Welcome to our School!

We are delighted that you and your child are joining Our Lady Immaculate Primary School this coming September.  On behalf of the Staff, Governors, children and parents, it gives me great pleasure to welcome you and your family to our school community.

We hope that the information on this page will answer many of the questions that you have about your child starting school with us in September and assure you that we will write to you in the coming weeks with further details about your child’s induction.

Information meeting powerpoint 1

Reception Class Information Booklet

50 things to do before you are 5

Suzie Goes to School

Transition

We will be talking to pre-school and nursery settings, as we always do, to find out where your child is in their learning. We will also be talking to you directly to find out about your child’s preferences: things they particularly enjoy, find difficult etc. These conversations also help you to get to know us so that we can work together on the next stage of your child’s learning. During July there will be a stay and play session which your child will be invited to attend. There is a home visit at the beginning of September and a short  information meeting once your child starts school with us.   

The links below have some useful resources to support with transition.

  • Starting Primary School– The BBC have put together some articles, videos and resources to support you and your child with starting primary school.
  • Planning for transition when schools are currently closed – A useful article with some tips to support your child’s transition from nursery or preschool to Foundation.
  • The Department for Education (DfE)’s Hungry Little Minds campaign features tips and practical activities that you can do at home with children to support their early learning. There are many simple ways to help your children learn and it does not have to feel like ‘learning’. Having everyday conversations, make-believe play, and reading together, all make a big difference to your child’s development. You can find more ideas and content from the BBC’s Tiny Happy People campaign and the National Literacy Trust Family Zone.
  • tlc-essex.info This is also an excellent link run by the Essex County council called Talk Listen Cuddle and has great ideas for Early Years and also supports bilingual families.

EYFS

The Early Years is all about your child learning through play. Your child will spend most of their day in school accessing the continuous provision and following their own interests both indoors and outdoors. The areas within the classroom will be set up by adults who have taken into account your child’s interests and next steps. The children will access these areas with support and guidance from teaching staff.

During the day, your child will take part in some short adult led activities focused around Communication and Language, Phonics and Maths. Although adult led, these will be fun and engaging sessions, planned with the children’s interests and needs in mind.

There are ample opportunities throughout the year for outdoor play, as we believe this is vital for children’s development. Foundation children also have the opportunity to attend Forest School sessions.

The Early Years class follows the same ‘Development Matters’ framework as the preschools use. It is a continuation of this work and leads towards your children achieving their Early Learning Goals at the end of the Foundation Stage.

Sharing your child’s learning with you

At Our Lady Immaculate we use an online learning journal called Tapestry to record your children’s learning in Foundation.

You will be given a username and password to access your child’s journal once they start with us. This will allow you to see any photos and videos that have been taken of your child at school and read any observations that the EYFS team have made of them.  You will also be invited to add to your child’s journal as the year progresses.

Click here for more information about Tapestry.