Welcome to Wildground Infant School. You will find information here to help prepare your child for their first year at school. Our aim is to work together in partnership to make the transition to school a smooth, pleasant and happy experience for you and your child.

Your child will either be in the Monkeys or the Tigers class.

 

School Times              8.55am - 3.15pm

 

(The details below may be slightly different this year for September 2020 due to Covid-19 restrictions, but you should have been informed of how things will work for your child. If you are unsure of anything or have any concerns please contact the school.)

School starts at 8.55am. Your child's class teacher will open the class door (in the Year R playground) at 8.45am. From 8.45 until 8.55 there is an opportunity for your child to share in a reading activity with a parent/guardian in the school hall all year or in your child's classroom for the first term.

When the teacher opens the door, your child will be greeted and you can bring your child in and help them with their belongings and routines on the first morning. Your child will then gradually be encouraged and supported to independently self-register, put their book bag and water bottle in the correct place, hang up their coat, and if appropriate put their lunch box away and start their day at school by settling to one of the reading activities on offer in the classroom.

Please try and help your child at the beginning of the day by being in plenty of time, so there is a smooth, anxiety-free start of the day. If you arrive after 8.55 am your child is late and you must therefore take your child to the school office and not the classroom door. The classroom doors will be closed at 8.55 am.

At the end of the day (or lunch time when part time) your class teacher will only let your child go home with an adult who is named as a contact on the yellow admissions form unless you inform us otherwise on the day. Your class teacher will make sure that you are seen by your child before they leave the classroom.

When collecting your child from school at the end of the school day (or lunch time when part time) please:

 

• let your child and class teacher know who will be collecting them (if different from the person who brought them into school).
• let your child know to wait with the class teacher if you are not there.
• inform the school office of any changes to who will be picking up your child at the end of the day.
• help your child by being on time.

 

 If your child is ill, please telephone and leave a message with the school office on the morning of illness as soon as possible. Our school encourages regular attendance and being at school on time to enable children to make the best progress possible.

 

Lunchtime Arrangements     12.15pm - 1.15pm

 

Children sometimes need time to get used to eating school meals. Meals are eaten in the school hall with the rest of the school.  All children are eligible for a free school meal.

 

School Dinners

Each day your child will be able to choose between two meal choices, a hot red or green meal. The green choice of meal will be a vegetarian option. Water will be offered with the meal. There will be fruit available as an alternative to the desert choice.

If your child has eaten very little of the school dinner a note will be sent home at the end of the day informing you.

If your child has a medically identified special diet, such as an allergy or food intolerance, you will need to collect a ‘medically identified special diet request form’ from the school office, where you will be required to name your child’s dietician. The school kitchen will then be able work with Hampshire Caterers to cater for your child’s dietary needs.

 

Packed Lunches

If you decide that your child would like a packed lunch instead of a school meal, at our school we promote healthy eating. We ask for your support in not providing your child with sweets, chocolate, fizzy drinks, or glass bottles. A carton of 100 % fruit juice / smoothie is okay. We encourage your child to return all uneaten food in their lunch box, so you can monitor what they have eaten.

 

Water

We encourage children to drink water and your child can bring a bottle of water into school in a clearly named bottle every day and / or ask for a drink of water from a mid-day assistants at lunch time.

 

Snack Time

Every day, the children will sit down together to enjoy a snack and a drink. They will be offered fruit and milk or water to drink. During this time the children will also be encouraged to talk together making this a sociable experience.

There is no need for you to provide a snack.

 

Medical Concerns

We are only able to give prescribed medicines to children at school. If your child requires the school to give a prescribed medicine you are asked to take it to the school office and sign a consent form. Please do not give your children cough sweets to bring into school.

If your child has asthma and requires an inhaler, would it please be possible to ask your doctor to prescribe another inhaler, and spacer if required, so that one can always be kept in school.

 

Minor Injuries

If your child receives a minor injury at school, they will be taken to the medical room for treatment and a record will be made in the school medical book. In some cases a red note will be sent home with your child to inform you of the minor injury.

If your child receives a minor head injury, then you will either be phoned or a red note will be sent home with your child.

It is important that you always keep your child’s contact details up to date with the school office in case you need to be contacted in an emergency. So if there are any changes such as mobile phone numbers please can you let the office know as soon as possible.

 

School Uniform

We like to see our pupils wearing the Wildground Infant School uniform. From September 2018 there will be a new Wildground Federation uniform showing the new Federation logo. We have chosen navy blue so that non-logo items can be purchased easily from the supermarket. The new uniform will be available from Skoolkit, Totton from June 1st 2018.
For your child’s safety, we ask you to please provide sensible low heeled black school shoes throughout the year. If you are in receipt of any benefits please see Mrs. Lloyd in the school office who may be able to supply you with a shoe voucher for school shoes.

Your child should be encouraged to dress and undress themselves.

Please clearly label all items of clothing with your child’s name and show your child where their name is – it is helpful to put their name close to or on the hanging label to help your child and an adult identify items of clothing quickly. The sewn in labels prove to be very good. It is easy for your child to misplace their clothing at school, especially sweatshirts, jumpers and cardigans.

You may purchase navy sweatshirts, cardigans, fleeces and white polo shirts embroidered with the school’s name and logo from ‘Schools Kit’ in Totton either at their shop or on-line.

Girls’ Uniform: Grey or black pinafore, skirt or trousers; white blouse or polo shirt; navy sweatshirt, jumper or cardigan; red and white check summer dress; (optional) navy fleece.

Boys’ Uniform: Grey or black shorts or long trousers; white shirt or polo shirt; navy sweatshirt or jumper; (optional) navy fleece.

PE Kit: To be kept in school in a named PE bag:  t-shirt in house colour (no buttons please), black shorts. We will let you know when plimsolls or trainers will be required. They will not be needed in the first term.

Wellies

If possible, please can your child bring in a pair of wellies clearly labelled with their name? These are to be kept in school so that your child will be able to access the outside learning environment even when it is wet.

Useful hints:

It is helpful if your child wears clothes that are easy for them to put on and take off by themselves, and shoes that do not have laces. Please remember there will be a whole class of other navy sweatshirts / cardigans and white shirts / polo shirts that all look very similar and that it is easy for your child to misplace their school uniform and P.E. kit even when they are encouraged to use named pegs and drawers for personal belongings and a named ‘chair’ when changing for PE.

It is also useful if your child can:

• Dress and undress him/herself
• Use a tissue or handkerchief
• Use a knife and fork (school dinners)
• Wash and dry their hands carefully
• Tidy away toys
• Share toys and take turns
• Use the toilet independently
• Recognise their own name

Things your child needs to bring to school daily

• Book bag (for reading books, newsletters, home/school book, letters and sound sheets, word flashcards)

    A book bag will be provided for you by the school.

• Water bottle (named and kept in class) – taken home every day for cleaning and refilling.
• Lunchbox (if required).
• A coat – even if it looks like it may not rain!
• In hot weather please put suncream on your child before they come to school.

Home Visits

Your child will be starting school part time. Whilst your child is part time, you will have an opportunity to have a home visit. The class teacher and teaching assistant will visit you and your child at your home to get to know you all better and to discuss any issues or individual needs that may be a concern for you or your child. These visits aim to help your child feel relaxed and confident in talking with their new teacher. The visit will last about 20 minutes. You may wish to share information from your ‘All About Me’ sheet which you will be given during your welcome sessions.

If you would prefer, you can choose to have this session at school to discuss any issues or concerns.

 

Induction Period

In September all children will start school on a part-time basis. This is to support your child with settling into the school routine and enabling them to get to know all the early year's staff (class teachers, teaching assistants, mid-day assistants). Our starting school process gives a greater opportunity for your child to feel secure and the Early Years staff to get to know your child well.

 Your child will initially start for mornings only and a timetable will be given to you during one of your ‘welcome’ meetings informing you of the dates.  During your child’s last week of induction, there will be an opportunity for your child to have a lunch at school and for you to stay with your child for their first lunchtime. 

 

Settling into School

Every child who starts at Wildground Infant School is unique and is treated as an individual.  We understand that every child has different needs and will need different support settling-in at school. As Early Years practitioners working with children, we endeavour to make their experience of school fun, familiar and secure. As a parent/carer you can help your child by reassuring him/her, being positive about school and being careful that any anxieties you may have do not influence your child. Also please remember that some children may come home and tell you every detail of their school day or act it out with their toys from home, while other children tell you nothing!

If your child has particular worries or concerns, please have a chat with your class teacher. Your child is only four and may ‘misread’ situations, but on the other hand you may be surprised just how independent they are and ready for school!

In September you might find some of the following things useful: 

• Please bring your child into the classroom and help them to place their name on their photograph for their self-registration.
• You might like to join your child in one of the early morning tasks available until they are settled.
• When the teacher signals it is time to finish the starting activities, please slip away, if you have not already done so.
• If your child cries, a member of staff will guide you about what to do. It is often best to leave as your child usually settles soon after.
• If you have a quick question to ask a member of staff, this should be possible during this time.  However, if you need longer to talk to a member of staff, please ask for a convenient time at the end of the school day.
• If your child has some exciting news to share, you might like to write this on a WOW card (provided at home-visits). 

We hope this guidance helps give your child a smooth start to school but please do not hesitate to ask or talk to us if you need more information.