New Starters - Induction into FS2
We warmly welcome all new starter children and their families to the Pewsey Primary School community.
You will receive an information letter very soon but dates for your diary are:
Mornings for your child to come into school. You should drop them off at the main office where they will be met by the FS2 team.
Wednesday 29th June - 9.15 - 11.45
Wednesday 6th July - 9.15 - 11.45
Wednesday 13th July - 9.15 - 11.45 - At 11am, you are invited to the school hall to meet Mrs Gilbert, the head teacher.
We always do our best to ensure that any plans made go as far as they can in making your child feel happy and safe when they first come into school.
We aim to keep this page updated with information that we feel will be useful for you and your child.
If you have any questions or concerns, please do contact me through the admin email address: [email protected] .
Kindest regards
Sara Kemp
FS2/ KS1 Lead and Deputy Head teacher
We are very lucky to have a canopy area which means that the children have a much bigger learning environment. It also means that the children can take part in activities with large or messy equipment and materials. We share this area with the Year 1 children and this helps us get to know other children in the school as well as seeing some faces that we may already recognise.
How can I get my child ready for school?
When your child starts primary school, we do not expect them to be able to read and write. Every child comes to school with different experiences and skills. It is our job to ensure that all children have equal opportunity to develop the necessary skills and knowledge throughout their time with us.
There are many things that you can do with your child that make the transition into school easier for everyone. Some of these things are discussed in the BBC Starting School Programme (detailed opposite). Below is a list of things that we would love your child to be able to do or to have practised when they come into school:
- dress themselves- girls should have a go at putting on and taking off tights if they are going to wear these to school
- put on and take off their own shoes- this may mean that they need shoes with velcro and not laces
- go to the toilet independently- including wiping themselves and washing their hands
- they must be able to remove their own earrings for PE but if they can't, this must be done by parents before school
We will of course never leave a child to do something themselves if they can't and there will be children who have very specific needs. We will always encourage a child to have a go if we think it is appropriate and then support them in being successful.
Useful documents:
Click here for the Transition Booklet
Click here for the Photo Tour Booklet
Click here for the Initial Letter to parents and carers
Click here for the Transition Letter to parents and carers
You can find other policies and information under the 'Parent' tab on the 'Home' page.
Reception Baseline Assessment
All Children starting school in FS2 participate in the Reception Baseline Assessment (RBA). You can find further information about the assessment by following the link below.
If you go to this website, you will find a list of storybooks all about starting school. These might be a nice way to start talking to your child about this huge step in their life and alleviate any worries that they might have:
https://www.theschoolrun.com/best-books-about-starting-school
Useful links:
Starting School Campaign (BBC)
A child’s transition into education is an exciting time for the whole family. You and your child may have questions about how life is going to change. What will primary school life be like? What can you do to prepare yourself and your child for the very best start?
The Starting Primary School campaign offers a toolkit of practical advice, support and resources for parents, guardians and children across a wide range of areas including school life, daily routine, sleep and how to support children practically and emotionally.
Starting Primary School also provides videos and articles for parents featuring information from experts and been-there-done-that tips from other parents. Your children can also explore their questions about school by playing a fun interactive game.
School Readers
We are very fortunate to have volunteers coming in to school from the School Readers Organisation. They come in and listen to the children on a regular basis (not during lockdown).
https://www.schoolreaders.org/schoolreaders-storytime-activities
Getting Ready For School Activities.......
Phonics and Early Reading
At Pewsey Primary, we use Supersonic Phonic Friends (based on Letters and Sounds) to teach Phonics. Before your child comes to school, they will probably have done activities from Phase 1. In Term 1, we will invite you into school for a session to tell you all about how we teach Phonics and Early Reading.
Transition to School
Spurgeons Children's Centres have produced a set of resources to aid transition into school:
Incredible Independence
Terrific Thinkers
Please have a look at these with your child.
https://spurgeons.org/resources-for-parents/top-tips-for-school/
