Starting School Arrangements 2024
We aim to keep you as informed as possible regarding how we will transition your child to school in September. We will aim to give you as much information as possible as the time approaches.
Starting School Arrangements 2024
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Free School Meal applications
Currently all children under 7 receive a free school meal as part of the universal offer. However, if you think you would still be entitled to means tested free school meals please make the application. This saves a lot of time and confusion if the universal offer ends and also when the children move into Year 3. In addition it does have a positve impact on the school budget and so is important to us.
Starting School information powerpoint 2024
What is it like when your child starts school?
We asked a few of last year's new starter parents to give us an overview of how they found this big step
Your child’s first day at school is a milestone for both parents and child so you hope it is a positive one.
We worried that our son wouldn’t like school or settle to the routine and expectations. However, we didn’t need to be so concerned as all members of the team at Barton St Peters were very supportive and respectful of the worries we had. They took time to listen to us to help us with our worries without minimising them. This has enabled our son to settle into the routine of school and engage in learning, he enjoys being there so much.
We feel that we have had two first days at school. One in September and another in June with the new procedures in place for social distancing. Both times we have felt we have been cared for and considered.
Barton St Peters will always listen and help wherever possible to ensure that your child is settled into school and that you feel confident your child is enjoying school.
A year ago I was in your shoes, well almost.
My first child was about to embark on her transition from Preschool to 'big school' without her best friends. My daughter took 2 years to adjust to Preschool, preferring to sit alone and colour rather than interact. Finally she made a small group of friends but sadly circumstances resulted in them attending an alternative school. This therefore meant I was extremely anxious about this next big stage in her life and doing it alone.
So many unanswerable questions were going through my head: Would she make friends? Would she just sit alone? Would she be ok? All of these were my anxieties, not my daughters.
During the first week the pictures came home with her and I was really worried that she had started to sit alone again. I expressed my concerns to her teacher and she put all my worries to bed advising me she was doing it with a small group and just loved to draw. Soon we started to hear lots of different names of children she was playing with, and her confidence improved greatly. This was recently put to the test when she attended lockdown school without her friends. She thoroughly enjoyed mixing with the older year groups and different teachers.
Despite my initial concerns my daughter settled in very quickly which I believe is significantly down to the teachers and their ability to quickly understand the children's characters and their gentle encouragement to engage. The teachers are all very friendly, helpful and approachable to both the children and parents. The learning progression is absolutely incredible along with the teacher-parent communication. The book clubs we could attend (prior to Coronavirus) and be with our child in the classroom were a great way to have a little chat with the teachers too. Whatever your concerns are about your child, there will be another child the same and they will quickly find each other.
We all struggle with our children growing up but my biggest regret was letting my anxieties and worry rub off on to my her. My daughter is extremely happy at school and we are both going to miss the Foundation teachers when she moves up in September.