Starting School

Welcome to Brierley Primary School. The information on this page will help prepare your child for their first year at school. Our aim is to work together in partnership to make this transition to school a smooth, pleasant and happy experience for you and your child.

School Times

Your child’s teacher will open the class door and be on the playground at 8.40am, ready to bring your child into school at 8.45am.

When the teacher walks down the ramp she will greet your child and then your child will then be gradually encouraged and supported to independently walk up the ramp, put their book bag in the correct place, hang up their coat, and if appropriate put their lunch box in the correct place, self-register and start their day at school.

Please try and help your child at the beginning of the day by being in plenty of time, so there is a smooth, anxiety-free start to the day.

Similarly, when collecting your child from school at the end of the day at 3:15pm please let your child and your class teacher know –

  • Who is meeting them (if it is different from the person who brought them to school);
  • To wait with the class teacher if, for some unfortunate reason, you are not there.
  • Please inform the school office of any changes to who will be picking up your child at the end of the day.

Please help your child by not being late, but if you are late in the morning, then please take your child to the school office, so they can be signed in. If your child is ill, please telephone and leave a message with the school office before 9am.

School Meals

Children have a cooked school meal, or a packed lunch prepared at home. Since September 2014, all children of infant school age receive a free school meal. You may wish your child to have a free school meal every day or just sometimes, your child will just need to tell the teacher.

The Government gives money to schools to help children from lower income families. This funding is called ‘Pupil Premium’. The money has previously been used to cover the cost of a free school meal for qualifying families. However, as all children in our school will now receive a free school meal we would like to ask all families who qualify to register for this ‘Pupil Premium’.

Packed Lunches

At Brierley, we promote healthy eating. All children have water with their packed lunch or they may bring a carton of 100% fruit juice/smoothie. We also ask for support in not providing your child with sweets, chocolate, fizzy drinks. We encourage your child to return all uneaten food in their lunch box, so you can monitor what they have eaten.
To ensure the safety of children in the school with nut allergies, please do not include any food that may contain nuts in packed lunches.

School Uniform

Children should wear sensible clothing and shoes and should be able to dress and undress themselves. We ask all pupils to wear uniform. We would ask parents to provide children with sensible black shoes.

Uniform

White Polo Shirt (available with school logo)
Grey Trousers/Skirt/Pinafore
Brierley Blue Jumper/Cardigan with the school logo
In summer girls may wear Blue Gingham Dresses and boys may wear Grey Shorts
White/Grey/Black Socks
Black Shoes

PE Kit

White T Shirt
Navy Blue Shorts
Black Pumps (indoor)
Trainers (outdoor)
Blue/Black Jogging Bottoms

The polo shirts, jumpers, cardigans and fleeces can be bought from the school office.

Jewellery and other adornments

Children may wear simple stud (gold/silver) earrings but MUST be able to remove the earrings for PE / Forest School / Swimming lessons. Children should not come to school wearing other forms of jewellery or cosmetics.
Please note – staff are not allowed to remove jewellery, the safest place for these items is at home. Long hair should be tied back for PE and Games lessons.

Please label all items of clothing with your child’s name – It is helpful to put their name on the hanging label (especially coats) as this helps children/adults to identify items of clothing quickly.

Things your child needs to bring to school on daily basis

  • Book bag (for reading books, newsletters, home/school book, letters and sounds book, letters – please encourage your child to bring every day). Back backs and ruck sacks are not suitable.
  • Reading book and Reading Record
  • Lunchbox (if required).
  • A suitable waterproof coat.

Useful hints

It is helpful if your child wears clothes that are easy for them to put on and take off, and shoes that do not have laces. Please label all items of clothing with your child’s full name, and show your child where their name is on their clothes. Remember there will be 30 other blue sweatshirts/cardigans and 30 other white polo shirts that all look very similar!

It is also helpful if your child can:

  • Dress and undress him/herself
  • Use a tissue or handkerchief
  • Use a knife and fork (if school dinners)
  • Wash hands and dry carefully
  • Tidy toys
  • Share toys and take turns
  • Use the toilet independently

Home Visits

Before your child starts school, you will have an opportunity to have a home visit. The Class Teacher and a Teaching Assistant will visit you and your child at home to get to know you both better and discuss any issues or any individual needs that may be a concern for you.

Induction period

In July we offer transition visits to each of our new starters, this helps prepare your child for ‘big school’. We find it also eases worries if the child has visited school before the long holidays as they have more of an idea of what they may expect in September.

Our starting school process gives a greater opportunity for your child to feel secure and the practitioners to get to know your child well.

Settling into School

Remember all children respond differently to starting school. As the practitioners working with your children, we endeavour to make their experience of school fun, familiar and secure. As a parent/carer you can help us by reassuring your child, being positive about school and being careful that your own anxieties do not influence your child. Remember some children will tell you every detail of their school day. Other children tell you nothing!

If you or your child have particular worries or concerns, just have a chat with the teacher (sometimes out of earshot of your child may be appropriate). The best time to do this is at the end of the school day once the teacher has safely handed over all the children to their parents/carers.

Remember your child is only four years old and may have ‘misread’ situations. Set your mind at rest and chat to the practitioners. On the other hand you’ll be surprised how independent your four year-old can be when allowed.

Learning Through Play

In reception your child will be in the final year of the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS), (birth to age 5). This very special time for your child at Brierley continues the journey from home and nursery and is the foundation of future learning and success.

The EYFS Framework explains how and what your child will be learning to support their healthy development. Your child will be learning through play and learning skills, acquiring new knowledge and demonstrating their understanding through 7 areas of learning and development.

There are 3 prime areas, these are

  • Communication and Language (Listening and Attention, Understanding, Speaking)
  • Physical Development (Moving and Handling, Health and Self-care)
  • Personal, Social and Emotional Development (Making Relationships, Self-Confidence and Self-Awareness, Managing Feelings and Behaviour)

As children develop these prime areas they will also develop skills in 4 specific areas

  • Literacy (Reading, Writing)
  • Mathematics (Number, Shape, Space and Measure)
  • Understanding the World (People and Communities, The World, Technology)
  • Expressive Arts and Design (Exploring and using Media and Materials, Being Imaginative)

These 7 areas are used to plan your child’s learning and activities. At Brierley the practitioners (adults working with your child) support your child and make sure that the activities are suited to your child’s unique needs and interests.

Children in the EYFS learn by playing and exploring, being active, and through creating and thinking critically. Their learning and experiences take place both indoors and outdoors.

In the autumn and summer term of the Reception year the practitioners complete an assessment which is known as the EYFS Profile. This assessment is carried out by the practitioners that work with your child’s class and is based on what they have observed over a period of time and any observations you have shared with the classteacher.

Helping Your Child At Home

Play and communication are key ways in which children learn with enjoyment and challenge. At home with your child, you can provide opportunities both indoors and outdoors for learning through play. As a parent/carer you can encourage your child by switching off the TV and providing:

  • Dressing up clothes (pieces of material for a range of characters) and props for imaginary games and role play
  • Cartons and boxes to build and make models and instruments with
  • Large boxes to make into vehicles, dens, whatever they imagine
  • Playdough to manipulate
  • Small world play e.g. Duplo, Lego, Brio, cars, trains
  • Puppets, soft toys, dolls, different size clothes
  • Pencils, pens, crayons, paints, chalks, different size paper
  • Mark making tools – to encourage children’s own attempts of writing
  • Greetings cards, magazines, catalogues for your child to cut up, stick, sort, discuss
  • Natural materials, e.g cones, leaves, pebbles, shells to sort, compare
  • Water and sand play with different size buckets, containers, etc.
  • Wheeled toys, balls, bats for physical activity
  • Cooking together
  • Toys in the bath
  • Opportunities to plant seeds and bulbs
  • Observe the growth of living things

Encourage your child to talk about what they are doing and play and chat to them.