Once offers for Reception places are made in April, we send out a Welcome Letter with information and details of the events and activities that we have put in place to help you and your child through the process of starting school. Once you have accepted the place we send out a welcome pack including admission forms.

Our first event is a coffee morning and curriculum presentation. This is for parents only and is an opportunity for you to meet the class teachers, other parents, find out about the curriculum and how to prepare your child for school. Please see below for this year's presentation.

In July, there is a taster session for your child where they visit their new classroom, meet the teacher and teaching partners, and familiarise themselves with their new school environment in a group of 15 children. During this short session your child will have the opportunity to meet some new classmates, play with some of our lovely resources and listen to a story read by their new teacher.

We also arrange individual parent/carer and child visits to the classroom in September. This is a chance for you and your child to meet the teachers and teaching partners, ask any questions and look around the classroom. This will help you and your child feel more confident on their first day.

Finally, the PTA organise a welcome evening in September. This is an informal get together so you can get to know other new parents.

Information on start dates, part time options, school uniform and the PTA are also included in the Welcome Packs.

We will provide you with information about September start dates and times. This includes information about the transitional start in September and the rationale behind it.

We produce a short booklet 'Welcome to Claremont Primary School' designed to be shared with your child to ease their transition. These will be given to each child at their taster session in July.

A typical day in Early Years:

• Welcome and settle
• Listening activity / phonics
• CIA - Child Initiated Activity (where the child chooses what they want to play with inside or outside
• When the children have been in the setting for longer we then do a short session which is a focussed teacher directed tasks
• Lunch - in the hall and then play outside
• Afternoon - Story
• Longer session of CIA - children can choose to be inside or outside
• Story/singing/poems

We go to the school woods once a week and there is an outdoor classroom as well as the school field. We also do lots of maths games, stories, poems etc, as well as a lot of getting to know each child and their interests interwoven throughout the day. 

Below are some useful documents for parents and carers:

Preparing for school - a guide for helping you and your child prepare for school
Steps to starting school - top tips and things to practise with your child before starting school
Make a mark, make a start
Happy Talk
Listen and Learn
The Numbers Game

Mrs Bird reads a story:

Mrs Gammage reads a story:

Miss McKenzie reads a story:

Please see below for the Welcome Morning presentation 2023:

Some words of advice from Reception parents whose children started in September 2021:

My son was very tired after a full day of school and found the large number of children, all the new faces and social interactions on the playground very overwhelming and stressful. When I started picking him up at 1pm he found it much easier to adapt to school life. Knowing I would be there on the other side of playtime helped him to become much more resilient and able to handle the school day with enthusiasm. The gentler transition to full time was perfect for him.

The 'hug button' idea that parents are using to help children nervous about starting school - Manchester Evening News