
which are then in turn
used to plan learning
• Return to the class
teacher during your
home visit

16.  Open Afternoon
Wednesday 3rd July 4.00–6.00pm
 Meet the Teacher
Monday 9th September 6.00-6.30pm
 MindUp Parents Information evening
Monday 16th September 7.00-9.00pm
 Foundation Stage Curriculum evening
Monday 23rd September 7.00-8.30pm
 Back to School Barbecue
Saturday 28th September 11.00am – 2.00pm
Attend school events

17. We follow the Early Years Foundation Stage
curriculum:
 Hands on learning
 Fun and creative approach
 Learning through play
 Open, fluid learning environment
 Learning takes place indoors and outdoors
 2 classroom bases
Please attend the information evening on
Monday 23rd September for more details
Learning in Reception
– Information session

18.  Uniform
◦ Red sweatshirt/cardigan with school logo
◦ Grey trousers, shorts or skirt
◦ Red and white checked dress/playsuit
◦ Black shoes
◦ A pair of wellies to stay in school
◦ School sun cap (to stay in school)
◦ PE kit (details in parent pack)
 Please ensure EVERYTHING is named!
 Send coats EVERYDAY
 Sensible shoes and no jewellery
Organise school uniform

19. Lunchtimes – set up
 From September 2014 all children in Reception, Year 1
and 2 in England were eligible for Free School Meals
 We have been providing hot school meals in school for
nearly 3 years using a catering company called Dolce
 Ordering
◦ Every family has an account
◦ The account allows you to order from home but to be able
to do this you need to email Mrs Beckett (office@marlow-
infant.bucks.sch.uk) with your child’s name, your full
name and your email address and she will activate your
access to ‘School Grid’
◦ If you are already using School Grid for a sibling you don’t
need to do anything
◦ If you order at home, please do this with your child
◦ Children are able to order in school each day

20. STARTING SCHOOL IN SEPTEMBER
 Date & Time
 Expectations
 Entering the school site
 Attendance
 Medical needs

21. Starting school - Date & Time
 First day at school
◦ Friday 6th September
 Staggered drop off times
 9.00
 9.15
 9.30
 Pick up at 3.10 pm on Reception playground
 All other school days
◦ Drop off at sliding doors from 8.45am
(doors close at 8.55am)
◦ Pick up at 3.15pm on the Reception playground

22.  From the term after a child’s 5th
birthday it is a parent’s legal obligation
to ensure that their child attends school
full time
 It is our recommendation that all
children start full time from Friday 6th
September
Starting school - Expectations

23. Entering the school site
 Big gate
◦ At the end of Sandygate Road
◦ Car parking for users of ‘Big gate’ is
behind Gweneth Court
 Little gate
◦ At the end of Oaktree Close
◦ Parking will need to be on the
roadside but not on the
pavements
Consider walking but if you do drive, please be thoughtful
about the residents in the roads surrounding the school.

24. Attendance
 Poor attendance/lateness can seriously
affect a child’s:
◦ attainment in school
◦ relationships with other children and their ability
to form lasting friendships
◦ confidence to attempt new work and work
alongside others
◦ relationships with teachers and other school staff
◦ general behaviour towards others and equipment
 Details of how to report sickness and the
difference between authorised &
unauthorised absences are in the pack

25. Medical Needs
 If your child has any medical needs which
would make it necessary to administer
medicine in school (e.g. asthma inhaler) or
conditions that we need to be aware of (e.g.
intolerance to fruit)
◦ Take away a form today
◦ Complete and return on Tuesday 2nd July (Transfer
morning)
◦ You will need to supply medicine to be kept in school
◦ Prescribed and in original packaging

26. There can be a lot to remember in
the first few days. Please do not
worry as your child will quickly be
teaching you the routine!
All clothing
NAMED!
Book bag
everyday
Lunch boxes or
hot school dinner
Doors open
at 8:45am
First few days

27. COMMUNICATION
 Communicating with your child’s teacher
 School communications with you

28. Communicating with your teacher
 Morning drop off
 End of the day
 Change to pick up arrangements
 Reading record book (yellow book)
 Make an informal appointment
 By phone or email (via the office email
address)
 Meet the teacher session
 Formal parent consultations – details in
September

29. School Communications with you
 School Newsletter – weekly email (an
essential read)
 Year group newsletter (termly)
 Email update
◦ Through the app which is free to
download. All parents will need this app
on their mobile devices
 Text messages for urgent messages

30. HELPING THE SCHOOL
Without our volunteers, Sandygate would not be
the same place. There are many ways that you
can help with various levels of time commitment
to fit with your circumstances:
 Volunteering to suit everyone
 Raising funds
 Parents & Friends Association
 Governors
 How do I get involved?

31. Volunteering to suit everyone
 Parent helpers
 Supporting school projects
◦ Eco Schools
◦ School travel plan
◦ UNICEF Rights Respecting Schools
 Outside learning environment
 Wild World Team
 Enrichment – eg trips
 Fruit preparation
 Specific skills
 Parents and Friends Association (PFA)
 Governors

32. Raising funds
 97% of the school budget from the Local
Authority is used to cover staffing and
associated costs
 How do we manage?
◦ Additional income streams
 Lettings/Leases
 Applying for grants
 Parent & Friends Association (PFA) fundraising
 The impact of this additional income
generation reduces the percentage of staffing
costs to almost 75% of the total income

33.  The PFA is an organisation designed to
encourage closer links between school &
home
 Facilitates social functions, connecting
parents, staff and pupils
 Fundraising for the school
 If you are a parent or guardian at the school
you automatically become a member of the
PFA
The Parents & Friends Association

34. The Parents & Friends Association
 A registered charity running over 25
events throughout the school year
 Consists of a core committee of
parents who work with all parents and
teachers at our school to execute
these events and raise much needed
funds
 The PFA raises around £30 000 each
school year

35. How has the PFA fundraising been
used?
This year these funds have purchased:
 new security system for the school entrance
 contribution to the rewiring of the school
 curriculum resources
 decoration of the school
 curriculum resources
 enrichment activities and trips for all year groups
Next year the funds will be contributing to:
 decoration of school
 upgrading the heating
 new reading books
 upgrading the school website
 curriculum resources
 enrichment activities and trips for all year groups

36. PFA Events
 Biggest events are Christmas Bazaar and
the May Fayre raising over £12000
between them
 Other events include Quiz/Bingo Nights,
Camping Night, School Disco (for the kids),
Doughnut Days, Second Hand Uniform
Sales.
 All events aim to be Fun and to Fundraise!

37. What can you do to help?
 There are many things parents can do to
help as well as attending the events. There
are big jobs and little ones depending on
your commitments
 The key is that the more people that help,
the greater load is spread
 Other important things that make a
difference:
◦ join EASYFUNDRAISING
◦ enquire about MATCHFUNDING with your employer
◦ STANDING ORDER MANDATES
◦ HELP with events

39.  Ensure clarity of vision, ethos and strategic
direction of the school
 Hold the headteacher to account for the
educational performance (school, pupils and
staff)
 Oversee financial performance of school to
ensure money is well spent
Our Governors

40. How do I get involved?
 Register an interest today
 Complete the ‘Get involved’ form

41. Wrap-around care

42. We are looking forward to developing a
happy partnership with you and your
children over the next 3 years
Welcome to the Sandygate family!