At Cawston Grange Primary School, we believe that the Early Years Foundation Stage is crucial in securing solid foundations that children are going to continue to build upon through school and beyond. It is our intent that the children who enter our EYFS develop physically, verbally, cognitively and emotionally whilst embedding a positive and enthusiastic attitude to school and learning.

We believe that all children deserve to be valued as an individual and we are passionate in allowing all children to achieve their full, unique potential. With all of this in mind, we develop our EYFS curriculum throughout the year by taking each child's individual needs into consideration and celebrating diversity within our school community. We work in partnership with parents and carers to encourage independent, happy learners who thrive in school!

We aim for all Reception pupils to be:

• Ready to learn: Children have a positive, confident attitude to learning.  They are both physically and emotionally ready to learn.
• Resourceful: Children show initiative, are curious about their world and are prepared to use a variety of strategies/resources to learn.
• Resilient: Children are prepared to persevere and stay involved in their learning, even when the process is challenging.
• Kind: Children show respect and compassion for their peers, adults and learning environment at all times and they understand the importance of kindness.

Frequently asked questions:

What does my child need to bring to school each day?

• A bookbag or rucksack containing their reading log (we will hand these out within the first half term)
• A water bottle containing water or diluted squash
• A change of clothes is advisable, but especially underwear in case of any accidents! This can be kept within your child’s PE kit which we tend to keep in school and send home during half terms to be washed.
• We advise bringing a coat and jumper/cardigan as we tend to be outside all year round. If you have a spare pair of wellies they can keep in school, this would be great as we will be playing outside most days and can use them in our mud kitchen and nature classroom. We advise the application of sun cream at home for our warmer days and a sun hat.
   

What do they need in their PE kit?

A plain white t-shirt, a pair of shorts, a pair of pumps or trainers (please only put your child in shoes with laces if they can tie them up themselves!). You may wish to put a pair of joggers or an extra warm layer for if we do PE outside but this isn’t essential. We do a PE lesson once a week, but will have a variety of physical opportunities available in our outdoor classroom every day. Your child’s PE kit can stay on their peg at school throughout the half term and then we will send it home to be washed over the holidays.

Please make sure everything is clearly labelled with their name and encourage your child to take responsibility for their items, for example, encouraging them to hang up their coat or tidy away their clothes at home. This will support them in being independent and it helps us to return any lost items to you.

How can I help my child to settle in to school?

Try and stay cheerful and positive about them starting school. This is an exciting time and children may pick up on any worries you have, so it’s important to remain enthusiastic!

Have a look at the Starting School slideshow above for more tips on how to prepare them for the change to Reception.

Where do they go at playtimes and what happens at lunchtimes?

For the first couple of weeks whilst they settle, we will stay and eat in the hall with the children. The dinner choices must be pre-ordered by parents using the 'Select' payment system, and you are able to pre-book meals for up to a month in advance. All children will receive free school meals up until the end of Year 2, however if you are entitled to Benefits Related Free School Meals, please ensure you complete your application as soon as possible as this supports additional funding for the school. Your child is welcome to bring a healthy packed lunch if you’d prefer that, but please do not include any products containing nuts.

Playtimes usually take place on the playground or field, but for the first few weeks we will settle them into our routines and surroundings with playtimes in our own outdoor area. Midday supervisors will support the children at lunchtimes and will inform us if there are any issues.

Where do I wait in the morning?

You will come through the gate in our outdoor area and wait in the area closest to your classroom. Please do not allow your children to play on the equipment in our outdoor area. This is to minimise accidents and to ensure the safety of everyone. They will have plenty of opportunities to use this during the day!

The doors will open at 8.40am and close at 8.50am so you have a 10minute window. Please try and be punctual as the gate will close just after this time and you’ll have to go round to the main entrance, which may result in a late mark on their attendance.

To promote their independence and help them settle quickly, please try and encourage them to come in by themselves and take responsibility for hanging up their belongings.

Why won’t my child tell me about what they’ve done at school?

This is quite a common question we have from parents and we want to reassure you that this is normal! Children’s brains and their ability to recall past events are different in early childhood; they may not be developmentally capable of talking about what they have done recently. Try giving them cues such as ‘Did you work with a friend today?’ or ‘What activities were you doing outside?’. Each half term, a knowledge organiser will be sent out containing information about what we are learning throughout our topic. This may help you to steer the conversation and support you in continuing the learning at home.

What is the Nature Classroom?

This is similar to a ‘Forest School’ and gives the children opportunities to explore and learn outdoors, whatever the weather! Immersing ourselves in nature provides lots of rich experiences and helps us to explore the natural world around us. We will go once a week and learn in a variety of different ways. See the ‘Outdoor Learning’ page on our school website for pictures and more information.

How do I contact you if I have a question or worry?

We are always available to speak to on the door, but if you require a longer chat please email the office to arrange a suitable time for an appointment with us.

We will be on the door every day come rain or shine!