(L-R) Miss Bachmann (Reception teacher and Assistant Head for EYFS & KS1) Mrs Connolly (Reception teacher) Mrs Griffiths (Finance Administrator) Miss Shrimpton (Reception EYFS Practitioner) Mrs Moore (Nursery EYFS Practitioner) Miss Read (Nursery EYFS Practitioner) Mr Broderick (Headteacher)

We are all very excited to meet our new starters for 2024 and begin our wonderful learning journey together at St Mary's Farnham Royal. Your children will be greeted with happy smiles as they step into their magical world of Nursery or Reception - the most exciting step on their magical adventure through school...

‘BIG school’ IS a BIG step, and we understand any wobbles and will help both you and your child as we travel together with your child/ren. Below is information you may need to help as your child starts in EYFS. 

Transition Meeting Presentation

• Transition Day Info PowerPoint 2023-24.pptx

What will my child need each day?

• Their smile! 
• Water Bottle - School Policy is ONLY WATER please, no flavoured water or juice
• Packed lunch (if preferred)
• Reading Record (provided by school)
• Reading Book (provided by school)
• A set of SPARE clothes just in case
• Welly boots (to remain in school during the week)
• Waterproof Coat (weather dependent)
• Suncream applied before the school day (if it's sunny!)
• Sun hat (weather dependent) 

Please help your child by ensuring everything is clearly labelled with a label or permanent marker. 

Uniform

Please make sure uniform is labelled - including shoes. 

Uniform can be purchased from School Days Direct either by visiting their shop : 20A, Buckingham Avenue, Slough Trading Estate, Slough SL1 4QA. Or order online via their website:   www.schooldaysdirect.co.uk

Please note, good learning is messy so your child may not come home clean! 

Reception PE with Mrs Daywan - 

Children can come to school in their school PE kits - and can stay in these for the day.  Please make sure earrings are removed or covered and hair is tied back. 

Nursery: Physical Development skills are explored and delivered through play - in the Summer Term Nursery will join Reception to learn key skills in preparation for our EYFS Sports Day, so will have a weekly PE session. 

Reception: PE Lesson once a week: Thursday mornings - PLEASE send your child to school in their PE Kit for the day. 

Change of clothes, wellies & coats for learning outside - we will get wet, we will get messy! 

Please bring in a spare change of clothes for your child (this does not have to be uniform but must be plain, not branded, clothes). This can stay on their peg in case of accidents or high engagement in water play, messy play or in our mud kitchen!

Your child will need a coat and a pair of wellies so that we can play in all weathers… Learning outside doesn’t stop when it rains and snows - as the learning opportunities here are HUGE! 

Nursery Lunches (Full time only)

Nursery children are not entitled to a free school lunch, but full-time nursery children can purchase one. Please email office@smfr.co.uk  Alternatively, you can send your child to school with a packed lunch.

We follow the school nursing team advice and encourage 'non eaters' for max 20min, as we do not want to cause distress. We will monitor and report back to parents any concerns and consider together how best to support your child at this important time of their school day.

Reception Lunches

Hot school lunches are free to all Reception children. The menus for school lunches can be found on our website and via the link below.

Children simply tell their Teacher each morning if they are a 'Hot Lunch'. We know about their dietary requirements from the admissions form.  Alternatively, you can send your child to school with a healthy packed lunch.

• Hot Meals

Daily Fruit Snack

As part of the national scheme, Reception children are entitled to a free piece of fruit or veg each day. The school has no control over what is offered each day, so if your child likes only specific fruit or veg, you are welcome to send a piece to school each day.

Nursery children enjoy a daily snack time, so please pop one in their bags so they can enjoy this healthy eating sharing time. 

Examples of fruit snacks:

• Apples
• Tomatoes
• Bananas
• Raisins
• Cucumber in a named, reusable pot
• Strawberries in a named, reusable pot

Daily milk in school

All children under the age of 5yrs are entitled to free school milk. This is provided by the national 'Cool Milk' scheme. Whilst the milk is delivered to school, it is not the school who ordered the milk. Parents must opt in to this scheme by registering.

Please see the PDF below  to order free milk - RETURN this directly to Cool Milk and the allocation will come through to us as soon as it is processed. 

School Milk Application

• Parent-Information-Leaflet-2022-A4.pdf

Times of the Day

8:30am - Gates open (children arrive)

8:45am - Lessons start (gates close)

11:30 - Morning Nursery session ends, parents' collect from EYFS playground

11.45 - 12.45- Lunch time (for Nursery all day children only and Reception)

12:15 - Afternoon Nursery session starts - parents' drop off at the office to join their friends playing outside

3:15 - End of the School Day, Nursery and Reception parents & carers collect from EYFS Playground

During the day, Nursery & Reception children will participate in a number of lessons including, phonics, reading, maths, topic. These will be both adult led and child led/chosen. The children engage in play-based learning, scaffolded and supported by their teachers to support engagement and primarily the development of language through carefully planned, meaningful, child-led play. We follow the children's interests at all times, so planning in the moment is evident. 

Home Time

Parents MUST make sure the office have an up-to-date list of who has permission to collect your child. This is initially taken from your admissions form - but please update of any changes. 

• Children must be collected from the teacher by an adult 16+
• Please don’t be offended if we question a person you have asked to collect your child. Safeguarding is a huge priority and we would always want to double check to proudly maintain this high standard.

We understand that family contexts can sometimes be complicated. If there is anything we should know to be able to fully support you or your child/ren, please speak to a member of staff or email the office. We will handle all matters with discretion.

The Importance of Reading

Sadly, statistics over time have reported that less than half of parents read to their children at bedtime. At SMFR we believe that your child's reading journey is CRUCIAL to lifelong learning and so make this a high priority. It is so important to read to or with your child every night up to the age of 11. Benefits of this include:

• Prime bonding time
• Improving your child’s reading skills
• Sparking the magic of imagination
• Creating communication - linked to this integral part of the EYFS curriculum 
• Supporting a clear routine for your child’s to sleep
• Expanding your child’s vocabulary and understanding of language
• Improving your child’s emotional intelligence
• Encouraging independent reading - and this may be reading the pictures just to tell YOU the story!
• Improving mental wellbeing - as it is a cosy, sharing time where your child feels safe and loved
• Helping you relax, unwind and enjoy quality time with your child/ren

At SMFR we would love it if parents could read to all of their children at bedtime - .

Please don’t use your child’s reading book for bedtime (unless they really want to!) as the breadth of vocabulary is very narrow and doesn’t elicit as much of an imagination as a picture book that they have chosen. 

Our EYFS unit is FULL of books for families to borrow at any time - so do come and ask us... 

Books that celebrate cultural diversity

• books-that-celebrate-culture-diversity-and-religion.pdf

Questions & Communication

Much of our communication is now electronic - although in our Nursery and Reception Transition Meetings you will receive paper copies of all relevant information for you to keep as a pack for your reference. 

If you have any questions or concerns, please email office@smfr.co.uk This will enable a dialogue between you and the school to enable us to make your child's transition to our EYFS department as smooth and seamless as possible.

Once your child has started in September:

• You will see an EYFS staff member each day on the door - we welcome communication! 
• You can call our school office who will pass on any messages to the relevant staff
• You can email the school office who will pass on any messages to the relevant staff
• You will receive emails and letters through our school email service - from staff at all levels
• You can view our website information at all times - for example Phonics for EYFS
• You can access our APP

Keeping Children Safe on Church Road - Parking

Our children, their families and the residents of Church Road are entitled to come to and from school safely. Please at all times: 

• Be courteous        
• Be patient   
• Drive safely

We are a school community, so promote the message: 'Do to others as you would have them do to you'

Parking on yellow lines & zig zags, restricts vision for children crossing & blocks the road, hindering the flow of traffic.

For further information please read our Parking Flyer

Parking Flyer

• parking Flyer.pdf

Family learning courses to prepare your child for school life:

• Family Learning Courses Early Years June 2021 (B)[5528].pdf

School Nursing Team

We have strong links with our school nursing team and they will come in a few times a year to check your child's:

• Sight
• Hearing
• Height
• Weight

You will receive a form to 'opt in or out' of this service.

• Slides from Nursing Team.pptx
• Nursing Team School Readiness Checklist.pdf

Pastoral Support at St Mary's Farnham Royal 

At St Mary’s Farnham Royal we would like everybody who is part of our school community to feel they are doing and being the best they can be, giving their all and striving for personal success in all things. This is the same for not only all pupils but also for the staff that work in school and for adults that form families at home.  But for us all to be able to do and be the best that we can, we need to feel the best that we can and there are times when we all need some help and support to feel our best.  This is where the Pastoral Support Team aim to help. 

So who are the Pastoral Support Team? 

Well actually every adult working at school helps to make up part of the Pastoral Support Team at SMFR. We all work together to ensure all pupils, parents and staff working in school feel safe, cared for, have someone to talk to and can share worries or issues they may have.  This could be about themselves or somebody they care about. 

Mr Farmer is the Pastoral Support Leader (PSL) and he is there to support YOU or your FAMILY in any way he or the school can.   

If there is something you feel you may want some support with then please don't hesitate to contact Mr Farmer.                

Email - psl@smfr.co.uk          Tel – 01753 644471   

Top Tips for Talking

"Reading and writing float on a sea of talk." - James Britton

Please do ensure there are good quality talk sessions with your child on a daily basis. Below are some ideas on how to enrich your child's 'chatter' experiences.

• 1 Get your child's attention first.
• 2 Make language learning fun!
• 3 Use simple repetitive sentences.
• 4 Demonstrate rather than criticise.
• 5 Build on what your child says to you.
• 6 Copy your child's language
• 7 Use all your child's senses.

Useful Websites for your EYFS Child

Always review the sites ahead of time so that you are able to help your children find the best resources available within the sites. Some offer a great number of games, songs, stories, videos etc. so it is important to know the site well in order to support and develop your child’s learning.

• Busy Things Excellent site built around the 7 areas of learning in the Early Years Foundation Stage. You can access a free 7 day trial but you need to subscribe after this period to access the content – various subscription packages available.

• Phonics Play Great site with some free phonics games.

• Oxford Owl Interactive books and reading activities to share with your child at home.

• Cbeebies Many games often recognised by children from their favourite programmes.

• Fun with Spot New and improved! Try creating your own Spot story.

• Sebastian Swan Books for reading together with links to understanding of the world (good for natural science).

• CrickWeb Lots of maths and literacy games.

• BoowaKwala Many games and songs including those relating to festivals.

• ICT Games Some excellent maths and literacy games.

• Poisson Rouge Many delightful games. Spend some time exploring!

• ABC Kids Various educational games, videos and craft ideas.

• Top Marks Games of varying quality to support different areas of learning.

• British Council British Council “Learn English” – songs and stories

• GoNoodle Free to subscribe to a vast amount of fun activities!