Thank you to all the parents who attended our recent meeting. It was lovely to see so many of you there and we hope you found the information helpful.

The PowerPoint presentation from the meeting is attached below for your reference.

We are now looking forward to our upcoming home visits. These visits are a great opportunity to get to know you and your child a little better and for you to ask any further questions you may have.

Please remember to complete the registration packs and either return them to the school or have them ready for us when we visit your home.

Thank you again for your continued support. We can’t wait to start this exciting journey together!

Stay and Play

Thursday 1st July - 13:30-14:30

We invite your child to visit their reception classroom and get to know their new friends and teachers. 

Parents are invited to meet over refreshments in the school hall.

Phonics

At St Joseph the Worker, we follow Little Wandle Letters and Sounds, which is a synthetic phonics programme.

What is phonics?
 

As  your child starts their early years education, they will be taught phonics: the journey of learning to read, write and spell. These vital skills are the beginning of their lifelong learning journey in literacy. Phonics, which may also be referred to as ‘Letters and Sounds’, it is the process of children learning to read and write.

Phonics is the foundation of reading and writing. Phase 1 is the first phase that will usually be taught to children at nursery, pre school or childminder settings. This phase focuses on developing children’s speaking, listening and awareness of sound. Speaking and listening are the first communication skills your child will develop before they begin their reading and writing journey. Encouraging lots of talk at home as part of everyday life will help support your child’s own vocabulary and conversation skills. Explain what you are doing and ask them questions, making sure to wait for their response. Developing these skills creates foundations for when children begin to learn their letters and sounds in later phases. During this phase, your child will begin to distinguish between different sounds within their environment and may begin to show an awareness of rhyme and alliteration. 

Here are some different activities that you can do at home:

• Go on a listening walk. Sounds are all around us, why not go on a listening walk with your child and try to identify the different sounds that you hear along the way?
• Print off or draw a range of familiar pictures for your child to look at and say. Practice listening for the initial sounds in words and see if you can match two pictures that start with the same sound! For example, dog, duck and dinosaur all begin with the ‘d’ sound and snake, soup and sock all start with the ‘s’ sound.
• Putting objects in a ‘feely’ bag and playing a guessing game can be lots of fun. Fill a bag or pillowcase with a handful of items from around the home, such as a toothbrush, comb, teddy, spoon and building block, then get your child to reach inside and pull one out. Can they say what the item is, and recognise and identify its initial sound? “t, t, teddy!” “s, s, sock.”
• Read, Read, Read! Sharing books together is the most powerful way for children to learn about character types and how stories are structured.
• Sing nursery rhymes with your children. Singing nursery rhymes is incredibly important for their early development. Singing nursery rhymes with children supports the following:

Builds Early Language Skills

Nursery rhymes introduce children to new words, sentence structures, and the rhythm of spoken language, helping to expand their vocabulary and communication skills.

Supports Phonemic Awareness

Rhymes and repetition help children hear and recognise the individual sounds in words—an essential skill for learning to read.

Boosts Memory and Concentration

Repeating songs and verses strengthens memory and helps children focus and follow along, which supports learning in all areas.

Encourages Social Interaction

Singing together fosters connection and cooperation. It also helps children learn to take turns, listen to others, and join in as a group.

Promotes Physical Development

Many rhymes involve actions or movement, supporting coordination and gross motor skills.

Makes Learning Fun

Music and rhymes are enjoyable, making children more engaged and eager to participate in learning activities. 

Feel free to take a look at the nursery rhyme video link below:

For parents | Letters and Sounds

TLC Top Ten Talking Tips

10 top tips to help your child become a confident communicator. 

Snack time Milk Registration

If you would like your child to have milk at snack time, please register using the link below.

Milk is free for children under 5 years old. Once your child turns 5, there is a subsidised cost.

Cool Milk – Little Sips, Big Adventures

School dinners

All children in EYFS and Key Stage 1 (KS1) are entitled to receive a free school meal. Our school lunch provider is Dolce. Once your child starts school with us, during the initial settling-in period, you will receive information on how to register with them.

Our school operates on a cashless system. All payments must be made online. Please refer to the guide below for instructions.

Some useful links for guidance on starting school:

Starting primary school - BBC Parents' Toolkit - BBC Bitesize

Learning conversations and telling stories: 3 to 5 years – NHS

Learning conversations and telling stories: 3 to 5 years – NHS

Words for Life | National Literacy Trust | Words for Life