New Reception Parents
Here are a few bits of information for you that might answer some questions.
Admissions
We have a pupil admission number of 90. Information about our admissions policy and criteria can be found on our school website. We follow a strict procedure for admissions and use the criteria given in the policy to rank each application before places are offered. We are often asked lots of questions about catchment area and a list of streets that are part of our catchment can be found on our website. If you are not in our catchment area, then you may still be offered a place but we are unable to predict each year until the applications are received. Following this link will give you more information about admissions and also the catchment school for each street and area in Wiltshire:
http://www.wiltshire.gov.uk/schools-learning-forms-guides-policies
Open Visits for children starting in Reception in September 2024
We warmly invite prospective parents to attend one of our open visits so that you can see our school in action. This is an opportunity to come and look around the school, meet the head teacher and staff and ask any questions you may have. We are now taking bookings so please choose the most suitable date and reserve your place by contacting the school office on 01722 334594.
- Monday 2nd Oct 9.30am
- Wednesday 4th Oct 9.30am
- Wednesday 11th Oct 1.30pm
- Tuesday 17th October 1.30pm
- Friday 3rd November 1.30pm
- Friday 10th November 9.30am
- Thursday 16th November 9.30am
- Friday 24th November 9.30am
- Thursday 30th November 9.30am
- Friday 12th January 9.30am
Dates and Opportunities for new reception entrants - September 2024
| Event | Date | Details |
| New parents/carers information evening |
Tuesday, 11th June 7-8pm |
An evening to share information with you about the upcoming school visits and our early years provision. We will give details of your class, teacher and allocation of mornings or afternoons at this meeting. There is an opportunity to meet the teachers and explore the school environment and your child’s classroom. This session is not suitable for children to attend. The meeting will be in Wyndham Park hall. |
| Nursery and pre-school visits/Phone calls | TBC directly with settings | Staff will visit some of the children in their nursery or pre-school setting. The teachers will still talk to your child’s keyworker even if they are not present on the day of the visit. |
| If your child does not attend nursery on these days then it doesn’t matter but please make every effort to attend the open morning below so that your child can meet their class teacher. | ||
| Open mornings/Stay and Play session |
Wednesday, 26th June OR Tuesday, 2nd July 9.15am – 10.30am |
This will be an opportunity for your child to visit the school and their classroom for a taster session. You can sign up for your preferred session at the information evening on 11th June. |
| Starting school |
Dates TBA Children attend either 9.00 – 11.15 or 1.00 – 3.15 |
Children will initially attend school for either morning or afternoon sessions. This is to ensure that there will be a smaller number of children at each session. The timings ensure that each session is the same length. |
| When arriving for school for the afternoon session, please follow the signs to walk around the side of the school because Year 1 and 2 will be on the playground. If you are attending in the morning, please enter through the classroom fire doors. At the end of every session please collect your child from their classroom fire door. | ||
| Part-time session and lunch |
Dates TBA Children attend either 9.00 – 1.00 or 11.30 – 3.15 |
Children will be able to stay for lunchtime as well as their morning or afternoon session. The morning children can stay until 1pm and the afternoon children can start at 11.30am. Please bring a home lunch and a named water bottle. |
| Full-time attendance |
TBA 8.50 – 3.15 |
All children will start school full time. Lunch can be ordered using Arbor or sent from home. |
Our Reception Classes for 2023-24 are:
Ducklings - Mrs L Smith (EYFS Lead & Class Teacher)
Cygnets - Miss C Staff (Class Teacher)
Owlets - Mrs C Beckles (Class Teacher), Ms C Healy (Class Teacher)
New parents information evening slide show
Pupil Premium and Free School Meals Letter
Top Tips for Starting School
Here are our Top Ten Tips for starting school. We hope you will find them useful.
- Reception children don't need to know how to read, write and do maths before they start school but they do need to do things like go to the toilet independently, put on their own uniform, PE Kit, coat and shoes.
- There may be accidents whilst they get used to the toilets, so pack a spare pair of pants and anything else your child might be likely to need (e.g. wipes) in their PE bags.
- Put their names in absolutely everything they bring into school, using name tapes or a permanent marker!
- Practise school lunch situations, opening storage containers, yoghurt tubes, drinks bottles and using a knife and fork.
- Have at least five school shirts, to save yourself the hassle of midweek washing. Join the Facebook group – Wyndham Park and St Marks – school uniform swapshop to pick up a few spares.
- Be positive about school and arrive on time for the best start to the day. As hard as it is leaving them, it’s easier for everyone if parents say goodbye and leave, then cry out of the sight of the children!
- Take a snack and a drink when you collect them at the end of the day to avoid hungry and thirsty meltdowns.
- Check their book bags because they will be bringing home letters that they've forgotten all about.
- Be prepared for an exhausted child for most of the first term: don't plan too many after-school activities.
- Finally, take a step back and trust the teachers to do their job. Let the children find their own feet and solve their own problems if possible. Your child is developing their own independence. If you are concerned speak with the teacher away from listening ears!