Ladybirds 26/27

Reception New Starters September 2026

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.

We don't receive our final list of starters until June, when we will contact you with all of the information you need and a link to book into our transition sessions.

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

Starting school in September

We invite you and your children to our transition events in the summer term.:

Thursday 25 June - come for a school lunch with your child and then stay for a play in the EYFS classroom 11.30 -1.00

Wednesday 1 July or Thursday 2 July - choose a session for your child to come into school with their new classmates 9-11.30

Monday 20 July - Step up to school course for parents 2-3 pm

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.

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.