Welcome to Spring Meadow Infant and Nursery School

Our Early Years Teaching Staff

Miss Hodson Mrs Peachey Mrs Jones Mrs WodehouseFamily Support

Worker

Aerial view of our Reception playspace and mini-meadow.Have you been on our Virtual Tour on the Spring Meadow website yet?

Mrs Woods

Spring Meadow Early Years…

• A stimulating learning

environment

• Active, play-based creative

curriculum inside and out

• Supporting and extending

children’s unique interests

and learning needs

• Fostering independence and

self-esteem

• Developing social skills and

friendships

• Learning to listen to each other

and be kind and helpful

Learning Through Play

Forest School sessions take place throughout the year in our specially developed natural area on

the school site.

Your child will need:• A waterproof jacket and trousers

• Welly boots• Warm layers including long

trousers• A hat and gloves in colder weather

What will my child need for Nursery?For your child to enjoy active and often messy indoor and outdoor play we recommend

the following:

• A school sweatshirt or red jumper/cardigan over a red t-shirt or polo shirt

• Jogging bottoms for boys and leggings for girls – good for physical play and helpful for developing independence with toileting

• Closed-toe shoes (velcro trainers)

• Welly boots for playing in the puddles

• A hat and gloves in colder weather

• A sun hat during the Summer

• A waterproof coat for playing outside in all weather

• A book bag for a Library book

PLEASE write your child’s name on ALL their belongings

What my child will need for Reception?For your child to enjoy active and often messy indoor and outdoor play we recommend the

following:

• A school sweatshirt or red jumper/cardigan over a red polo shirt

• Grey trousers, skirts or pinafore dresses

• Closed-toe black shoes (Velcro)

• Welly boots for playing in wet weather

• A hat and gloves in colder weather

• A sun hat during the Summer

• A waterproof coat for playing outside in all weathers (this may get messy outside)

• A Bookbag that can fit in a flat drawer and can fit Library books and A4 sheets of paper in easily (Spring Meadow Bookbags are available to buy from school office)

• P.E kit – White or black shorts and red t-shirt in a named bag. No trainers or plimsolls required in the Autumn term.

PLEASE write your child’s name on ALL their belongings

Inductions for Nursery and Reception 2020In a ‘normal’ year, the first week in July would be our Visit Week, with both Nursery and Reception classes buzzing with

excited young visitors! Planning for our 2020 Induction visits has had to be severely moderated to comply with safe, social distancing during the COVID-19 period. We have made a Virtual Tour for you to share with your child to discover

the wonderful playspaces and growing places here. Our Early Years Team have already been in discussion with the various pre-school settings to discover the learning journeys that children have already undertaken before they start

with us. Our website now has a Starting School section, with FAQs and important information about aspects of school. Please email admin@springmeadow.cambs.sch.uk to ask any additional questions you may have at this stage.

Home calls are an important part of the transition process for your child.They will take place week beginning Monday 7th September –hopefully your child’s teacher will be able to have Zoom calls

so that you can see each other!

The home call is an opportunity for you to:

Talk to us about your child – what they like to do, their skills and interests and anything they may need support with.

Discuss any worries you may have about your child starting Nursery or Reception.Ask any questions you may have about any aspect of Nursery or Reception.

The home call also provides an opportunity for staff to ‘meet’ your child in their home environment. Over a Zoom call we can show your child some

photographs of the classroom they will be in and they can show their teacher some of their favourite things from home and talk about them.

Home Calls

Inductions take place in the week beginning 14th September.• 1st Day - you and your child will stay together for a 1 hour visit.

During this time it will be useful to:Take your child to the toilets and sinks

Show them where to put their coat, bag and shoesTake them around the classroom and outside and explain some of

the different areas where they will play

• 2nd Day – you will say goodbye to your child and reassure them that you will be back soon. Your child will stay for 1 hour.

• Following these two sessions, most children are able to stay for the full three hours/full day if they are doing 30-hours.

• If your child has some difficulties settling we will discuss this with you and plan a more gradual induction.

Starting Nursery

Starting Reception

Week beginning Wednesday 7th September : (No Early Years children in school)

Home Calls – times and dates to be arranged with Kate, our Administrator

Week Beginning Monday 14th September 2020 : Induction Week

Monday 14th & Tuesday 15th : all Reception children in between 9am-11.30am

Wednesday 16th : all Reception children in between 9am-12.15pm, including lunchtime

Thursday 17th : all Reception children in between 9am- 1pm, including lunchtime play

Friday 18th : all Reception children in between 9am – 3pm

Week beginning Monday 21th September: Reception children in from 9am – 3.15pm

Tapestry is an easy-to-use and secureonline learning journal, helping staff andfamilies celebrate their children’s learningand development at Spring Meadow

Just two simple steps and you could be logged on!1. Provide us with your email address so we can

send you an invite to join Tapestry.2. Accept the email invitation and the first time

you log-on you will create your own securepassword.

Once logged on you can keep in touchand share your child’s experiences withtheir teachers by uploading:• Photos• Artwork• News and the teachers can upload:• Exciting activities• Stories• Observations and comments

Please email office@springmeadow.cambs.sch.uk to register

We would really love to keep in

touch with you all –please register ready for

September!

Tapestry is our Early Years’ onlinelearning journal which we use duringyour child’s time at Spring Meadow.Teachers share pictures of activitiesyour child has been engaging with inReception and Nursery and theyencourage parents and carers toshare activities, news and eventsfrom home. You will get a unique,secure log-on to keep in touch!

Lunch Time in ReceptionLunchtime for Reception children begins at 11.45am and lasts for 1 hour

Your child can choose to have a Universal Free School Meal or bring a packed lunch from home. There is a sample school menu in your pack

The children will place their name card in the ‘hot dinner’ or ‘packed lunch’ basket every morning, when they enter the classroom, and this will be checked when the teachers do the registers at 9am.

All Reception children eat in the school hall; packed lunches and hot dinners eat together.

The hot dinner menu is on a 3-week rotation and changes termly; parents are provided with the menus in advance and they are always on the school website.

The hot dinner menu provides a choice of 2 main meals and pudding, which includes fruit and yoghurt. There is a Vegetarian menu upon request.

Lunch Time in Reception - continuedPlease make sure you notify us of any dietary needs and allergies on the Admission forms. Dietary needs will need to be discussed in advance with the class teachers, office and kitchen staff and Medical evidence may be required.

Midday supervisors look after the children at lunchtime. In the hall they will help them make choices at the dinner hatch, show them where to collect cutlery, show them how to use a knife and fork, encourage them to eat their meal and show them where to put their tray afterwards.

Our packed lunch policy encourages a cold balanced lunch. We request that children do not bring nuts (including peanut butter and chocolate spread), items covered in chocolate, crisps, or fizzy drinks. On Fridays only, crisps can be included as a treat. Please provide your child with a drink and any cutlery they made need

The children will play outside on the big playground after they have eaten their lunch which is also supervised by midday staff. Initially the Reception children are kept in one area and more closely supervised and are gradually integrated with the older children and the larger space.

Extended Schools Provision

At Spring Meadow we offer:Butterfly Breakfast Club, beginning at 7.45amStay and Play After School Club, until 6pm

Further, detailed information and booking forms are in your Welcome Pack and available to download from our school website.

There are also a variety of before and after-school sports clubs run by school staff and Premier Sports coaches for Reception-age children during the year – see the school website for details

• Encourage your child to be as independent as possible e.g. putting on shoes, pouring a drink, peeling an orange

• Encourage your child to tidy up their toys with you• Support your child with toilet training – please talk to us if you need

any advice• Support your child to talk and listen

• Encourage your child to join in conversations with you so that they hear a wide variety of words and sentences

• Play alongside your child, follow their lead and comment on their play

• Encourage your child to be friendly towards others; model how to take turns and give lots of praise when you notice them being kind or trying

to shareUseful websites:• PACEY is the professional association for childcare and early years and it’s user-friendly website

has a wealth of wonderful tips for parents and carers about starting Nursery: https//www.pacey.org.uk• https//www.foundationyears.org.uk/whattoexpectwhen• BBC Bitesize has a fantastic Starting School section of its website, with lots of child-friendly activities and useful

advice for parents and carers

How can I help my child at home? Nursery 2020

How can I help my child at home? Reception 2020

• Encourage your child to be as independent as possible e.g. washing hands, dressing and undressing, putting on socks and shoes, doing up coat, wiping nose with a tissue, peeling an orange.

• Support your child to be as independent as possible using the toilet and washing hands afterwards –please talk to us if you need any advice.

• Encourage your child to tidy up their toys.• Support your child to talk, listen, ask questions and join in with conversations.• Read a variety of books to them – stories and/or information books.• Play with your child, follow their lead and comment on their play.• Encourage your child to be friendly towards others; model how to take turns and give lots of praise

when you notice them being kind or sharing.• Encourage your child to have good manners, saying hello and goodbye, please and thank you.• Encourage your child to play with small toys and malleable materials which help strengthen finger

muscles ready for early writing - small construction (Lego), tweezers, play-dough, threading beads, drawing, painting etc.

• Talk positively about starting school, watch the virtual tour on our website with them, walk past school frequently, practise staff names, meet up with friends starting at the same school.

• Practise recognising their own name (names will be on drawers, by pegs and in other areas of the classroom and cloakroom)

• Useful websites: PACEY is the professional association for childcare and early years and it’s user-friendly website has a wealth of

wonderful tips for parents and carers about starting school: https//www.pacey.org.uk/schoolready• Parentkind is the national Parent/Teacher Association https://www.parentkind.org.uk for a really useful ‘Be School Ready’ booklet

• BBC Bitesize has a fantastic Starting School section of its website, with lots of child-friendly activities and useful advice for parents

“Play is the work of the child” Maria Montessori

“Play is the highest form of research” Albert Einstein

“Children learn as they play...in play they learn how to learn” F. Donaldson

“Play is the answer to how new things come about” Jean Piaget

Contact details:

Spring Meadow Infant and Nursery SchoolHigh Barns

ElyCambridgeshire

CB7 4RB

Telephone: 01353 664742

Email: admin@springmeadow.cambs.sch.uk

Website: www.springmeadow.cambs.sch.uk