Ladybirds 25/26

Reception New Starters September 2025

A warm welcome to all families starting with us in September. It's always exciting to meet new families and meet the children that will be part of our new Ladybirds class.

In order to provide the very best start to school, we operate a staggered induction to school, which we follow for the first two weeks of September. We have an intake of 45 young children into one room, which although is a super environment for them to learn and play in through their year with us, is difficult to provide a quality start to school with the level of care and attention to children's needs if all of the children start at once. Some of the children, when they start school are almost 5 years old, and we have some who only a few weeks ago were still 3. Many children are pleased to see friends from their nursery, however we have a significant number who are the only one coming from their pre school setting, and don't know anyone. Some children walk in confidently, whereas some require adult support one-to-one to settle. This gradual start is best practice, and allows us to ensure that every child has the attention they deserve so that they see school as a positive and exciting place to be.

Being part of a child's first year of school is always a privilege our experienced team are looking forward to meeting you all during our transition events in June and July.

I look forward to meeting you soon and welcoming you to the Kingsmead family.

Mrs Karen Cotton, EYFS Lead

letter to parents.docx.pdf

2025 Induction Form - please fill in

Book a Home Visit

Dates for your diary

Thursday 19th June 11.30 - 12.15pm New starters lunch, a lovely opportunity to come into school with your child and try a school lunch, please use the google form to book your lunch. Lunches cost £3.15 each, parents are also welcome to eat with their child. Please pay in cash at the school office before the day please.

Monday 7th July 5.00 - 6.30pm The EYFS Team welcome parents to a drop in session in our classroom.

You will have the opportunity to look around our classroom and ask questions of the team. There will be a member from our wraparound care team also for you to find out about that service.

Wednesday 2nd July 9.00-11.30am Or Thursday 3rd July 9.00-11.30am Children have the opportunity to spend a morning alone with their new teachers in their classroom. Please choose one session, and bring your child to the EYFS Outdoor Classroom gate which you can find at the end of the staff car park. At pick up time the staff will be around for you to talk to us.

Please note that we must have had the data form from your induction pack returned before this session so that we are aware of any medical needs and have emergency contact details.

Friday 11 July, Monday 14 July, Tuesday 15 July 2.40-3.00pm Come to school for storytime, pre-school children welcome.

Monday 21 July 2.00 -3.00pm At Kingsmead Primary School we constantly strive to develop our links with parents and the wider community. Parents and carers have the biggest single influence on their children’s lives and are their child’s primary educator. . We know from research that schools that work in partnership with parents to support their children’s learning and development, can expect significant and lasting benefits. Schools which work well with parents have:

Improved levels of achievement
More positive pupil attitudes and behaviour
Increased parental participation in the life and work of the school
A greater willingness for parents and school to share information and tackle misunderstandings at an early stage

As parents of a child who is attending school for the first time we wish to invite you to a course for parents entitled ‘Step Up To School’. The course will take the form of an informal discussion, which will look at the social and emotional aspects of your child starting school and how best you can support your child through this period of transition.

Headteachers Letter Sep 25.docx.pdf

Parents Information September 25.pptx.pdf

_Welcome to Reception.pptx.pdf

Introduction Letter (1).docx.pdf

You can find out more about our parent portal here.

Find out if you are eligible to claim for Free School Meals

Parent Portal and Parent App leaflet poster.pdf

How do I book and pay for wraparound care?

Instructions on how to book and pay for wraparound care can be found in the link to the Arbor website below:

https://support.arbor-education.com/hc/en-us/articles/4407797520017-Signing-my-child-up-for-a-Breakfast-or-After-School-Club-on-the-Parent-Portal-or-Parent-App#h_01HEMPG64GJFHSQ64MV8TG620A

Please note: in order to book a wraparound care place, you will need to ensure that you have sufficient funds in your Arbor account for payments by card or childcare voucher.

Dates for the next half term of wraparound care bookings will go live on Wednesday 13th August at 7pm .

If paying by childcare voucher for the first time, please send your child’s unique reference number to admin@kingsmead.cheshire.sch.uk to enable Cheshire West and Chester Council to allocate the funds to the correct child.

Starting school in September

We are pleased to share with you our plans for the phased opening of our EYFS area in September. We have taken time to consider the best needs of both the children and the parents. In the first weeks of school we will be inviting children in small groups that are determined by age. Some children are almost five when they join us and some are only just four, and will still be four when they leave us in July. This allows us to get to know the children and give them the best start to school. We will also be carrying out home visits during those first three weeks which gives you the opportunity to ask us any questions.

Group A - Children born in March, April, May, June, July and August.

Group B - Children born in September, October, November, December, January and February.