Oak Class - Reception 2026 - 2027

Teacher: Mr Harley

Teaching Assistants: Mrs Bradley and Mrs Toms

Parents and Carers,

I am delighted to welcome you and your families to St Anne's Fulshaw C of E Primary School.

It is a real privilege to have the opportunity to educate and nurture your children as they complete their Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) journey and continue into primary education. Thank you for choosing St Anne's Fulshaw. We hope you enjoy many happy years as part of our school community.

Starting School

When children begin at St Anne's Fulshaw, their initial period of attendance will be as follows:

At the start of term, you and your child will be welcome to come straight onto the EYFS outdoor area from the top playground. This will be available from 8.40am each morning.

This will give your child time to settle into their new environment and provide an opportunity for us to talk and exchange any important information. Please feel free to stay with your child for a short while, settle them at an activity or share a book together until the school bell rings at 8.50am.

Once your child is settled in school, you will say your goodbyes at the gate and your child will make their way independently onto the playground, where they will line up with their class when the bell rings.

The School Day

8.40am - School gate opens

8.50am - Start of the school day

10.30am - Morning break. Your child will be provided with a snack*. During the school day, your child will also be offered a piece of fruit and a glass of milk.

12.00pm - Lunch. School meals are free for all infant children (Reception, Year 1 and Year 2).

3.20pm - End of the school day. Please collect your child from the playground at the rear of the school building.

*Snacks cost £1 per week. Please send payment (cash only) in a named envelope in your child's book bag or hand it directly to Mr Harley or Mrs Bradley.

Things Your Child Should Bring to School

Each day, unless advised otherwise, your child should bring:

• A named water bottle
• Their school book bag

On Monday mornings, children should also bring their PE kit in a drawstring bag. This is important because we have PE first thing on a Monday morning. PE kits will be sent home later in the week so that they can be washed and returned.

At the start of the year, please can your child bring a pair of named wellington boots in a named bag, preferably a drawstring bag. These will be sent home at the end of each half term so that you can check they still fit comfortably.

PE Kit

The following items should be included in your child's PE bag:

• School PE T-shirt
• Black shorts
• Trainers
• Spare pair of socks
• Spare underwear (if your child occasionally has accidents)

Learning in the Autumn Term

Our first topic is ‘Incredible Me’, and we will be learning all about ourselves.

We will learn the names of different body parts, create wonderful self-portraits and explore how we have changed over time. Throughout this topic, we will celebrate how each of us is a unique and valuable individual with our own interests, talents and experiences.

Photo Request

To help make our Incredible Me topic personal and engaging, please send the following photographs either by email to gharley@stannesfulshaw.net or in your child's book bag:

• A photograph of your child as a baby, as a toddler and a recent photograph
• Photographs of immediate family members (including any pets)
• Photographs of your child enjoying their interests, hobbies or special experiences

In the second half of the autumn term, our topic will focus on Bonfire Night, where we will be expressing ourselves through drama, storytelling and creating lots of magnificent artwork.

Reading

At St Anne's Fulshaw C of E Primary School, we are passionate about reading and understand that children who learn to read at an early age often develop greater general knowledge, a wider vocabulary and improved concentration.

We would really encourage you to share a story, or several stories, with your child every day. Reading together is a wonderful way to develop your child's language, imagination and lifelong love of books. Most importantly, have fun!

Use different voices for the characters, act out the story with puppets or toys, enjoy looking closely at the pictures, and talk about the characters and how they might be feeling. Don't be afraid to read the same story again and again. Children love repetition, and before long you'll find them joining in with favourite phrases and even reciting parts of the story themselves.

Reading together doesn't have to be perfect. Simply spending time enjoying books with your child is one of the most valuable things you can do to support their learning and development.

Phonics

We use the Little Wandle Letters and Sounds Revised systematic synthetic phonics programme to teach reading in Reception and Key Stage 1.

I will explain the Little Wandle programme in more detail at our Meet the Teacher evening later this half term. You can also find useful information in the Parents section of the Little Wandle website.

From around the fourth week of term, your child will join a reading group and read with an adult at school three times each week before bringing their reading book home to share with you.

As children will already be familiar with the text, they should enjoy sharing their reading with confidence. These moments are a wonderful opportunity to celebrate their success and enjoy reading together.

Reception Baseline Assessment

Since 2021, children in Reception complete a baseline assessment within the first six weeks of starting school.

The assessment is administered by me and is designed to be interactive and accessible for all children. The assessment results are not shared with schools or parents individually and are used nationally to measure progress across primary education.

I have attached further information published by the Department for Education for parents.

Keeping in Touch

If you have any questions or concerns at any point during the term, please do not hesitate to contact me by email at gharley@stannesfulshaw.net or speak to me on the playground at collection time.

I look forward to working closely with you and getting to know your wonderful children over the coming year.

Thank you for your support.

Kind regards,

Mr Harley
Reception Class Teacher