Hello and welcome, families and children of 2025/26!
We are absolutely delighted to welcome you to Reception at The Prince of Wales School! This is such an exciting new chapter in your child’s learning journey, and we hope you are all looking forward to their first day on Friday.
This blog will be your go-to place for all the information you need as we begin the school year. Since our last Parent Information Session in July, the Reception classroom has had a little makeover. To help your child feel confident and settled, it would be wonderful if you could share the photos with them ahead of Friday so they become familiar with the space. For families who use social stories then please do feel free to share this story with your children: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1lUDOEK1_8uk0DEKaeb24pxVYhQh1xj6w/view?usp=sharing
I know many of you will have questions about the day-to-day routines, especially in these first few weeks. I’ve answered the most common ones below, but please don’t hesitate to get in touch if you’d like to know more.
First Day Bags
When your child starts school on Friday, they’ll be bringing a special bag with them. We are so excited to see how the children decorate their bags and what treasures they choose to share with us!
Snack Time
- We have a dedicated Snack Station in the classroom, open from 9:30–10:30, where children can sit down and enjoy their snack. An adult will support and monitor this to make sure every child has their turn.
- Children’s water bottles will be refilled during the day, and they’ll be reminded to drink regularly, with extra calm moments for water breaks.
- Snacks should be healthy (fruit or vegetables). Please avoid chocolate biscuits, crisps, dried fruit roll-ups, or similar high-sugar snacks. We provide fruit daily, but you are welcome to send a healthy snack from home if you prefer.
- Children under 5 are entitled to free milk. For children over 5, this can still be arranged for a small cost via the school office.
Welly Boots & Spare Clothes
- Please send in a pair of labelled welly boots to stay at school. These are essential for outdoor learning and water play, no matter the weather!
- A spare set of uniform (also labelled) is very helpful for the inevitable splashes of mud, sand, or water, or for little accidents.
- Labelling everything—jumpers, bottles, lunchboxes—makes it much easier for staff to return items and helps children develop independence with their belongings.
- During the first few weeks, we’ll place unclaimed items on a table outside at the end of the day—please check and collect anything your child may have left behind.
Lunchtimes
- In the first few weeks, Reception children eat a little earlier than the rest of the school and are supported by the Reception Team and other staff.
- We encourage children to enjoy a free school dinner —but please ensure food is familiar and something your child is comfortable eating.
- In the early weeks, if you’re unsure how much your child will eat, you’re welcome to order a school dinner and also send in a back-up packed lunch.
PE
- Children should come to school in their PE kit on PE days (these will be displayed on the weekly timetable by the classroom door).
- PE will start after the first few weeks, once the children are settled.
- Please make sure the PE kit is weather-appropriate—jogging bottoms and trainers are fine for colder months.
Toys from Home
We kindly ask that children do not bring toys from home. This helps avoid confusion, as well as the risk of something special being lost or broken.
It can be tricky for children to tell the difference between school resources and toys brought from home, and we’d be so sad if something special were to get lost or damaged. To avoid this, we ask that toys from home are kept safely there. Thank you for your support—it really helps children make a confident and independent start to school.
The School Day
- Doors open: 8:45am
- Registration: 9:00amArriving promptly at 8:45 allows children to take part in our lovely Linked Provision activities—a calm and purposeful start to the day.
- Home time: 3:30pmPlease arrive promptly, as children can become anxious if they don’t see their adult straight away.
We understand that drop-off can sometimes be emotional, especially at the start of the year. A few tears are very normal and children usually settle quickly once inside. We’re always happy to provide a phone update if your child is finding the transition tricky.
Our Approach in Reception
The first few weeks are all about gently easing children into school life. We take things step by step, introducing routines and learning opportunities at a pace that supports confidence and independence.
Our child-led, play-based approach means children will learn through exploration, creativity, and hands-on experiences in continuous provision. This year we will be diving into exciting activities such as Drawing Club, Power Maths, and Read Write Inc.
Classroom Expectations
To help children settle quickly and confidently, it would be really helpful if you could begin reminding them of some of our main classroom expectations at home. These include:
We will, of course, spend lots of time exploring these together in school, but gentle reminders at home will really support children in feeling secure and ready for learning.
The Blog
This blog will usually be updated over the weekends with key information, news, and plenty of photos of what the children have been up to. Children love looking through the blog—it’s a great way for them to talk about their learning at home.
Most importantly, we hope you’ve all had a wonderful summer, and we can’t wait to start this exciting journey together on Friday.
