Lionel Primary School
Working together to provide an educational environment that inspires, challenges and nurtures each child.
Reception
New Reception Parents Information
Information for September 2024 Starters
We hope that you enjoyed the initial meeting that was held at the end of June. The information PowerPoint from this meeting is attached below along with a child-friendly booklet for you to share with your child. This contains some simple information to read to your child and lots of photographs to help them know what to expect when they start school. Also below, you will find a list of things that you can do at home to help your child be ready to start school and a letter about our "All About Me Shoe Box" project for our new children and bring into school on their first day.
You should have received an email from the school office to let you know which class your child is in, what date and time their 'Stay and Play' session is and the date that they start school. If you have any queries in the meantime, please either call the school office on 0208 5605323, send an email to the school office on office@eyfs@lionel.hounslow.sch.uk, or email the Early Years team on eyfs@lionel.hounslow.sch.uk.
We are really looking forward to meeting you soon and to the exciting year ahead.
The Reception Team
Apple, Orange and Cherry Classes 2024-25
Members of Staff:
Apple Class
Mrs Hicks (EYFS Lead) Miss Williams
Cherry Class
Miss Caven Mrs Khan
Orange Class
Mrs Fourie Mrs Brown
Reception Cover Teacher
Mr O’Brien
Reception Curriculum Information
Welcome to Reception 2024-25!
We hope you have all had a wonderful summer holiday and that you are looking forward to starting in Reception! We understand that many parents and carers may be feeling a little unsure about their little one starting on their school journey, but please let us reassure you that your they will quickly settle. This year will be filled with many exciting new learning opportunities and you will be amazed at the amount of progress your child will make.
Here is a little information about your child starting school.
Daily Routine
We operate a 'soft start' to school in the morning, which means that you can drop your child off at their classroom door any time between 8.50am and 9.00am. Teachers or teaching assistants will meet the children at the door from 8.50am where they will say goodbye to their parents or carers, and hang up their own coats and bags in the cloakroom. We will only bring a few children into the cloakroom at a time to avoid overcrowding. Parents must stay and supervise their children outside until greeted by staff. We thank you for your patience in the mornings whilst we get everybody in happily and safely.
The register is taken at 9.00am promptly and the gate to the Reception garden will be locked at this time. We begin our learning straight away at 9.00am so please ensure that you arrive before this time. If the children are late they miss vital information and learning time. If the gate is closed, please take them to the school office to be signed in. We are unable to open the gate after this time.
School finishes at 3.30pm. Please wait in the Reception garden outside your child’s classroom door to collect your child. We thank you in advance for your patience at this time to make sure that each child is collected safely.
What your child needs
Each day, please send your child in with a named water bottle (no fizzy drinks), a named bag to keep their belongings in on their peg and a named waterproof coat so that they can access our outdoor learning area whatever the weather.
Please also send in a spare set of clothes (underwear, tights, socks, trousers, leggings etc) in your child’s school bag each day in case of any accidents.
Please make sure that ALL of their uniform and belongings are clearly labelled so that we can reunite lost items with their owners!
Children will be provided with fresh fruit and milk during the afternoon snack time. Should you wish to, you may send in a small, healthy snack for your child to enjoy such as a piece of fruit, a cereal bar or a few small rice cakes (no nuts, chocolate or sweets please).
Lunches
From Thursday, 12th – Friday, 20th September, please send a packed lunch in a named lunch bag for your child to ease their transition into school.
From Monday, 23rd September, your child will be able to choose to have a free school lunch or bring their own packed lunch from home. This can be ordered each morning from the class teacher on the door. The menu is available on the school website. Please take a look at this with your child before school to help them decide what to order.
Curriculum Information:
In Reception, we follow a child-led curriculum. Each half term is planned around a theme which we then adapt based on the children’s needs and interests. This half term’s theme is ‘Magical Me’ and we will spend time getting to know each other. The children have a chance to talk about themselves and their families. Each week there will be a different focus including ‘Who lives in our House?’, ‘What are the different parts of our body called?’, ‘People who help us’, ‘What do we use our senses for?’ and ‘Healthy Eating’.
Please could you send in a photo of your family so that your child can share it with their class in their first few days at school. This can be a hard copy, uploaded to Tapestry, or emailed to eyfs@lionel.hounslow.sch.uk.
The link to the curriculum map for parents for our ‘Magical Me’ topic can be found above. It contains information on what the children will be learning this half term, including any key vocabulary, along with ideas and activities to support at home. This curriculum map will also be emailed to all families.
In Phonics in Reception, we follow Ruth Miskin’s Read Write Inc Scheme. In class the children will learn new sounds daily and will begin to learn to blend these sounds to make words. Further information about our phonics learning will be shared with you in a Reception Curriculum meeting for parents on Thursday, 10th October.
In Maths in Reception, we follow the White Rose Maths scheme. This scheme fosters a mastery of basic maths skills during the early years phase to build the important initial building blocks of maths knowledge and skills. Again, we will explain our maths curriculum in more detail at the Reception Curriculum meeting on Thursday, 10th October.
Other Key Information:
Reception Curriculum Meeting for Parents – This will be held on Thursday, 10th October at 9.05am in the Junior Hall.
Tapestry – Please ensure that you have activated your child’s Tapestry account. This is your child’s online learning journey and we will be adding photos, videos and observations of what your child has been learning at school, as well as lots of other important information. An activation email has been sent to your email address. This often goes to junk email inboxes so please check there. If you have any issues with activating your account then email us at eyfs@lionel.hounslow.sch.uk and we can help you.
PE kits will not be required until January 2025. The children do not get changed for PE lessons during the Autumn term.
Reading books will be issued to your child and sent home at the end of this half term. Further information about this will be shared with you during the Reception Curriculum meeting.
Cooking money – In Reception, the children regularly take part in cooking and creating activities. We ask parents/carers for a donation of £2.00 per child each term to cover the cost of ingredients and other resources needed for these activities. Please could give the £2.00 to your child’s class teacher.
We will provide dates for special events, and parent’s evenings on this website and through ParentMail as and when they are applicable. We will send out a weekly newsletter via email to tell you about our learning. You can also find links to games and useful resources on the Reception Year Group page of the school website.
Discussions with your child’s teacher
We operate an open-door policy and are always available for a quick chat at the beginning and end of the day. Please bear in mind that you may need to wait to speak to us at these times as we are busy greeting and dismissing the children. If you would like a longer appointment, then please email us with any questions or queries and we will get back to you as soon as possible. Our email address is:
Thank you in advance for all of your support, and we look forward to a fantastic year!
The Reception Team