Starting in Reception Class 2025

We are absolutely delighted to welcome you and your child to Reception Class at Our Lady and St Kenelm’s. We hope the information below will answer most questions, but please do not hesitate to contact us if you would like more information.

Dear parents

We would like to invite you and your child to a Year Reception intake meeting on Tuesday 17^th June 2025 at 2pm.  This meeting gives you the chance to meet with EYFS staff and find out more about transition and Reception class at OLSK.

The children will spend that time in the YR classroom getting to know staff and each other. Please note, no younger siblings or babies are to come to this meeting as it distracts from the information being given.

It is really important that you attend the above meeting which will provide you with information you will require before your child starts with us in September.

Then on 2^nd July 2025 from 1pm to 3pm, there is a transition afternoon for all of the children joining Reception class in September. 

STARTING SCHOOL SCHEDULE

Monday 1st September & Tuesday 2nd September

School Closed for Teacher Training

Wednesday 3rd September & Thursday 4th September

You and your child will attend an informal meeting with the EYFS team. This will be a great chance for your child to explore their new classroom environment and meet the staff. 

You will receive more details about starting school, at the intake meeting on Tuesday 17th June @ 2pm. We can’t wait to see you all. 💜💜

* As we want to spend time with you and your child starting Reception class, please find alternative childcare for younger siblings as they are not to attend.*

Friday 5th September

All the children in Reception class will be in class full time:

8.40-15.15
 

PRACTICALITIES

Bags: 

Your child needs to bring their book bag to school every day, even though they will not be getting reading books straight away. This helps the children to get into a routine and is also a place to put letters and correspondence between home and school.

They can bring another small snack bag for their drink or carry their drink to the snack table in class. We ask that drinks do not go in book bags, in case of leaks.

Drinks: 

We advise that your child brings a labelled water bottle every day, which they will be able to access throughout the school day. (Please ensure they are labelled as we do end up with unclaimed, unlabelled bottles) This bottle can be filled with water or if your child won’t drink water, they can have very diluted squash. No fizzy drinks or fruit juices please.

Snacks:

You can send in a healthy snack each day, however the children are given fruit twice a day at school. There will be an opportunity for parents to order toast through School Money.

Name labels:

Please ensure that ALL your child’s clothes and belongings are labelled.

PREPARATION FOR SCHOOL

All your children will be at different stages in their development and I would like to stress that there is not a one-size-fits-all model of school readiness. Here are a few suggestions of how you can support your child in their preparations for school.

• Encourage independence:

We work with the children to dress independently (although we know that buttons are very tricky), to put their own things away, to look after their belongings, to do up their own coat, to use a knife and fork etc… so consider any ways you can support your child to do things for themselves in preparation for September. In particular, that they are confident using the toilet independently.

• Encourage them to recognise, read and write their name

Your child might already be able to read their name and be ready to write it so you could practise this over the holiday. (Not in capital letters please, except the first letter, of course)

• Encourage them to cut with child scissors

Any activities that support your child’s hand-eye coordination are useful preparation, such as cutting with scissors, threading beads, throwing and catching…

• Encourage them with counting

If your child enjoys reciting numbers, it might be the right time to encourage ‘touch counting’ where they point and count a set of objects. You can do this almost anywhere – on car journeys, while playing games…

• Encourage them to look at books and enjoy stories with you

Reading stories to your child is key to supporting your child’s language development and vocabulary. Attention and focus are important so it will help your child’s transition if they can sit and look at a book on their own or sit and listen to a whole story.

WHAT TO EXPECT

Reading Books

Your child will receive a reading book and reading record book at some point during the Autumn Term. Please be aware that we give the books out as and when we believe the children are ready. The reading record book is a great communication tool, so please fill it in each time you hear your child read. It only needs to be a short comment.

Website https://www.our-lady.dudley.sch.uk/

The Reception class page on the school website will celebrate the children's learning with photographs. There will also be updates and information for parents on these pages so please check the Reception page regularly.

Supporting learning at home

As the children begin phonics sessions, there will be sound cards sent home so that the children can practise these at home. There will the opportunity to practise writing the sounds as well as suggestions of activities to support maths learning. The partnership between home and school is crucial during your child’s first year so we advise regular, short and fun learning opportunities at home to support your child’s learning and progress.

Being Reception Ready

Reception marks most children’s very first step into formal schooling. This can be an exciting and nerve-wracking time for children and parents alike but throughout this site you will find useful links, resources, activities and guidance to support you and your children throughout this new journey of learning

Throughout the reception stage of education, your child will start learning through play. They will be busy exploring and discovering a range of exciting activities both in and out of the classroom, making new friendships, listening to stories and taking their first steps into a world of learning.

What to expect in Reception

In Reception, your child will follow the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) curriculum. This sets the standards for the learning, development, and care of your child.

The things your child will learn in Reception have been organised into three prime areas of learning:

• Communication and Language
• Physical Development
• Personal and Social Development

And four specific areas of learning:

• Literacy
• Mathematics
• Understanding the World
• Expressive Arts and Design

What will my child do in Reception?

In the EYFS, play is a very important part of your child’s development and most learning will be introduced through a mixture of carefully planned play and some adult-led focused activities. Don’t be too concerned if your child says that they have been playing all day – it just means that they have been lucky enough to have experienced staff who have made their learning fun and enjoyable! As the Reception year progresses, the learning may start to become more formal in preparation for Year 1 and the National Curriculum.

What kind of assessment is there in Reception?

Throughout your child’s time at school, they will be assessed regularly. This is to check their progress and identify the next steps in their learning. The school will carry out a baseline assessment to see what your child can do already early in the year. This is nothing to worry about – it is not a test and it is unlikely they will even know it is happening.

At the end of Reception, your child’s teacher will assess them again. This assessment is carried out by the Reception teacher and is based on what they, and other staff caring for your child, have observed over a period of time. All of the information collected is then used to assess where your child is currently in the seven areas of learning.

How can I help my child in Reception?

1. Read to your child

Life is busy, but even ten minutes of reading with your child each day is one of the best ways you can support their education and help them to become a strong reader.

While you are reading, make sure to check they are following along. That said, try not to make reading time all about developing vocabulary. At this age, it is vital to make reading a fun activity that your child will look forward to.

You can find more advice on our Reading in Reception page.

2. Explore phonics

Your child will be taught to read words using phonics. Phonics is an approach to reading that focuses on building words from sounds. Sounds (or phonemes) are represented by letters/groups of letters (or graphemes) – for example, ‘s’, ‘m’, ‘ch’, or ‘igh’.

In Reception, children will start learning some letters and the sounds they make, and will learn to put them together to make simple words. For example, once they know the individual sounds for ‘s’, ‘a’, and ‘t’, they can blend them together to form ‘sat’.

You can help your child get a head start in phonics with our audio guide to phonics or our Learn to read with phonics page.

You can also find lots of help on our Learning to read with phonics YouTube playlist.

3. Introduce maths

At this age, your child will be introduced to the idea of numbers and counting. You can help them get to know small numbers with songs and games – take a look at our Fun learning ideas for 4-year-olds for some ideas.

You can also find advice for introducing your child to maths on our Maths in Reception page or in our maths section on the Oxford Owl blog.

Free eBook Library

Find a huge selection of free eBooks to encourage your child to read and support their reading journey in our library. Take a look >

EYFS Class Teacher: Miss Charlie Hudson

EYFS Teaching Assistant: Mrs Jessica Belk

We hope this information has answered any questions that you might have.

We all look forward to seeing you soon.

Love from the EYFS Team