New to Nursery

Dear Parent/Carer,

On behalf of of the Governors, Staff and Pupils at Bedlinog Community Primary School, I would like to extend a warm welcome to you and your child to Bedlinog Community Primary School. We are so pleased to be able to welcome you to our school and to have your child join us as part of our successful, friendly and hardworking team at BCPS. We are really looking forward to getting to know you and your child!

May I take this opportunity to thank you for choosing Bedlinog Community Primary School for your child's education - I'm sure they will have many enjoyable years with us, learning and growing together! Our motto at Bedlinog Community Primary School is 'Strong Roots, Successful Futures' and this reflects our ethos of ensuring that every child is provided with every opportunity to reach their full potential.

This website will provide you with lots of helpful information in preparation for what school life will be like for your child when they start school. On this site you will find our Prospectus which will give you a full overview of what life is like at Bedlinog Community Primary School, as well as range of Policies and FAQs which I trust you will find helpful.

I trust that the following information about starting school will be useful.

• Welcome Pack - Shortly, you will receive a 'Welcome Pack' from us in the post,  which will provide you with some initial information about your child starting in Nursery. In the pack you should find an introduction letter, which will give you dates and times of when your child will start school, including dates for the initial visit (see below). You will also find a Nursery information guide which we hope will provide you with some useful information about your child starting Nursery, and a welcome postcard from us which we would love you to read, complete and post back to us, so that we can help your child settle in to Nursery. On the postcard please don't include anything confidential about your child (e.g. medical needs, learning difficulties) as we can discuss this with you during our Courtesy call. 
• Courtesy Call - One of our Nursery staff will be in touch with you in the next couple of weeks to introduce themselves and to have a brief conversation about your child, ahead of your initial visit.

During this conversation we would appreciate any background information about your child and family that may be useful to us in helping your child to settle. It is important that any specific information regarding medical needs, additional learning needs, external agency involvement or changes in family arrangements (including Separation/shared custody) is discussed with us in advance so that we are able to make the necessary arrangements to support your child at school. All information discussed will be processed under the school's GDPR policy, an overview of which can be found in the GDPR section of the website. 

• Initial Visit - We want your child to feel comfortable in their new setting and for you to be reassured that they are safe when they are coming to School. As part of our entry process, and in order to settle children in to Nursery, we provide an open day visit which allows both Parent and Child to attend the Nursery together to explore the environment and meet the Staff and Pupils who they will be starting with. This visit will take place ahead of children starting full time in school, and we will communicate all dates with you. 

During your initial visit to school, you will also be provided with an 'New Pupil' pack which will contain a range of information leaflets and forms. All of these forms are important for your child's safeguarding and will need to be completed before your child can start school. All information provided will be processed under the school's GDPR policy, an overview of which can be found in our GDPR area of the website.

• Staggered starts - If your child has been given a full time Nursery place at Bedlinog Community Primary School, they will be starting school on a part-time basis for 2 weeks initially. The purpose of this is to settle children into a full day as many pupils who are joining us will not have been to a full time placement before and, in order to protect your child's wellbeing, we have found that building up to a full day is the most effective way of settling our new Pupils into school. More information about what time your child's sessions will be, will be communicated with you in the 'Welcome Pack'. 

Further information specifically about Nursery routines can be found under the FAQ section on the previous Nursery page. Should you have any other questions or queries about starting school please feel free to submit them using the Contact form on the previous page. Likewise, you may wish to keep your questions until your courtesy call with our Nursery staff which will take place with you in the next couple of weeks.

I look forward to welcoming you and your child to our School.

Diolch yn Fawr,

Mr R Morgan

Executive Head Teacher

At Bedlinog Community Primary School we understand that starting Nursery is a big step for you and your child. Like all Parents/Carers, you may have questions and queries that you would like to ask about what to expect when your child starts Nursery.

Here are some frequently asked questions about Nursery that we hope you will find useful. If there are any further questions that you still have, please feel free to use our 'Contact form' on the previous page to ask us directly - no question is to small!

• What will my child be doing in Nursery?

Nursery is the first step in your child's formal educational journey. Although not statutory, our aim in Nursery is to provide children with lots of learning experiences and opportunities to develop their curiosity and creativity, whilst developing personal and social skills that will allow them to make friends and work with others. Our job is to build on the great work you will have already done at home up until the point they start with us!

Our first aim in Nursery is to settle your child in to school life and get them used to various routines. Each day your child will become more and more used to the expectations that we have of how they behave, learn and use the classroom environment and we ask for all Parents/Carers to support us with this.

Within the classroom there are a wide variety of different areas for children to access and play in, whilst our staff will organise structured tasks for your child to take part in in small groups. We follow the Welsh Curriculum at our Nursery and will constantly monitor your child's progress whilst they are at school.

• What time does School start/finish?

Our Nursery start school with our other Pupils at 9:00am. Children will start entering school at 8:50am to give them time to put their coats away and settle into class for the day. When they start at 9:00 Children are given free time to play and explore before being brought together for registration. We do ask that all children are punctual and on time as it is important for children to get in to this routine early. School finishes as 15:30pm for Nursery pupils, and those Pupils who require the use of the School bus are able to do so (you will need to register this with the Local Authority).

• How do I access the Nursery?

Our Nursery is located at the front of the school and has its own entrance. As you come to the main School building, the Nursery is on the far left (ground floor) of the building. You will drop off and collect children here. We do ask that, whilst waiting outside Nursery in the morning at end of the day, you keep your child with you and do not let them run about outside the main entrance to the school.

Please note if the Nursery gate is locked, you are late, or you are picking up your child during the school day, you will need to report to the School office. Your child will be taken into/collected from Nursery here.

• What should my child wear?

It is the expectation that uniform is worn by all Pupils, including our Nursery pupils. this allows children to feel a sense of pride in their school and helps to reduce the possibility of expensive/branded clothing to be brought in which is not practical for Nursery. Our uniform consists of:

• Red jumper/cardigan - If you want this to have the school logo on, our branded uniform is available from MyClothing.com, Treharris Sportsgear and N's in Troedyrhiw. Please note the WelshCymru Clothing (based in Treforest) is not an official provider of our Uniform.
• Grey Trousers/Joggers/Skirt - For Nursery pupils, if children are not able to zips and catches on trousers on their own, we would ask that joggers are worn as this can help children when they need to use the toilet
• White T-Shirt/Blouse
• Shoes - Please do not send your child in shoes with laces if your child is unable to do their laces on their own. Slip-on shoes or shoes with velcro are most suitable for Nursery pupils.

If your child is known to have an occasional wetting accident, we would ask that you also provide spare underwear in their school bag.

• Where will my child be based?

Your child will be based in our Nursery classroom is which is a large, purpose built Nursery classroom filled with resources and equipment appropriate to your child's age and development. This includes creative areas, writing areas, sand, water, painting, books, IT area, as well as our Nursery toilets and outside space. Visit our 'Virtual Tour of Nursery' to see the setting!

Children will also carry out outdoor learning activities whilst at school, which may involve them getting messy! For outdoor tasks, we ask that children are provided with waterproof clothing (jacket and trousers - not all in one suits due to toileting) for them to be able to get involved. We work outdoors in all seasons and weathers and therefore it is important that your child has the right equipment to keep them warm and dry. We have found drykids.co.uk to be a great quality provider and are a reasonable cost. We do have a number of waterproof clothing available in school for children to use should you be unable to provide any for your child.

• Will my child start full time straight away?

For those pupils joining us in September your child will be accessing a full time place at school. This means they will start at 9:00am and stay with us until 15:30 (including dinner). Initially, in order for us to settle pupils into school, we will give your child a reduced (half day) session for the first 2 weeks until we can see they are ready and settled for a full day. We will communicate this with you.

For those who start in January/April, your child will be part-time afternoons. They will not be entitled to a full time place.

• Will my child need to bring anything with them?

Everything your child needs for their learning will be provided for them. During the day you child will have milk and fruit time. We do ask Parents/Carers to provide the fruit for their child. This should not be any small fruits (grapes, cherries) or berries which could become a choke hazard. We would recommend for hygiene purposes you send in the fruit in a container clearly labelled with your child's name.

Your child will also have access to water throughout the day and we ask that children bring a water bottle with them. Water bottles must be wide necked and have a mouthpiece which can be covered with a lid/retracted to prevent contamination.  Recycled bottles (e.g. old pop bottles) are not permitted. Squash and juice is also not allowed. School water bottles can be purchased from the School office for £2.00

It is also likely that your child will bring home lots of lovely things from Nursery, so we ask that a small bag (like a book bag or draw string bag) is provided for your child. School book bags are available from the school office, as well as online. Please do not send in large/bulky back packs as space for storing these is limited.

• How will my child be able to use the toilet?

At school we have Nursery appropriate toilets in the Classroom, which are easily accessible for use by our Nursery pupils. These include small toilets and sinks at Nursery pupil height. Children are able to access toilets whenever they need to.

Please note that it is the policy of the school that, unless there is a medical reason (evidence will be requested from your GP) why your child cannot use the toilet independently, then your child will not be able to start Nursery until they are fully toilet trained. Likewise, if Parents/Carers state that their child is toilet trained in order to take up the place at school and it becomes evident that a child is not able to use the toilet independently, the Parents will be called and the child will be asked to remain at home until able to do so.

Should your child have an accident whilst in school we will do our best to sort them out and clean them up. However, should your child mess themselves to the point where they need to be washed (in a shower or bath) then someone will be contacted to collect the child in order to maintain the dignity and wellbeing of the child.

• What will my child have for lunch?

Our  Full time Nursery pupils will have lunch at school when they are in for a full day. Pupils can either have Packed Lunch or choose School Dinners for a health cooked meal to be prepared for them. Full information regarding Lunch and eating at school can be found on the 'Healthy Eating at School' area of the website.

• Who will look after my child?

Our Nursery is run by a team of high quality and friendly Staff who are all fully qualified and DBS checked. Within our Nursery, we staff to the recommended ratios of 1:8 (1 adult to 8 children). Your child will be appropriately supervised at all times when at school, whilst also being given the space to develop their independence too. Our Nursery staff are Mrs Bennett and Miss Yoxall.

For further information about our School please look around our Website, or visit the 'School Prospectus' page where you can find more in depth information about the day to day running of the school.  Likewise, should you have any further queries please do not hesitate to contact us via the Nursery contact form which you can find on the previous page.

We look forward to welcoming you and your child to our Nursery!

If there are any questions or queries that you may have about your Child starting in our Nursery, please feel free to contact us. Specific queries about individuals may not be able to be responded to via email and, should this be the case, we will be in touch with you directly. Please note that we would ask you to check through the various information on the website, including our FAQ section of the Nursery page, before asking your questions as the answer may already be available to you on the website.