Starting Reception

Welcome

We extend the warmest welcome to St. Jérôme Church of England Bilingual School. We are very pleased that you have chosen to be part of our church school community and that your child will begin their education with us in the Michaelmas Term (Autumn). St. Jérôme is proud to form part of the family of church schools working in close partnership with the London Diocesan Board for Schools.

Starting School

Ensuring a smooth transition into school is an extremely high priority for us at St Jérôme School. We want all children to feel comfortable and confident on their first day and we want to do everything possible to be ready to make their first day at school a happy and productive one.

When your child starts with us, there will be:

  • Individual conversations with our staff team for each family (by phone, online or in person) to help us plan and to begin to get to know you and your children
  • The opportunity for you to visit the EYFS setting and familiarise your child with the school in September
  • A phased entry into school over several days so that children can be welcomed individually on their first day
  • A meeting for parents

When children join St Jérôme School they usually begin by attending for mornings for a few days and this is then extended to staying for lunch and then for the full school day.

We encourage you to share the school website with your child, to visit the school building over the summer and to read books about starting school. You can find some books here: Oxford Owl - Top 8 Books About Starting School. It is important to practise the skills of independence that will be expected at school including using the toilet, washing hands, putting on coats and other clothing items and eating with a knife and fork. If your child has any specific needs or you have any concerns about them starting school please make sure you raise these when we speak with you.

We are always extremely impressed with how quickly children settle to life in our school and we will be working hard to make sure your child is happy and enjoying their learning.

For more information on being ‘school ready’ click here: Pacey - Being School-ready.

Our Morning Prayer

Heavenly Father,
Thank you for giving this new day to me,
help me to make it one that pleases You,
by doing my best in everything.
Amen

Our Lunchtime Prayer

Our End of Day Prayer

We close our eyes and softly say,
Thank you God for school today.
Amen.

Starting school? Here’s a great set of games from the BBC to help your child:

BBC Bitesize | My First Day at School

This framework sets the standards that all early years providers must meet to ensure that children learn and develop well:

3 Prime Areas

  • Personal, Social and Emotional Development
  • Physical Development
  • Communication and Language

4 Specific Areas

  • Mathematics
  • Literacy
  • Understanding the World
  • Expressive Arts and Design

There are many Reception children songs that you can find here: Pinterest - Reception Songs.This board is constantly updated with the new songs we are learning.

Please create a free Pinterest account and follow our constantly updated St Jérôme Pinterest Page, which has a wealth of resources to view with your children. Note that some of the links take you directly onto YouTube, which should not be used without adult supervision at all times. If you access videos through our Pinterest, the Youtube adverts won’t appear and your child will benefit from the link between school and home learning and from the repetition.

Don’t forget to like us on Facebook!