Prospective Reception Parents
Is your child
STARTING SCHOOL IN SEPTEMBER 2024?
Welcome to our page for new and prospective parents. Firstly, I would like to thank you for considering us for your child's education.
Milton Hall Primary School and Nursery is a positive and caring school with a dedicated EYFS team that strives for the very best in everything we do. In Reception we aim to create an inclusive learning environment where all children achieve their full potential.
We are proud of our school community and everything it has to offer and we hope that you will find this information useful in making the right decision for your child's future.
To apply online for your child's primary school place, please visit Southend Admissions.
www.southend.gov.uk/admissions
You must ensure that you have completed your application by 15th January 2024.
We look forward to welcoming you and your child to our school in the future.
Please have a look at our website, particularly our Class pages, which will give you a flavour of life at Milton Hall.
Any questions?
If you have any questions and would like to speak to a member of the Reception team please contact:
admissions@miltonhall.southend.sch.uk and our admissions officer will contact you to arrange a mutually convenient time for a telephone call.
If you would like to book a place on one of our open day sessions please click on the link below:
https://forms.office.com/e/41ZY1AnzXn
What is the Reception year all about?
Please find lots of information about the Reception year below.
The Reception year is the final year of the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) curriculum which is set for children aged 0-5 years. In the Early Years we promote learning through play and encourage children to develop their own interests so they are able to become independent and skilled learners.
Teaching in the EYFS setting is delivered in accordance with the government’s statutory document ’The Statutory Framework for the Early Years Foundation Stage’.
This document is a principled approach to Early Years education, bringing together children’s welfare, learning and development requirements through four themes: ‘A Unique Child’, ‘Positive Relationships’, ‘Enabling Environments with teaching and support from adults’ and ‘Learning and Development’.
The curriculum is centred on 3 prime areas of learning:
- Communication and Language.
- Physical Development
- Personal, Social and Emotional Development
Providers must also support activities through four specific areas which strengthen the prime areas.
These are:
- Literacy
- Mathematics
- Understanding the World
- Expressive Arts and Design
A Day in Reception
8:45am - school starts
The doors open and you can bring your child to their classroom door.
9:00am - Read Write Inc
Read write Inc is the programme of phonics we use and all children will take part in phonics learning at this time every day.
Throughout the morning:
Children are offered a ‘FreeFlow’ Environment where the classroom doors are opened and pupils will follow their own learning journeys, whether inside or in the outdoor area. Snack is also offered throughout the morning. Children are provided with both structured and unstructured play opportunities inside and outside. These activities are designed to engage children in practical, first-hand experiences which will support children to discover, explore, investigate, develop their personal interests and areas of curiosity, and help to make sense of the world around them as they begin to understand specific concepts. Play opportunities are also set up to provide children with opportunities to apply newly acquired knowledge, demonstrating their skills and level of understanding.
11:30 - lunch
Children are taken to the hall to have their lunch. They then play on the Infant playground or on the school field with the reception LSAs supervising.
12:25pm - maths learning
We all sit down together after lunch and develop our mathematical skills.
Throughout the afternoon:
Children can continue their own learning journey’s in the free flow environment. At the end of the afternoon we sit down together and have a story.
3.10pm - school finishes
Parents wait outside the classroom doors at the front of the Reception classrooms and the teachers hand children over directly.
Other adult led activities such as teacher led groups, fine motor activities, communication activities, PE, assemblies, will happen at some point during the school day, however these depend on the day of the week and the time of the academic year.
Sharing Learning
At Milton Hall Primary School and Nursery we want you to be as involved in your child’s learning as possible. Every child will have an online Learning Journal which will include a range of evidence representing their learning journey in the EYFS. Evidence will include: learning stories, observations, photographs, ‘wow moments’ and samples of ‘work’. Parents are encouraged to contribute to the Journal and add comments about their children’s learning and development. Each parent is given a unique, secure login to access their own child’s online journal.
Parents as Partners
At Milton Hall Primary School and Nursery we recognise that an effective partnership between school and home will have a positive impact on children’s learning and development. So, practitioners endeavour to encourage the regular sharing of information about the children with parents. We value the role of parents as children’s primary educators.
Parents are kept informed of what is happening in the setting through informal conversations, notices on classroom windows, regular letters, half termly topic updates on the school website, reading records, the school website, and via regular Class Dojo updates.
What our parents have said about us
"I just want to take the opportunity to say how fantastic communication is between school and parents. As a first time for my child starting school I felt very prepared and comfortable. There hasn't been one instance where I haven't felt informed or supported".
"I’m grateful to my child’s class teacher for always being approachable and helpful when I have spoken to her or called her about anything regarding my son. He’s settled into reception really well and comes home most days happy and telling me how much fun he’s having and he is proud to show off what he’s learnt. A great job all round by the reception team".
"I want to thank for all the attention and education that my little girl receives from the whole class team. I am more than happy as a parent".