Welcome to Kentmere Academy EYFS
The class teachers in Reception are:
Miss Santana (EYFS Lead) and
Miss Baxter
The class teacher in Nursery is Mrs Blackburn
Building Firm Foundations
The Foundation Stage is so called because we believe it builds the foundations for future learning.
We believe that if you provide children with a firm grounding in key skills in the Early Years, the children will be more able to achieve later on in school.
Foundation Stage Curriculum
We believe that children learn best when they are ‘doing’.
We provide as many ‘first hand’ experiences as possible and like to follow the children's interests.
Foundation Stage Curriculum
The Early Years Curriculum provides 7 areas of learning.
There are 3 prime areas of learning:
skills, such as climbing and running, and
fine motor skills such as handwriting.
Foundation Stage Curriculum
These underpin the specific areas of:
dance, art and design
Foundation Stage Curriculum
All lessons are taught through a balance of focused tasks with an adult and structured play within the classroom and outdoor area, which are enhanced with activities relating to our topic or the children's interests.
A Typical Week
In a typical week, your child will complete a number of activities both indoors and outdoors to develop their skills in Literacy, Maths and Understanding of the World.
They will also complete a range of activities independently within the areas of provision both indoors and outdoors. The activities provided are planned and structured in a way to support and develop your child’s skills, knowledge and understanding and to build on teacher input.
The adults within the classroom will support your
child with these activities.
Tapestry
Your child's development will be recorded digitally through Tapestry. You can access this from home and add your own posts and comments.
We strongly encourage all parents to actively engage with Tapestry on a weekly basis as this works as a means of communication between parents and staff and also allows us to see the children in their home environment.
To access your child’s account you will need to look out for an email within the first week of school. If you have any issues with this please speak to your child's class teacher.
School Times
Nursery Times
Morning session - 8.15 - 11.15am
Afternoon session - 12.00 - 3.00pm
Full time - 8.15am - 3.00pm
Reception Times
Classroom doors open at 8.10am
Lessons begin at 8.20am
School ends at 3.10pm (Monday to Thursday)
Friday only - school is closed to children
in the afternoon and children should be
collected at 1pm
Dropping Off and Collecting
Being collected late can sometimes cause distress.
Remember to include parents on the form.
Attendance
The academic and social benefits of good school attendance gives children the best start in life and beyond.
Children are only in school for 190 days each year, leaving 175 to fit everything else in. Try to book appointments outside of school hours, and where this isn’t possible, children must come into school before and after their appointment.
No holidays or periods or leave away from school will be authorised and will incur a fine. The DFE have new legislation coming into effect from September. This means that fines will increase and there will be additional fines when pupils hit a trigger which causes concern (5 days). We are aware of the financial strains on families so we do not want that for you. Plus we all want the best for our children and want them in school to learn.
Punctuality
Arriving on time is so important for our children to have a settled start to the day.
At the beginning of the day teachers share the outline for the day (visual timetable). Phonics and reading sessions then start promptly.
If a child is late they miss valuable learning and this can often cause them to fall behind and be unsettled.
Rewarding Great Attendance
Bag tags - 97% and higher in a term
100% class reward - get 15 stamps and the class
chooses a reward
Weekly reward - £10.00 for the class with highest attendance
above 97%
Yearly 100% attendance in the academic year
New incentive - Gold, Bronze or Silver Badge for
children who have attendance between 97% and 100% in a Term
Contact Form
Please complete the contact form as soon as possible (in your pack) and hand in to the school office. This must be completed before your child begins school.
Please give lots of contact numbers and details in case we need to contact you about your child, or in an emergency.
Please let us know of any changes, including changes of mobile numbers or addresses.
Breakfast Club
We have a free breakfast club that is available for children from Reception up to Year 6.
Children can be dropped off at 8.00am and will receive a free breakfast. This gate closes promptly at 8.05am.
This is supervised by school staff.
Uniform
All children must wear school uniform.
This is:
PE Uniform
We also have a PE uniform.
This is:
Nursery children will need pumps only in a
drawstring PE bag. �A change of clothes that stay in school is
also advisable.
Additional Requirements
The children in EYFS play outside in all weathers.
They will also take part in weekly forest school sessions.
For this, they will need a pair of wellies that can be kept in school, clearly labelled with their name.
Please name everything!
Please ensure that everything is named.
This can be done with sewn in names, iron on labels or permanent markers.
Reading
Your child will need a school reading bag and they will be given a reading book and reading diary from school. These are available to purchase from school uniform shops or from the school office.
It is very important to listen to your child read and talk about the book every night and to make reading a special and enjoyable time.
Homework
Children in Reception will receive a reading book and reading record. It is expected that children will read every night at home, please make sure to sign your child’s reading record.
Reception children will also receive a learning log at the beginning of the school year. Homework challenges will be stuck into your child’s learning log each term. These challenges are designed to be completed over the term and link directly to your child’s learning in school. These activities can be documented directly into your child’s learning log or via Tapestry.
Snack Time and Healthy Schools
In Nursery we operate a free-flow snack area throughout the day.
In Reception snack is timetabled into our day as an opportunity for the children to talk and share their learning.
All children will be provided with free milk (or water) and a piece of fruit or veg.
We are a healthy school which means we promote healthy eating and a healthy way of life. No sweets or treats
should be brought in for birthdays etc.
Items such as pencils or a class book are
promoted as an alternative.
Lunchtime
Lunchtime for EYFS is from 11.15 – 12.15pm
All children from Reception through to Year 2 receive universal free school meals. These are freshly prepared in school each day with a variety throughout the week. Alternatively they can bring a packed lunch.
If Nursery are attending full time, they are welcome to have a school dinner (additional charge) or bring a packed lunch.
If your child brings a packed lunch, we
encourage healthy choices such as sandwiches,
pasta, fruit and yogurt. No fizzy drinks, glass bottles
or sweets must be brought in.
Transition
To support your child moving into EYFS, we have arranged some transition dates for your child to attend school alongside an adult.
This will give them the opportunity to see the classroom and meet the teachers.
All children (Nursery and Reception) will start
on Tuesday 3rd September 2024
How you can Help at Home
In your pack, there are other activities to support your child at home in preparation for starting school.
Any questions?