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

Our gates open at 8:30am and are closed at 8:45am ready for the start of the day. We ask that you wave goodbye to our child at the gate so they can walk across the yard and into class by themselves.  Teachers will be at the gates to greet you and your child each morning whilst other staff will be waiting in the classroom to support your child in hanging up their coats and bags and getting started with the morning activities.

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. Gates are locked at 8:45am, in the event that you are late, please take your child to the main reception on the Mirion Street side of the school. 

At home time (3:15pm):

• We ask that one parent/carer queues on the yard to pick their child up
• We will send your child to you once you are at the front of the line
• Please let us know if it will be someone different picking your child up from school
• If you are going to be late to pick your child up, please inform the office as soon as possible.  Your child will be placed into after school care club (for which there is a charge) until you are able to collect them.

Things your child needs to bring to school on daily basis

• Book bag. Your child will be provided with a book bag in their first week of school.
• Reading book and Reading Record (these will be provided at the beginning of Reception)
• Lunchbox (if required)
• A suitable waterproof coat
• A change of clothes 

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 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 your child has visited school before the long holidays as they have more of an idea of what they are to 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.

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.