Foundation Stage Information for Parents

Daily Routine

  • Arrival – (8.45 – 8.55am) This is the first 10 minutes of the day when activities are set out to help settle the children and get them ready for learning. It is an opportunity for you to ask us any questions; however for longer discussions it will be necessary for you to make an appointment with the class teacher.  We would appreciate it if parents would leave when the bell rings at 8.55, so that the children can settle down for the register.  If you arrive after this time, you will need to enter the school through the main entrance and sign in at the office.
  • Water/Milk and Fruit – we offer free milk to all children in Reception and Nursery. We are part of the national fruit scheme and provide fruit for all the children.
  • Phonics – Phonics is taught every day. Initially your child will learn about different environmental sounds and listening skills.  They will then learn the 44 phonic sounds using the Read Write Inc. scheme of work.  Children will also learn to split words up into their individual sounds (segmenting for writing) and putting sounds together to make a word (blending for reading).
  • Home Learning – Home learning in the Reception Class consists of learning the phonic sounds and reading books. Books will be changed once a week.  If you are teaching your child to write at home, it is important that you DO NOT teach them to write in capitals.  There is a home/school diary for parents to make comments on anything concerning you, it is not necessary to write in it everyday.  It is very important that you do not spend too long on the reading books (we do not want to pressurise the children and put them off reading), 5-10 minutes a day is enough!  MAKE LEARNING ENJOYABLE FOR YOUR CHILD!

Lunches

Full time pupils have their lunch at school. Families may choose between having a packed lunch provided from home or a hot school meal. Children can ‘mix and match’ each week and can have a school meal on some days and a packed lunch on others, or they can have a school meal every day or a packed lunch every day. Lunch is eaten in the school hall which is set up as a dining hall in the middle of each day.

We use Food and More as our meals provider and they supply the cook and kitchen assistant for the school kitchen. The menu runs on a three weekly basis with a set of nutritionally balanced meals for each of Week 1, Week 2 and Week 3 which then repeats. There is regularly a roast dinner on Wednesday and fish and chips on Friday. There is always a vegetarian option each day which is suitable for halal diets. Any child is able to choose the vegetarian option if they prefer it to the ‘meat’ option. Specific dietary requirements and allergies can be catered for if school is made aware of them in advance. As well as the main meal which is served to the children from the kitchen, children may help themselves to side salad items from the salad trolley in the dining hall. A pudding is served daily with fresh fruit as an alternative.

All children in Reception, Year 1 and Year 2 are entitled to a free school meal (FSM) but they can choose to have a packed lunch from home if that is preferred.

Parents of children in Years 3, 4, 5 and 6 will need to pay for each meal taken unless entitled to Free School Meals (FSM) as a result of being in receipt of certain tax credits/benefits. The parent will be asked for certain details (National Insurance number and date of birth) when filling out the detailed enrolment form when your child first starts at the school and these details are used by school to check eligibility for free meals.

We operate a cashless system for paying for lunches (also for trips, visits, workshops, swimming etc.) using a system called ParentPay. When your child first starts at New Hinksey Primary School parents will be issued with a letter explaining the ParentPay system and giving log in details. Every parent is expected to set up an account in ParentPay straight away, whether or not your child will be taking school lunches or whether or not you will be paying for lunches, as there may well be payments for trips or special events that need to be paid for via ParentPay. Also once children are in Year 3 the government scheme of Free School Meals for younger children ceases. The menu is also displayed on ParentPay allowing families to see what meals are coming up and to pre book them.

If your child is bringing a packed lunch from home we encourage a healthy selection of items, packaged or wrapped in a way that your child can handle themselves. We encourage children to eat the ‘main’ item such as sandwich, wrap, roll, pasta salad etc. first along with other savoury or veg/salad items before moving on to more pudding like items such as cookies, cakes, fruit items, yogurts etc.  Your child may bring a small packet of crisps or similar as part of their lunch box but only one please. Similarly we do not ban chocolate items from packed lunches but it must only be one chocolate containing item. Sweets and fizzy drinks are not allowed. We strongly recommend fresh water as part of every packed lunch.

Behaviour

We promote positive behaviour at New Hinksey rewarding children for good behaviour. They are taught the Classroom and School Rules and the children receive lots of stickers to reinforce positive behaviour.

If the children choose not to follow the rules, then there are consequences.  This involves the child receiving a verbal warning.  If the behaviour continues then the child will have a few minutes time out to reflect on the actions on the thinking chair.

Outdoor Learning

We go outside to learn every day and the children need to be prepared for the weather.  A waterproof coat is essential so the children can go outside in the rain.  Sturdy shoes (not sandals or dressing up shoes) are also important so the children are safe on the outdoor equipment.  Please ensure all your child’s clothes are clearly labelled with their name.

Punctuality and Attendance

It is very important that your child attends everyday, unless they are ill.  Please ring the school before 8.30 in the morning or after 9:00 to explain any absences.

Please make sure that your child arrives on time and is picked up on time.  Being late disrupts other children and being picked up late can upset your child.

Book Bags

We strongly encourage every child to have a book bag to carry books and letters to and from school each day. These are available from the school office.

Up To Date Contacts

We need to keep up to date contacts in the office.  It is important for you to notify us of any changes in your contact details, address or in your child’s medical/health circumstances.

We hope this information is helpful to you but please don’t hesitate to ask any member of school staff if you have any queries.