Early Years Foundation Stage

Parent Guide

The Early Years @ Berryfields

Collaborating for Excellence

Welcome to Aylesbury Vale Academy including Berryfields Primary

At Berryfields Primary and Nursery, we aim to provide an inclusive, engaging and challenging experience, within the context of a Christian community, leading to an education of the highest quality. The whole staff team works hard to ensure that the children feel happy, valued and safe. Our nurturing ethos and a strong emphasis on good manners and good behaviour helps to develop the confidence and well-being that is crucial for children to learn and thrive. Good learning takes place when children are

interested and motivated, so the curriculum is

tailored to the needs of the children, to their

interests and to the questions they ask. They are

given a strong element of choice in the activities

they do which are a mix of independent work,

group activity and adult-led learning. On this

basis, we expect the children to achieve a great

deal.

We work hard to build a solid foundation of communication and language skills; physical development; and personal, social and emotional development. These underpin demanding targets for reading, writing and mathematics, which are regularly monitored and reviewed. We believe that, as children and adults, we are constantly learning and developing and that by working together we can grow into something better. It is through spiritual development, as well as cultural, moral and social development, that we learn about what it means to be human: to understand ourselves and to make sense of the world around us and of how we relate to one another. We hope this booklet gives you all the information you need to help your child make a good start in the Early Years.

We do hope that your child will settle quickly and that school is a happy and positive experience in the Early Years and beyond. For further information, please do not hesitate to ask any of our staff or to contact the school office. More information on the Early Years Foundation stage is available from the Foundation Years and Department for Education websites: http://www.foundationyears.org.uk/ http://www.education.gov.uk/ We look forward to getting to know you and your child and to working together for many years to come.

Miss S Luton Headteacher

The Early Years @ Berryfields

Collaborating for Excellence

Learning & Development

Children join the Early Years department in either BerryBeebies (our 2/3 year old provision); morning or afternoon Nursery classes (for 3/4 year olds) or our Reception classes, where full- time school begins. Children who are eligible for 2 year old funding can join BerryBeebies in the September after their second birthday and there may be some places available in January or April for other children who have turned three since 1st September. They join the Nursery classes in the September after their third birthday and attend for either 5 morning or 5 afternoon sessions each week, term time only. Children join one of our 2 reception classes, full-time, in the September after their fourth birthday. Please note parents of children in the nursery are not guaranteed a school place in the main school and must make a separate application through Buckinghamshire County Council for a place in one of our Reception classes. The application process is usually open from the beginning of November and closes in mid January. For more information visit:

http://www.buckscc.gov.uk/education/schools/

The Government and Early Years professionals describe the time in your child’s life between birth and age 5 as the Early Years Foundation Stage. Providers (such as pre-schools, nurseries and schools) are required to follow the Early Years Foundation Stage Framework which outlines how the curriculum and provision should be organised and identifies the standards that children should reach as they progress through to the end of the reception year.

The framework is divided into 7 areas of learning. These areas are then further separated into 3 prime areas and 4 specific areas which cover the skills and knowledge expected for children from birth to 5 years old.

The 3 prime areas: communication and language; physical development; and personal,

social and emotional development The 4 specific areas:

literacy; mathematics; understanding the world; and expressive arts and design

Within each area expectations are laid out for what children should know or be able to do for a number of age-related stages through pre- school/nursery, ending with the early learning goals which children are expected to have attained by the summer term of the Reception year.

The following pages describe:

expectations for children aged 40 to 60 months, which they should be

beginning to achieve by the end of Nursery and throughout the

Autumn and Spring terms in Reception.

The Early Learning Goals, for the end of Reception. A child who

has attained the Early Learning Goals in all of the prime areas and in

literacy and maths is said to have reached a good level of

development.

The Early Years @ Berryfields

Collaborating for Excellence

By the end of Nursery, pupils will have reached the expected level and will be ready for entering Reception if they are beginning to... Summary of Early Years Foundation Stage Framework 40-60 months age-related expectations adapted from ‘What to expect, when?’, 4Children, March 2015

Development Physical Development Communication and Language

Making relationships • Talk with their friends and grown ups and tell them

what they know about the things they talk about. • Say what they know about things they like to play with

or things that I like to do. • Ask grown ups and friends questions to find out more

about the things they like. • Help their friends to be friends again when they fall out

or are cross with each other. Self confidence and self-awareness • Tell their friends and grown-ups what they need, what

they want, what they like to do and if they like or don’t like something.

• Describe what they like to do and what they are good at doing, like drawing or running.

Managing feelings and behaviour • Understand that if they take their friend’s toy or shout

at them they might get upset or cross. When they make their friend upset or cross they might get upset too or they might try to give them a hug.

• Know what they should do to help themselves and their friends share things, keep safe and be happy.

• Begin to be able to tell their friends what they could do to help them if they take their toys or make them upset or cross.

Moving and handling • Enjoy moving in different ways like running, skipping, hopping, jumping or rolling. • Jump off a step and land on the floor on two feet. • Slow down or change the way they are going to stop themself from bumping into

their friends or other things, when playing chasing or racing games. • Move on their feet, back and tummy to get over, under, along or through tunnels,

climbing frames and steps. • Push, pat, throw, catch or kick things like a large ball, a balloon or piece of fabric. • Use scissors to cut paper or cutters to make shapes from dough. • Use different things like scissors, paintbrushes, pens, hammers or bricks to

make the things I want. • Choose to use either their left hand or their right hand more to hold things like

a pen, pencil, paintbrush or scissors. • Begin to be able to make anti clockwise circle marks and lines that go down and

up and up and down, when using a pen, pencil or paintbrush. • Write letters that they are beginning to recognise. These are often a mixture

of capital and lower case letters. • Hold a pen or pencil and use it to write recognisable letters, usually starting

and finishing in the right place. Health and self-care • Eat different types of fruit and vegetables. • Go to the toilet independently. • Talk about different ways of keeping healthy, like washing their hands before

eating food, having a drink of water when they are thirsty, eating fruit or vegeta-bles and running or jumping.

• Demonstrate how to use things like scissors, hammers and saws safely so they don’t

hurt themself or their friends, without help from a grown up. • Tidy toys away so that they don’t fall over them and hurt myself.

Listening and attention • Concentrate and maintain attention quiet-

ly during an activity. • Listen and do for a short period of time. Understanding • Listen really carefully to what is happening,

when singing rhymes or songs or sharing a story with a grown up.

• Listen to what they are being told and follow an instruction.

Speaking • Use lots of words to explain what they

have made or done. • Enjoy using new words to talk about what

they are doing or using. Then try to use these new words as they play.

• Pretend to be different people and to do different things, like being a nurse and mak-ing sick patients better with bandages and care.

• Use words like ‘”first”, “next” and then when telling a story or talking about something they have done.

• Make up stories using things they know, have seen or have heard, when they are dressing up or playing with toy people.

End of Year Expectations for Nursery—40 to 60 months

The Early Years @ Berryfields

Collaborating for Excellence

By the end of Nursery, pupils will have reached the expected level and will be ready for entering Reception if they are beginning to... Summary of Early Years Foundation Stage Framework 40-60 months age-related expectations adapted from ‘What to expect, when?’, 4Children, March 2015

Understanding the World Expressive Arts and Design

Reading • Suggest words that rhyme with a word like “hat”. • Hear and say the first sound in a word, when an

adult says the word. • Say each of the sounds in a short word like “cat”,

segmenting the sounds like “c-a-t” and putting the sounds together to say the word.

• Read short sentences which are made of up words like “the” or “and” and words that I can sound out like “hat” or “dog”.

• Make up my own stories, based on favourite stories, when dressing up or using toy people or animals.

• Share different books like comics, stories, rhymes, poems, facts books and magazines with an adult.

• Look in books or on websites to find out about things I am interested in.

Writing • Explain what the meaning of marks, shapes, letters

and pictures that they make. • Understand that words can be written down and

that letters are used represent sounds. • Hear and repeat the first sound in a word. • Say each of the sounds in a short word like “dog”,

segmenting the sounds like “d-o-g” and putting the sounds together to say the word; and write each of the letters for this kind of word.

• Sound out and name each of the letters in the alphabet.

• Begin to use letters in their writing, sometimes writing the right letter with the sound they make as they say the word.

• Write their name. • for to “shops”. • Write a short caption, like “my big car” to describe

something they have made. • Write short sentences like “I can jump”.

Numbers • Recognise important numbers, like their age, flat

number or the number of the bus that they go on to nursery.

• Recognise the numbers 1 to 5. • Count up to 3 or 4 things, by touching each and saying

the number name. • Count the number of things on a page in a book or on a

birthday card. • Match the right number to a group of things from 1 to 5

to begin with, and then from 1 to 10. • Guess how many things they can see in a bucket and

then count them to see how close their guess was. • or or in. • Put two baskets of things together and tell you how

many things I have altogether. • Find “one more” than a given number. • Find “one more” or “one less” of a given group of up to 5

things, then up to 10 things. • Use words like “more”, “add”, “less” and “take away” • Use marks and pictures to show their counting. • Use counting to help them solve problems that like

splitting my sandwich in half to share with my friend. Shape, space and measure • Begin to use shape names like “circle”, “square”, “cube”

and “cylinder”. • Use words like “under”, “behind”, “on” or “in” to

describe where I am. • Compare 2 things, saying which “heavy” and which is

“light”; or which is “full” and which is “empty” when filling and emptying bottles.

• Make patterns using things like buttons and bricks. • Begin to use words like “money”, “pound” and “pence”

when playing “shop”. • Know the order I put my clothes on • Say what day it is today and talk about what is hap-

pening tomorrow or what happened yesterday.

People and communities • Join in with routines, like

going shopping, and times that are special to them and their family like birthdays.

• Understand that their friends might do things differently, like eating different foods at home, or having different times that are special with their families such as Eid, Diwali, Easter, Passover, or Chinese New Year.

The world • Talk about how things, like

flowers or buildings, look the same or look different.

• Talk about the patterns in things they see around them, like bricks or leaves.

• Talk about how things change, like the seeds growing into sunflowers or a block of ice melting onto water.

Technology • Use a painting program on the

computer or tablet to draw a picture.

• I can use different things like a digital microscope, camera or microphone with a computer.

• Ask questions about how technology works.

• Understand that a ompu o remote control toy may need to be plugged in or have a battery in it to make it work.

Exploring and using media and materials • Identify and choose favourite songs and

dances. • Tap, shake, scrape and hit musical

instruments to find out the different sounds they can make.

• Mix my paint using powder or ready mixed paints.

• Select the things like paper, material or ribbon that they want to use to make a picture or model.

• Use a variety of different things like paint, paper, wool and material to make a picture.

• Cut, stick and fold the things they choose to use in a picture.

• Use building toys, like bricks, and boxes to make things.

• Use different things like scissors, masking tape, sticky tape, hole punches and string to join and fix things together.

• if work. Being imaginative • Dress up or use toy people or cars to

pretend to be other people, places or things that have happened, like a party or a wedding.

• Use their arms, legs and body to move in different ways and pretend to be some-thing else, like a monster or a bear.

• Choose the colour of paint, paper or ma-terial that they want to use to make something in their picture, like a piece of green paper for the grass.

• Tell a story about what is happening as they are playing or when dressing up or using toy people, on my own or with others.

The Early Years @ Berryfields

Collaborating for Excellence

End of Year Expectations for Reception - the Early Learning Goals

By the end of Reception, pupils will be working at the expected level and will be ready for entering Year 1 if they can... Summary of the Early Learning Goals adapted from ‘What to expect, when?,’ 4Children, March 2015

Personal, Social and Emotional Development Communication and Language Physical Development

Making relationships Play co-operatively, taking turns with others. Take account of one another’s ideas about how to organise their activity. Show sensitivity to others’ needs and feelings, and form positive relationships with adults

and other children. Self confidence and self awareness Confidently try new activities. Say why they like some activities more than others. Speak confidently about their ideas within a familiar group. Independently choose the resources they need for their chosen activities. Say when they do or don’t need help. Managing feelings and behaviour Talk about how they and others show feelings. Talk about their own and others’ behaviour, and its consequences, and know that some

behaviour is unacceptable. Work as part of a group or class, and understand and follow the rules. Adjust their behaviour to different situations, and take changes of routine in their stride.

Listening and attention Listen attentively in a range of situations. Listen to stories, accurately anticipating key events and

respond to what they hear with relevant comments, questions or actions.

Give their attention to what others say and respond appropriately, while engaged in another activity.

Understanding Follow instructions involving several ideas or actions. Answer ‘how’ and ‘why’ questions about their experiences

and in response to stories or events. Speaking listeners. Use past, present and future forms accurately when

talking about events that have happened or are to happen in the future.

Develop their own narratives and explanations by connecting ideas or events.

Moving and handling Show good control and co-

ordination in large and small movements.

Move confidently in a range of ways, safely negotiating space.

Handle equipment and tools effectively, including pencils for writing.

Health and self-care Demonstrate knowledge of th

importance for good health of physical exercise, and a healthy diet, and talk about ways to keep healthy and safe.

Manage their own basic h i n and personal needs successfully, including dressing and going to the toilet independently.

ter cy Mathematics Understanding the World Expressive Arts and Design

Reading Read and understand simple sentences. Use phonic knowledge to decode regular

words and read them aloud u ly. Read some common irregular words. talking

Writing Use their phonic knowledge to write

words in ways which match their spoken sounds.

Write some irregular common words. Write simple sentences which can be

read by themselves and others. Spell some words correctly, while others

are phonetically plausible.

Numbers Count reliably with numbers from one to 20. Order these numbers and say which number

is one more or one less than a given number. Use quantities and objects to add and sub-

tract two single-digit numbers and count on or back to find the answer.

Shape, space and measure Use everyday language to talk about size,

weight, capacity, position, distance, time and money to compare quantities and objects and to solve problems.

Recognise, create and describe patterns.

People and communities

Understand that other children don’t always enjoy the same things, and show sensitivity to this.

Describe similarities and differences between themselves and others, and among families, communities and traditions.

The world Describe similarities and differences in relation to places,

objects, materials and living things. Talk about the features of their own immediate environment

and how environments might vary from one another. Make observations of animals and plants and explain why

some things occur, and talk about changes. Technology Recognise a range of technology used in homes and schools. Select and use technology for particular purposes.

Exploring and using media and materials and

them. Safely use and explore a variety of

materials, tools and techniques, experimenting with colour, design, texture, form and function.

Being imaginative media

and materials in original ways, purpose.

Represent their own ideas, thoughts and feelings through design and technology, art, music, dance, role play and stories.

The Early Years @ Berryfields

Collaborating for Excellence

The Early Years curriculum is designed to be delivered through carefully planned and monitored engaging, active and creative play based activities. We believe that:

Play is an intrinsic part of children's learning and development

Play can challenge children and offer them the opportunity to work in depth

Through play, children will be offered

opportunities to explore feelings and relationships, ideas and materials, make

connections, represent their ideas, create environments, be imaginative and innovative

Play can enable children to apply existing knowledge and to practise their skills

Play empowers children to make choices and to be active learners

Planning each term is centred around a chosen theme. Weekly and daily planning covers both indoor and outdoor play and takes account of children's needs and stages of development. Activities can be described as one of the following:

1. Adult focused activities – the teacher, key

worker or teaching assistant works directly with a group of children. These may be in regular group times or at other times during the day/session. Eg: phonics practise, writing a story or playing counting games

2. Adult initiated activities – the teacher will

set out specific activities for the children to take part in. Eg: using senses to explore natural materials or writing a shopping list for the role play shop

3. Child initiated activities – children choose from the variety of equipment available to them. Adults support and extend the children’s learning through carefully focused interaction

Providing for your Child’s Individual Needs

We want every child to make outstanding progress, whatever his or her starting point, and the style of learning in the early years means that a great deal of what we do is tailored to the individual child’s needs and interests. However some pupils arrive at school with previously identified special educational needs or disabilities. These children, together with any that we subsequently identify, are planned for more individually still and are supported according to their level and type of need. Parents are fully involved in the process of identification, a

basis. Communicating with Parents

Children are continually assessed throughout the Early Years Foundation Stage. Their achievement and targets are recorded against age-related expectations and the Early Learning Goals (summarised previously) and are reported to parents at consultations in the Autumn and Spring terms and in writing at the end of the year. Your child’s class teacher or nursery group leader will be happy to speak to you about their well-being or development informally on a day- to-day basis or during a number of drop-in events throughout the year.

The Early Years @ Berryfields

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Talk about the numbers,

colours, words and letters you

see when you are out and

about

Allow your

child to cut out

and stick

pictures

Sing and

tell nursery

rhymes

Cook or bake

together

Plant seeds or bulbs in a pot

or garden patch

Use the weather – shadows, rain

puddles, snow, wind, mist and

sun – to extend your child’s

vocabulary

Explore the park at a

different time of the

year – go off the

beaten track

Share a book

Talk to your child at

every opportunity—

e.g. what you are

doing that day

On a trip to the

supermarket, talk

about all the

different

packaging

Helping Your Child’s Learning at Home

Children will often be tired after a session at school and should not be made to spend long periods of time practising things they have been doing at school. Take the lead from him/her, be positive and try to make ordinary tasks fun. Praise your child for doing things independently: such

as getting dressed, going to the toilet and washing hands, and eating nicely

Talk with your child as much as possible. This will develop their language skills and help their reading and writing.

Read to and with your child. With pre and early readers, look at the pictures and get them to tell the story to you. As their knowledge of phonics develops, take it in turns to read to each other.

Talk about sounds: for nursery children, listen to and make different sounds (such as the roar of an engine or the hiss of a snake); as they being to learn phonics, play games like I spy to practise the different sounds letters make.

Allow them to write anything: writing starts with basic mark making (pretending to write) and develops into writing labels, cards, letters and stories of their own. Help him/her to write his/her name (capital first then lower case).

Count things in everyday life and use phrases like how many, one more or one less.

*Helpful ideas and advice are available at: http://www.oxfordowl.co.uk/Question/Index/12

The Early Years @ Berryfields

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Practical Information

Arrival at School

For Reception the school day begins at 8:50am and finishes at 3pm and children should be dropped-off at and collected from their classrooms at the rear of the school. If you are dropping-off or picking up your children outside of these times, please report to the school office via the main entrance.

For BerryBeebies and Nursery the morning session begins at 8:40am and ends at 11:40am. Afternoon sessions begin at 12:20pm and end at 3:20pm.

Our aim is for your child to settle into the Early Years Foundation Stage as happily as possible. When the bell rings and the doors are opened by a member of staff, children and parents can come into the classroom. Children should hang up their coat, before registering themselves by collecting their name card and putting it up on the board. Children should then choose an activity to do and parents are welcome to join in with them and share in their learning in the nursery. Pupils are expected to become independent learners whilst in the Early Years. Parents are encouraged to come into the classroom with their child, but should, after the first few weeks of the school year, encourage their child to hang-up their own coat, register and select an activity independently.

This is also a good time to have brief conversations with staff to pass on important information about your child. Parents who wish to talk privately or who may need a longer conversation with a member of staff should make an appointment to meet after school.

During the Reception year, as the children begin to be prepared for the transition to Year 1, they will start the day by lining up at the gates to the outside area and will be expected to say goodbye to their parents on the playground.

Collecting Your Child

Parents are invited to come into the Nursery classrooms to collect their children from his/her key worker. Parents of children in the Reception classes should wait on the playground by the gates to the outside area. They will then be invited to collect their child from the rear door of the classroom and staff will call the children to the door as parents arrive.

In order to keep your child safe, staff may only release children to authorised adults. Please let us know if someone different from usual will be collecting your child, either when you drop him or her off at the beginning of the session or by telephoning the school. In the event that you are delayed and cannot get to school in time, please telephone the school if it is safe to do so. Where a parent does not arrive and has not contacted the school, after a reasonable time, we will attempt to contact parents using the details from your emergency contact details.

The Early Years @ Berryfields

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Breakfast and After-school Club

Parents of children in Reception upwards who work or have other commitments can opt to send their children to our wrap around care facility, BerryCare. The clubs are run by qualified childcare practitioners that possess up to date DBS, Paediatric first aid and safeguarding certificates.

The After School club will provide the children with a vast range of activities to enjoy and extend their learning experiences, including arts & crafts, sports, games, homework club, Lego and role play to name a few. These well planned activities will bring out their creative & innovative side whilst providing a safe and friendly environment, ensuring that the welfare and needs of each child are met.

For information on cost and how to book, please visit the school website.

Snacks

A healthy fruit snack is served every day in the Early Years, together with a drink of milk or water. As well as helping your child to maintain his or her energy levels through the session, this provides an opportunity to learn about healthy eating habits.

School Meals

School meals are available to pupils from Reception upwards. These are prepared on site in the Academy kitchen before being transported to the Berryfields servery. Meals are free for children in Reception and Years 1 and 2 and are available for a daily charge from Year 3 upwards. An up to date menu can be found on the school website and school noticeboard.

Parents in receipt of various benefits may be entitled to free school meals. Requests for free school meals are dealt with sensitively and discretely. We would encourage all parents who think they may be eligible, to contact the school office (even if their child will not be taking school meals), as the school may benefit from much needed additional funding that is triggered by the number of children eligible for free school meals.

For parents who prefer their child to bring a packed lunch to school, parents are asked to ensure that food is brought in a sturdy container and that drinks are in secure, unbreakable flasks. Containers should be clearly named! All packed lunches should contain a sandwich or suitable alternative and fruit and should not

include sweets or fizzy drinks. For further advice on packed lunches please consult your child’s class teacher or learning support assistant.

Road Safety

We encourage children to walk to school. Children may also cycle or scoot to school. Children are expected to wear a cycle helmet and bicycles and scooters should be locked into the cycle store at the front of the school. If you do need to bring your child to school by car, please park with consideration to other parents and to the school’s neighbours. There are a small number of spaces available in the school car park. Parents should park in marked bays only, and only those with a blue disabled badge should use the disabled bays. If parking on the road, please ensure your car is well clear of the entrance to the car park and not parked on the double yellow lines.

The Early Years @ Berryfields

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Pupil Information and Consent Forms

Parents are asked to complete an enrolment form (which includes consent forms, medical information and emergency contact details). Parents should include home, mobile and work telephone numbers as well as that of friends or relatives who may act on their behalf in an emergency. If in future you change your address or telephone number, please ensure that the school has your new emergency contact details. If there is a change in your child’s medical details please ensure that the office staff know this.

Clothing

School uniform helps to build our sense of oneness – our identity as a school family. Taking pride in the presentation of ourselves and of our work is all part of having high expectations and being the best we can be. Look smart: think smart! School uniform is compulsory for all pupils as follows:

Black tailored trousers*, skirt or pinafore (available from high street shops and supermarkets)

White polo-shirt (available to order through our on-line supplier with the Berryfields logo or available, unbranded, from high street shops and supermarkets)

Kingfisher (blue-green) sweater or cardigan, branded with the Berryfields logo and ordered through our supplier

Black school shoes (no sandals please) with grey, black or white socks

Navy blue gingham Summer dress (not light blue)

Navy blue Winter coat (available to order through our supplier with the Berryfields logo or available, unbranded in navy blue from high street shops and supermarkets)

Navy blue book bags, P.E. bags and Summer hats (available to order through our supplier with the Berryfields logo)

P.E. kit consisting of house olour t-shirt, navy blue shorts or tracksuit bottoms and a navy blue sweatshirt or fleece (all available to order through our supplier with the Berryfields logo)

*BerryBeebies children may wear black jogging bottoms

or leggings for practicality.

All clothes should be clearly named and should be relatively easy for the children to independently take off and put on. In the Early Years, children spend a lot of time outside so children will always need warm clothing. Parents may also like to leave a named spare set of clothes, including socks and pants in school. Please ensure that any clothing that your child may have borrowed is returned to school as soon as possible.

The Early Years @ Berryfields

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We understand that some children may not yet be fully toilet trained when joining the BerryBeebies or Nursery. If you have any concerns about this, school staff will be happy to support you and your child during this important stage in their development.

Attendance, Illness and Accident

In the event that your child is unable to attend school because of illness, please contact the school as soon as possible on the day of absence by telephone, email or in person. However, in the event that your child is ill or has an accident at school, and we feel that he/she needs to be sent home or to receive medical treatment, we will contact you or your other emergency contacts, by telephone.

In order to maximise their learning and development, it is important that children attend school every day and return promptly from absence relating to illness. To the spread of infection, the Department of Health recommends that children suffering from gastroenteritis (diarrhoea and vomiting bug) should be kept away from school for 48 hours. We are always happy to discuss arrangements for a child’s return to school with parents on a case-by-case basis. There are 13 weeks of school holiday each year and parents are expected to take family holidays in this time. However, Headteachers can authorise leave during term-time when families experience unavoidable or unexpected reasons to travel and where alternative arrangements cannot reasonably be made for their children. Such leave will only be approved in truly exceptional circumstances and where prior attendance has been good. For more information, please see the Aylesbury Vale Academy Attendance Policy.

Book Bags

During the school year we will be sending home school reading scheme books for children in Reception. Similarly, children in the nursery have an opportunity to take home a book of their choice to read at home with you.

Children are expected to bring a book bag to school every day. This enables us to change your child’s reading book regularly and will be used for sending home letters and other work. Book bags may be purchased from the school’s uniform supplier. Please ensure school books are clearly labelled with your child’s name.

Helping in School

We are grateful for any voluntary help in school from parents or grandparents. This may be in the form of regular help with, for example, listening to reading or craft activities or in the form of occasional help with visits or special events. Regular helpers or those having close contact with children are expected to undertake a confidential DBS (formerly CRB) check which can be arranged through the school office. For more information, please speak to a member of staff.

The Early Years @ Berryfields

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And finally… We want to make starting school a positive and happy event. Our aim is to work in partnership with you, to help your children achieve the very best they can. We would encourage you to speak regularly with your child’s teacher or key worker so that any questions or queries can be answered swiftly and any concerns can be raised and responded to. However, if you have any questions, queries or concerns, that need more time to be dealt with or are confidential in nature, please contact the school office to make an appointment to see your child’s class teacher and he or she will seek the support of the Early Years Leader or Headteacher should this be more appropriate. Further details of our policies and procedures are available from our website.

Contact Details

Berryfields C of E Primary School John Fitzjohn Avenue

Aylesbury Buckinghamshire

HP18 0FG

Telephone: 01296 674263 Email: berryfieldsprimary@theacademy.me

www.theacademy.me

A Church of England Academy

The Aylesbury Vale Academy Company Limited by Guarantee

Registered in England and Wales No 06745367 Registered Office: Church House Oxford, Langford Locks,

Kidlington, Oxfordshire OX5 1GF

November 2018