Information for New Joiners September 2024
Dear Parents and Carers,
Firstly, we would like to say a very warm welcome to Park Lane Primary School! We are very excited that you and your families will be joining our wonderful school community later this year.
We have been busy planning the best possible transition to welcome your child into our school. This letter is loaded with all of the upcoming information that you will need, so please make a note of all of the events, dates and times.
If you need to contact us at any point during this transition period, please contact Miss Goodey/ Mrs Haley on admininfant@parklane.reading.sch.uk
Mrs Roberts (KS1 Leader) will be working with your children’s current nursery/pre-school settings to gather information that will support a smooth and successful transition.
Visits to School Before Summer
Visit 1 – Thursday 4th July 9.30 – 10.45
You are invited to come into the classrooms and outside area and spend time with your child, exploring the environment and meeting our team who will be there to answer any questions that you may have.
Today you will be given your information pack which includes, an EYFS parent handbook, information letter, permission/admission forms and our school Relationships and Health Education Policy. We would be very grateful if the Permission/Admission booklet forms could be completed and returned to school by 11th July (on your second visit).
Alongside this, we also require an original copy of your child’s birth certificate, this is a RBC requirement to ensure the birth certificate matches the admissions information. Please bring this along on either the 4th or the 11th July, we will simply note the full name and D.O.B to cross check and give it back to you.
Visit 2 – Thursday 11th July 9.30 – 10.45- Bring back completed packs and birth certificates
On this date, we will let you know who your child’s teacher will be when they start school in September. Today is an opportunity for you to leave your child in the Foundation Stage area so that they are able to engage with their new class teacher and become a bit more confident and make friends.
Whilst your child is in the Foundation Stage area you are invited to come along to the hall where Mrs Browne (Executive Head teacher) and Ms Brown (Infant Head of School) will share some information about the upcoming year. (This will be recorded and posted on Google Classroom for those who are unable to attend the visit). There will also be the opportunity to purchase any uniform you may need from FRIENDS (our PTA).
Where possible, we request that any younger siblings do not attend these visits and politely ask that no more than 2 adults attend with each child.
Google Classroom:
This is an online platform that we use to help communicate with you what your child is learning in school. We will share letters and videos with you as soon as you are logged in and throughout the year. Over summer, we will post videos that you can share with your children over the summer holidays to help them get ready for September.
You will receive your login details for this platform via Email on Tuesday 7Th May.
As this will be our main platform where we share information with you, it is important that you set up your account and check it regularly. If you have any issues with this, please visit https://parklaneprimary.school/Park-Lane-Online-Pupil-Accounts-New-Joiners/
September meetings:
Teacher Meeting- Wednesday 4th September - 20 minutes
During your second visit on 11th July, you will be asked to sign up for your parent, child and teacher meeting. This will give you an opportunity to talk to us about your child’s development, share any worries and concerns you have and most importantly tell us how they feel about starting school. After your meeting, you are welcome to stay and explore our outside area with your child.
Stay and play session- Thursday 5th September- 1 and a half hours – During your second visit on 11th July, you will also be asked to sign up for a 1.5 hour stay and play session. This is to give your child the opportunity to familiarise themselves with the environment and basic routines before starting on Friday 6th September.
When the children start school on the 6th September, they will be eased in with a short, staggered start. We have been successfully running staggered starts at Park Lane for many years and find that they are the best way to ease a positive transition into a new environment.
Details of the staggered start can be found below on the Staggered Timetable. This will run until Wednesday 11th September. Children will start full time from Wednesday 11th September.
We hope that all of the above information will ensure a smooth transition to Park Lane for you and your family.
Once again, welcome to Park Lane. We look forward to keeping in close contact with you and your families in the coming months. Please do not hesitate to contact us if you have any further questions or enquiries.
Mrs Browne and the Park Lane team
Week One – Commencing 2nd September 2024 |
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Monday 2nd Sep |
Summer Holidays |
Tuesday 3rd Sep |
INSET. School closed to all pupils.
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Wednesday 4th Sep |
Individual parent and child visits to school This is an opportunity to talk to your child’s teacher regarding their transition to school. Here you will be able ask any questions and discuss any concerns that you may have. You will be able to sign up to a 15 minute slot during your 2nd school visit on 11th July.
After your meeting, please feel free to spend some additional time exploring our outside area and end classroom with your child. For this meeting, please enter and leave the school via the gate on School Road. |
Thursday 5th Sep |
1.5 Hour settling in slot. These slots allow you to come around into the classroom with your child. You can help them to find their peg and drawer. After you have helped your child put all of their things away, you can stay for a short while and experience a small snippet of our school day. This will help you familiarise your child with these routines before they start independently in the week. For this visit, please enter and leave via the School Road gate. There will be a sign up sheet for these sessions during your visit on 11th July.
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Friday 6th Sep |
MORNINGS ONLY The School gate on Corwen Road will be open between 8.35 and 8.50 each morning. Please enter within this time frame, via this gate and walk your child around to the Foundation Stage unit where you will leave your child at the blue gate. Please then walk back through the playground and leave via Corwen Road. At 12.00, you will be able to enter via the gate on School Road and walk around into the fenced Foundation Stage unit to collect your child when released at their classroom door by their class teacher. |
Week Two – Commencing 9th September 2024 |
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Monday 9th Sep |
MORNING AND LUNCH Enter the school in the morning (between 8.35 and 8.50) via the Corwen Road gate and walk your child around to the Foundation Stage unit where you will leave your child at the blue gate. Please then walk back through the playground and leave via Corwen Road. At 1.30 please enter school via the School Road gate and walk around to collect your child from the Foundation Stage unit.
Please provide your child with a packed lunch or select a school lunch via parent pay. School lunches are free to all children at the infants. |
Tuesday 10th Sep |
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Wednesday 11th Sep |
FULL TIME From this date all children will attend school full time. The Corwen road gate is open between 8.35 and 8.50 each morning. From here you will walk around to the Foundation Stage unit, where you will leave your child at the blue gates. In the afternoon, the gate on Corwen Road will be unlocked at 3.10. Please enter via the Corwen Road gate and proceed to walk around to the fenced Foundation Stage area and wait for your child’s teacher to bring them out at 3.15. You can leave the school by walking back through the playground and exiting via the Corwen Road gate. * Scooters or bikes can be walked into the main playground and left in the bike park.
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Thursday 12th Sep |
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Friday 13th Sep |