Early Years
Welcome to Early Years @ St Bart's
As Headteacher, may I offer you a very warm welcome to
St Bartholomew’s Church of England Primary School.
Whether your child is starting Nursery or Reception, this can be a very exciting time as well a potentially anxious one. St Bart’s has a long history as a successful school, and we will be with your family’s journey over the whole of your child’s primary years.
Our school has a very clear vision and Christian ethos which guides our decisions and behaviour. Working in partnership with families and the local and wider community, we aim to offer a very special start in every child’s schooling that will be a firm foundation for the rest of their lives.
Our aim is to provide outstanding education, underpinned by distinctively Christian values, developing our pupils academically, morally and spiritually, within and as part of the wider community.
Our core values are:
- TRUTH: "Be honest, always telling the truth and being open about our mistakes and achievements."
- FORGIVENESS: "Be ready to forgive each other quickly."
- COMPASSION: "Be kind and caring to others, being friendly and not letting people feel judged, lonely or left out."
- THANKFULNESS: "Take pride in all we do, being thankful to God for all we have."
- HUMILITY: "Be polite and respectful, having good manners and understanding the views and feelings of others."
- DETERMINATION: "Always keep going, even when things are difficult."
- EXCELLENCE: "Work hard and enthusiastically, praising what is good."
- SERVICE: "Help out when we can, working as a team by sharing and trusting each other."
Over the next few weeks and months, do keep up to date with all the latest information by visiting our web site and social media streams. www.stbartscofeschool.org.uk
You may also contact the school whenever you like either through the site, by email, letter or telephone. Do sign up to our weekly email through our website link.
We really look forward to welcoming the children to the St Bart’s family in September and we hope their time spent in Early Years will be happy and rewarding. Get in touch if you would like any further information.
Richard Restall
Headteacher
A Church School - Our Christian Ethos
St Bart’s is a Voluntary Aided, Church of England Primary School for boys and girls aged from 3 to 11 years old. We are a popular school and highly regarded within the locality. Although we serve the parish of St Bartholomew, within the Diocese of Newcastle, we welcome children from all over the local area, irrespective of their faith background.
Our school has very close links with St Bartholomew’s Church and our partnership with the clergy and parishioners ensures our school has a distinctive Christian ethos. Information about St Bartholomew’s Church can be found on their web site (www.stbartholomews.org.uk) and information about the Diocese of Newcastle can be found at www.newcastle.anglican.org - both linked from our own site.
Religious Education and Collective Worship
The role of Religious Education and Worship in a Church School is to help children understand what it means to be committed to the Christian faith and is “concerned with the development of the whole person, spiritually, morally, socially, culturally, emotionally and intellectually with proper respect for individual freedom.”
The main aim for our school is that Christianity is seen to be relevant in the lives of our children, their families and the wider community. Our children will learn about the Christian faith through the RE curriculum and by being closely involved with a community which affirms a Christian world view. The children are also taught about other faiths including Judaism, Islam and Hinduism, although the main emphasis is on the Christian faith
An Act of Worship takes place every day either as a class, Key Stage or whole school. This is part of our school life which is shared by children, teachers and visitors. Each classroom has a ‘special place’ to provide a focal point for worship, reflection or display of personal artefacts. We also have an Outdoor Prayer Gym, with a space for quiet reflection and prayer. Our school prayer group meet half-termly and on particular festivals in the church's calendar the vicar may lead a service in school or the children may visit St Bartholomew’s Church. Other special occasions are celebrated in school such as Harvest Festival. We also invite other visitors to lead school worship.
Right of Withdrawal
Parents and carers have the right to withdraw their children from RE lessons, school Collective Worship and visits to St Bartholomew’s Church or other religious buildings. However, we would expect that as parents have chosen to send their child to a Church of England school they will be keen for their child to take part in this important aspect of our school life. Please contact the Headteacher if this is something you are considering.
Moving from Nursery to Reception
Please be aware that a Nursery place does not guarantee a place in Reception the following year. Therefore, if you wish your child to continue with us, please check our admissions criteria very carefully.
Our Early Years provision at St Bart’s brings together our successful Nursery and Reception teams to provide a firm and secure foundation for children starting school.
Starting Nursery or Reception is an exciting, important time and many parents have questions over all sorts of issues. Please be reassured that we are always available to discuss whatever question you may have, no matter how small they may appear. We aim to work closely with all of our parents to ensure a happy and fulfilling time for the children. Our Early Years has a happy, well-planned learning environment, which caters for the whole child, not only the academic but also each child’s social, emotional and spiritual development and welfare.
Our objectives are:
- to provide a happy, safe and stimulating environment where each child can flourish and make the best possible progress.
- to support each child’s development and learning across all areas of the curriculum through carefully planned and personalised activities and experiences.
- to develop good communication skills including listening, speaking, reading and writing whilst encouraging a love of literature.
- to explore, acquire, practise and understand the skills related to numbers, shapes, space and measures.
- to encourage co-operation and develop an awareness of and respect for others by teaching and modelling our Christian values
Early Years Times and Staff
We provide a 26 place, morning-only Nursery and a 30 place, full-time Reception class.
Early Years have a dedicated door at our main school entrance and this opens at 8:45am for Nursery children. Reception children join them at 8:55am. After 3 hours of fun-packed learning, Nursery children are picked up from their door at 11:45am. Reception children stay on for lunch at 11:50am and the afternoon session runs until 3:25pm when they are picked up again from our Early Years entrance.
We have an Early Years team of four staff, two teachers and two teaching assistants, who are often supported by other adults. We occasionally have student trainees and work experience pupils from neighbouring High Schools and colleges, who work under the close supervision and guidance of our staff team.
Safety
Our Early Years, as with our whole school, should be a safe and secure environment for everyone. All of our adults are DBS checked and it is very important that you let us know your arrangements for picking your child up at home time. We are sure you will understand if we need to make further checks when we are unsure about arrangements.
Our Curriculum
At St Bart’s, we believe that play is a vital ingredient to effective learning at any age but especially for our youngest children. Activities in our Early Years are carefully planned to provide first-hand practical experiences that will help our children learn and develop. We encourage them to become independent and well-motivated learners and thinkers, full of curiosity about the world around them. The children will be primarily following the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) curriculum which ensures continuity and progression through the following seven areas of learning and development:
- Communication and Language
- Physical Development
- Personal, Social and Emotional Development
- Literacy
- Maths
- Understanding of the World
- Expressive Arts and Design
The first three areas of learning and development are the prime areas and the latter four are called specific areas. The prime areas cover the knowledge and skills which are the foundations for children’s school readiness and future progress, and which are applied and reinforced by the specific areas.
Parental Involvement
We recognise the valuable role that parents and carers play in their child’s early education. We aim to develop a genuine partnership between home and school, which is based upon mutual trust and respect.
Our older children will have one of our Home-School Diaries. As well as being a Reading diary, this is also for non-urgent communication between home and school so that we can share valuable news and comment. Please make sure that it is returned to school each week.
Our school Parent School Association work very hard to raise funds through a wide range of fun events. Please consider becoming involved with their work and help support our school further.
Absences
Please do not send your child to school if they are not well. If they have been sick or had diarrhoea during the night please give them 48 hours to recover as infections can spread very quickly in a group of young children. Please send a note, email or telephone the school to tell us of any absences.
We will also get in touch with you if we are concerned about your child during school time. Therefore, it is very important that we have up-to-date contact names and telephone numbers.
It is also important that we know of any allergies or medical conditions which affect your child. Please inform our office as soon as there are any changes to individual circumstances.
Clothing and Uniform
We expect all of our children to wear smart uniform each day and, particularly in Early Years, they will need a waterproof coat as we spend a lot of our time learning outside! Wellies are also important.
Nursery
All children must wear a green sweatshirt and polo shirt with embroidered school logo as well as “easy on” dark trousers or skirt. School cardigans are also available and girls may wear a green/white checked dress during the Summer months. As the children are very active, both inside and out, sensible dark shoes are important. Sandshoes are also needed for PE.
Reception
- Grey skirt, pinafore dress or trousers
- Navy blue sweatshirt, cardigan or jumper with embroidered school logo
- White polo shirt
- Blue/white Summer dress
- Black shoes appropriate for active school wear. Trainers, raised heels or strappy open sandals are not allowed
- PE kit: Plain red polo or t-shirt, with school logo, plain navy blue shorts, Non-marking sandshoes with Velcro fastening, if available.
Order online at www.stbartscofeschool.org.uk/our-uniform
Please clearly name all clothing, including shoes.
Extreme haircuts, including patterns shaved into the style, are not permitted.
Earrings and other jewellery must not be worn for Health and Safety reasons.
Milk, Fruit and Sweets
Staying healthy is important. Daily milk is available for all children and is free for those under the age of 5. This is proved by www.coolmilk.com on behalf of school. Fruit is also provided each day for all Early Years children, free of charge and water is always available. Sweets, crisps and fizzy drinks should not be brought into school.
School Lunches
With the introduction of Universal Free School Meals, all of our Reception children are entitled to a free hot meal at lunchtime. You may have received information about this directly from North Tyneside Council but if you have not or have any questions, please contact our school office or visit:
http://my.northtyneside.gov.uk/category/131/school-meals
We really hope and pray that our children flourish at St Bart’s. Please let us know as soon as you have a concern or question so that we can deal with it as promptly as possible.
Funded Early Education Offers (including the 30 Hours)
Our school provides a 26 place Nursery within our Early Years setting. We welcome applications from all families where a child is or will be 3 years old - the year before they would enter Reception class.
We provide the core 15 hours within school during our morning session and, for those eligible to the 30 hour provision, offer a further 15 hours in collaboration with other local providers.