Dalton School Junior Infant And Nursery

Welcome to the Reception New Starters 2024 page
We are really looking forward to welcoming you into one of our three Reception classes in September, whether you are continuing your journey with us from our Nursery or joining us from a different setting.
You may have several questions about starting in Reception at Dalton School, hopefully this page will help you to answer some of them.

RECEPTION START DATES SEPTEMBER 2024

Meet Our Wonderful Reception Practitioners 

Reception Stoker - Miss Stoker is the Class Teacher and Mrs Mariani is the Support Teacher.

Reception Dobson - Miss Dobson is the Class Teacher and Miss Brooke  is the Support Teacher.

Reception Metcalfe - Mrs Metcalfe is the Class Teacher and Miss Sloane is the Support Teacher. 

There will also be other staff teaching in the Reception classes, whilst the class teachers have their planning, preparation and assessment time.

 Letters To The Children From Mrs Metcalfe, Miss Dobson And Miss Stoker

A Welcome From Our Head Teacher, Mr Richardson

Here are some pictures of your new classrooms.
Have a look at all the exciting learning areas which are waiting for you.

Our Outdoor Area

DIARY DATE -.......

Drop in to your child's new Reception class to look at the environment and meet the teachers.  Your child is welcome too.

TRANSITION SESSIONS FOR THE CHILDREN ONLY 

(as outlined in your letters posted home)

NEW TO SCHOOL CHILDREN - 

CURRENT NURSERY -  - your child will attend Nursery as usual on this day

Our Learning In Reception

The first half term is spent settling the children into their new routines and encouraging the children to be as independent as possible, building on their individual starting points from their previous setting.
The Reception environments are set up in the same way as our Nursery environment to ensure continuity and familiarity (For example, sand or water play, role-play areas, construction and small world areas, creative areas, etc)  This helps the children to settle in and to continue to develop their learning through the different areas of provision both indoors and outdoors.
The children will follow the same Early Years Foundation Stage Curriculum as in the Nursery or at their previous setting.

Literacy and Mathematics direct teaching sessions will take place throughout the week, as well as Topic sessions, PE sessions, Story sessions, ERIC sessions (Everybody Reading In Class), and so much more...
During the first few weeks, the children will bring home a Phonics Pack, details of how to access our ebooks to practise at home, as well as  a library book to read at home for pleasure. You will be invited to a meeting to hear how we teach early reading in September (More information about this will be sent out nearer the time)

The children will have a Learning Journey File to record their individual achievements just like in Nursery. Reception staff will put in work samples, photographs and observations to document your child's progress throughout the year. We actively encourage parents to contribute to these too, with their own photographs from home, wow slips, achievement certificates, etc. Parents are welcome to look at their child's file at any time.

Are You Reception Ready?

Look at the poster on the download below to see how your child can be ready for their time in Reception.

On BBC IPlayer, there are some great episodes of Topsy and Tim which are a great talking point for your child starting school. 

These include:

First Day at School, Classroom, Top Tips Starting School.

You might want to read some of these stories with your grown up about starting school.

Important Questions and Answers for Parents and Carers

What are the timings of the Reception school day? - Please check the dates and times at the top of this page for the first week, as the timings are different as we settle the children in.

Children can arrive at school between 8.30 and 8.50am. 

The collection time is 3pm.

This is to avoid congestion on the playground, so we would appreciate it if every child did not arrive at 8.30am.

Where do I drop off and collect my child?

Please enter school from Mayfield Avenue where possible.  Turn right into school (through the green gate) with the enclosed outdoor Reception area on the left. Follow the path down the side of the outdoor area and down a few steps.  The entrance into Reception Stoker and Reception Metcalfe is straight in front of you. 

At collection time, Reception Stoker parents will need to line up against the fence (on the right as you come down the steps) and Reception Metcalfe parents will need to line up against the wall under the classroom windows.

Reception Dobson will need to turn left at the bottom of the steps and follow their path to the ramp which is by the classroom door.

There will be members of the Reception Team to welcome the children on the playground as they arrive and they will be encouraged to go straight into school independently and into their class.  Staff will be on hand to support them on the corridor with their personal belongings and ensuring they are safely in their classroom ready for learning.  

There will be lots of staff around on the first few days to direct you with where to go, including some of the Nursery Team.
 

At the end of the school day the teachers will bring your child out to you at 3.00pm.

Please be patient with us at the end of the day as we need to get to know all the different people who may be collecting your child (yourselves, childminders, grandparents, staff from other settings, etc)
During the first few days of your child being at school, a slip will be sent home for you to write down who will be collecting your child on what days.

Will my child be in a class with their friends?

If your child has attended our Nursery then friendship groups have been considered as much as possible.  I am sure that you appreciate that because we have 3 classes this year, we have to separate the children into 3 groups.

We are very lucky to be having some new friends from other settings joining our school, so we can make new friends too.

If previous settings have contacted our school, we have tried where possible to put some friends from these settings together (Eg, Ducklings, Greenfields, Almond House, the Academy, etc)

What can my child have for their lunch?

You can decide whether your child has a school lunch or brings in a healthy packed lunch from home.  You do not need to inform the Main Office at this stage.

All children under 7 are entitled to universal free school meals, which means that you do not have to pay for school lunches throughout their time in Reception, Year 1 and Year 2.

Choosing lunch 

We have at least two options every day, one of which will be vegetarian. The children will be helped to make their choice when they arrive each morning. However, any child arriving after 9.30 will be unable to make their own choice.

You will be provided with a menu so you can discuss with your child what choices are available for each day.

If your child opts for a packed lunch, please ensure it is as healthy as possible and does not include a fizzy drink/a large chocolate bar or sweets.

Changing for packed lunches to school dinners (or vice versa) in the first half term of Reception is allowed.  However, please stick to a full week of one, as it becomes very confusing for the kitchen staff and their ordering process.

After the first half term, two weeks notice is needed to change from one to the other.

What happens during the lunch hour?

Each class is taken up to lunch with their teachers at 11.30am.

The children go to the toilet and wash their hands on the way up to the Dining Room.

The Dining Room is empty when the Reception children arrive and stays that way for at least the first 20 minutes, so it is very calm and quiet.

The children are helped by the teachers with carrying their lunch to the table and opening packed lunches, etc. 

All Reception children sit together and are encouraged to use good table manners and use cutlery appropriately. Help is always given with cutting up food where needed. We also encourage children to try vegetables and different foods they may not have had before, although children are never made to eat something that they do not like.

The Reception Teachers stay with the children until the Lunchtime Supervisors arrive and they then hand over any relevant information to them.  Each class is allocated a Lunchtime Supervisor who remains the same throughout the year.

Year 6 children arrive to help the children and to clear away their plates, cups and cutlery.
Once the children have finished eating the children are brought down from the Dining Room by an adult, which is either a Reception Teacher or a Lunchtime Supervisor.

We recognise that children eat their food at different speeds, so the children leave the Dining Room in small groups with their adult when they are ready.

The children then play out together in the Main playground.  This gives them the opportunity to mix with other children from one of the other Reception classes and to make new friendships.  They can also choose to play in the quieter end by Reception Metcalfe.  Appropriate outdoor toys and games are provided. 

How will I know what my child has eaten at lunchtime?

Unfortunately we can not let every Parent/Carer know what each individual child has had for lunch.  However, if we notice a child is eating very little, we will pass this information on to you. 

If a child has a packed lunch, we ask the children to leave their empty packets, wrappers, etc , in their box/bag, so you know what they have/ have not eaten.

Does my child receive a drink/snack during the day?

We provide at least one piece of fruit for the children to have whenever they like, as well as access to water throughout the day.

We encourage every child to bring in their own named  bottle, for hygiene reasons. It is part of the healthy school policy for children to only have water for their classroom bottle.

Milk money letters will be sent home during the first week of each new term, with instructions on how to pay if you child would like it.

Where will my child play out during the day?

Reception have their own safe Outdoor Area (located to the side of the Main Entrance)

It has different areas for your child to explore, to learn in and to enjoy, similar to the Nursery Outdoor Area. 

The areas include a mud kitchen area, a stage, a reading area, a tunnel, a gravel pit, a bug exploration area, a construction area, etc.

The children use this area in small groups and all get an opportunity to work outdoors throughout the week.  It is not a free flow system like some of the children will have been used to in Nursery.

If you are a new family to Dalton School, a letter has been sent out in the post with a time on for you to come into school on Tuesday 3rd September to meet with your class teacher and share information about your child.

School Uniform Information
Take a look at what your child will be expected to wear in Reception and what they will need.

Your child will not need their PE kit until after October half term.  You will receive a message when it is needed in school.

Holiday Dates

Please note when looking at the holiday dates, Reception children will not start on Tuesday 3rd September. 

This is due to our Reception Practitioners holding individual meetings in school with families who are new to our school.

Reception children do not attend full days to begin with.

A letter has been sent out in the post with the date that your child will start in Reception.

These dates are also at the top of this webpage.

 Arrangements should be made to take holidays during school holiday times and not during term time. 
Holiday requests must be put in writing to Mr Richardson, who will then discuss your request with you. 

Permission for holidays, including long weekends away, may not be granted and fines may be incurred.

Attendance and Punctuality

It is very important that your child attends school regularly and arrives on time.

Good habits start young.

If your child is unable to attend school due to illness, could you please ring the school office on the first day of their absence (01484 538729)

If we do not receive a phone call, a member of our Honeysuckle Team will give you a call.  It is important that we know where every child is at all times for safeguarding purposes.

Please let your child's class teacher know if your child is going to be absent due to a hospital, doctor’s appointment, etc.

If your child has sickness/diarrhoea they must be absent from school for 48 hours after the last episode, in order to stop the spread of infection. 

If your child is displaying Covid symptoms, please inform the Main Office and you will be advised to get your child tested with a PCR test.

Parent Pay

As we are a cashless school, any payments for items such as milk, school trips, etc, have to made through the safe and secure

ParentPay online system.

How do you get started?
We will send you a letter containing your activation details to enable you to set up your ParentPay account when your child starts with us in September.
If you have more than one child at a ParentPay school/s you can add them to a single account, providing one login for all children at ParentPay schools.

The leaflet below explains more about Parentpay.

Pupil Premium

If you are on a low income, and in receipt of certain benefits, your child is not only entitled to a free school meal as they move into Key Stage 2 (Year 3 upwards), but also things like free milk, help towards school trips and other support, right from Reception.

We would urge all eligible parents to apply, as this application ensures that our school receives the additional funds to be able to provide this. You are entitled to this additional support if you have a child in Kirklees who is in full time education, and you receive one or more of the following:
• Income Support
• Income Based Job Seekers Allowance
• Income Related Employment and Support Allowance
• Child Tax Credit, but are not entitled to a Working Tax Credit and your annual income (as assessed by Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs) is less than £16,190
• Support under Part V1 of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999
• Guaranteed element of State Pension Credit

Please speak to our lovely Office Staff for further details on this.

Parent and Carer's Guidance to the EYFS Curriculum
If you click on the download below, you will be able to find out more about what we will be teaching your child, during their time in Reception.

It outlines the Early Learning Goals, which are the goals that the children are expected to reach by the end of their Reception year.

Mrs Cole's Summer Holiday Challenges
In preparation for starting in Reception, why not have a go at some of my little challenges?