• At Woodlands Academy, our children are admitted for half days for the first two weeks. Each child will do either mornings or afternoons only. After two weeks they will stay for lunch and for full school days as normal
  • On your child’s first day at Woodlands you will need to bring your completed admission forms, a copy of your child’s birth certificate and Red book.
  • During the first few weeks of term a member of Staff will have a meeting with you to discuss the special knowledge and understanding you have of your child. New children to the school will get a home visit prior to starting.

Our Day

Learning in the Reception classes is designed to cover the seven main areas of learning, which are in line with the guidelines for the Early Years Foundation Stage.

Teachers plan activities which will allow every child to develop at their own pace. Each child will have their own Learning Journal to record their personal journey through Reception.

Our Curriculum

We aim to provide a happy, stimulating and secure place for your child to develop:

  • Socially
  • Emotionally
  • Physically
  • Intellectually

At Woodlands we celebrate cultural events from all over the world. This helps to promote a sense of belonging and understanding. Each child will have an Early Years Profile to enable teachers to plan appropriate activities for your child’s development across the seven areas of learning. Three ‘prime’ and for ‘specific’:

The six areas of learning are:

PRIME AREAS:

  • Communication & Language
  • Physical development
  • Personal , social and emotional development

SPECIFIC AREAS:

  • Literacy
  • Mathematics
  • Understanding of the world
  • Expressive arts and design

Attendance

Good attendance is important for your child’s progress, and your child should only be kept off if he or she is ill. If your child is unable to come to reception please telephone or email the school office and send in a note when your child returns.

If your child is absent at any time we require a written or verbal explanation on his or her return

Collecting Children

All Reception children must be collected by a responsible adult. Please do not send young teenagers to collect your child from Reception.

If someone other that yourself is going to collect your child, please tell a member of staff at the beginning of the session or telephone the school office on: 020 8998 2479

Punctuality

Please keep to the Reception times so that our child takes full advantage of their session at Reception.

A child may become anxious if they think they are going to be left behind when they can see other children going home, so please ensure that you collect your child on time.

A Day in Reception

School begins at 8:45am and ends at 3:00pm. Please ensure you are punctual. If your child is unable to come to school for any reason please telephone or email the office and send in a note when your child returns.

Children will have whole class guided sessions on Literacy, Numeracy, phonics and topic work throughout the day. After each session, the teacher will work with small groups of children to develop the skills taught. Children who are not working with the teacher are free to choose activities both indoors and outdoors. The activities available are based on the six areas of learning.

The class teacher listens to each child read at least twice a week. All children must bring their reading bag into school everyday.

Food and drink

Children are encouraged to bring a bottle of water to drink throughout the day. The school provides a piece if fruit to eat during the morning.

School lunches

Lunchtime is 11:45am –12:45pm. Children may bring their own packed lunch or have a school lunch. School Meals costs £11.50 per week, further details can be obtained from the school office.

From September 2014, all children in Reception, Year 1 and Year 2 are entitled to a Free School Meal. If you want your child to have a Free School Meal, you will need to fill in a form with your name, your child’s name, date of birth and National Insurance number. This helps the school caterer know how much food to purchase. It also enables the school to receive the maximum funding available in relation to Free School Meals, so that more money can be spent on purchasing books, organising trips, improving the school etc.

Settling in

In the morning you are encouraged to bring your child into the classroom to help him or her settle in. It also gives you an opportunity to talk to the class teacher about your child’s progress and interests at home. Staff are also available to answer any questions you have about learning or activities you could do at home to support your child.

Important information

Physical Education

Children have physical education (PE) once a week. The PE kit consists of shorts, T-shirt and plimsolls. Please label all your child’s clothing with their name. The activities are particularly enjoyable and important for your child’s development.

Jewellery

We have a no jewellery policy at the school. If children have pierced ears, the Governors have agreed to allow small stud earrings only. Please do not send your child in chains or bracelets.

Clothing

Children will have access to the outdoor area in all weather conditions. Please ensure your child has suitable clothing, for example a raincoat and Wellington boots when it is raining. Please label your child’s coat, bag, jumper and Wellingtons with their name.

Footwear

During dressing up play, your child may want to change into different shoes. It would help them and us if they did not wear training shoes or boots with long laces but instead wore

Velcro or slip on shoes, preferably with rubber soles in order to be safe outside. Choosing shoes that are safe is particularly important in the summer months when ‘flip flops’, open toed sandals and clogs are dangerous on our climbing equipment.

Illness

Please make sure that your emergency contact form is kept up to date, we need this if your child is taken ill or has an accident at school. If your child is absent at anytime, we require a written or verbal explanation on his or her return.

Please do not hesitate to come and talk to us about any issues or ideas you would like to discuss. We very much hope that your child will be happy and enjoying learning in our Reception class.