Lift Offa's Mead

What is expected of me as a parent?
We encourage all parents to take an active role in their child’s school life. This includes:
- Excellent attendance
- Reading at home with your child
- Encouraging good behaviour and respect for all staff and pupils at school
- Attending Parent Workshops and Express Events (where possible and when social distancing allows)
- Attending Parents' Evening (virtual parents evenings if social distancing is not possible)
- Keeping the school up to date with any changes in circumstance
- Most importantly, making sure your child is prepared for the school day, e.g. having a good sleep, eating a healthy breakfast.
- Being on time every day
What if I need to collect my child early for an appointment / we are late to school one morning?
Please inform the school office if you need to collect your child from school or leave early for an appointment - wherever possible we ask to see an appointment card / letter. On the day of the appointment, please buzz at the school gate and your child will be escorted from the school to meet you, we will ask you to sign your child out.
If you are late to school, you will need to buzz and wait for school administrators to acknowledge you have arrived. Your child will be marked as present once they are in class. We understand that lateness can happen and morning routines can be disrupted - however, please can you ensure your child arrives on time as much as possible to avoid missing out on crucial registration time and daily instruction. Lateness does affect attendance.
What if my child needs medicine during the school day?
We cannot keep medicines in the classroom. If your child needs to take medicine or antibiotics that are prescribed during the school day, this can be administered from the school office, all medicines must be left with the school office.
Please make us aware of your child's medical needs and their care plan, as well as fill in a form available at the school office. The medicine will be kept locked in our First Aid cabinet (or in the refrigerator if it must remain cool). We are only able to administer current medication prescribed by a doctor and clearly labelled with your child’s name. If your child needs an inhaler, please provide one that can be kept in school. If your child needs a hearing aid, please provide batteries that can be kept in school.
We keep a record of the date and time of all administered medication. Please ensure that we have an adequate stock of medication for your child's needs at school. Please keep in contact with the school office to make sure we have good levels of medication for your child's needs in the school.
What should I do if my child is ill?
All absence requires a telephone call, answer machine message or a conversation with the office staff explaining the absence. This is needed on every day of absence. Attendance is very important and Lift Offa's Mead encourage 100% attendance to ensure academic, social and emotional progress. Attendance really does matter.
A Doctor's letter / Hospital letter should be provided upon your child’s return. Please note that following a case of diarrhoea or sickness, your child is not permitted to return to school until they are clear of symptoms for 48 hours. NHS Advice
Do you have a breakfast / after school club?
We don't offer a breakfast club but we open our doors for working parents to drop off children from 08:30.
Tea Birds which runs between 3:10pm to 6:00pm and costs £7.50 per session.
Places MUST be booked a week in advance and paid for using Parent Pay.
Spaces are limited, so please check availability with the school office. We will ask that you fill out a week in advance. If you need to add your child to be added to the list for the day, please make the office aware as soon as possible using the forms provided.
Our wraparound care is non-profit making.
Do children need to bring a snack to school?
All children In EYFS and KS1 are provided with free daily fruit. Children are also entitled to milk daily until they reach the age of 5 years old, when parents can then choose to pay for milk if they wish. You can register your child for free school milk on the Cool Milk website here. There will also be water available at all times for the children, however, some children prefer to bring in their own water bottles from home.
We must ask that no other snacks are brought into school.
Will my child go outside to play and what will happen at lunchtime?
We have an outside space for Reception that your child will be able to access every day. To ensure that children can go outside, regardless of the weather conditions, we ask parents/carers to make sure that children are sent with named suitable clothing to allow this to happen. As well as lunchtime outside, children will be able to go outside for Forest School and also during Choosing Time.
The Reception and Key Stage 1 children all receive free school meals. We have a full kitchen in school and provide a choice of hot, healthy and nutritious lunches every day, as well as a selection of fruits they can enjoy.
Your child will eat their dinner in the Main Hall. The Reception and Key Stage 1 children eat first before the older children in school. They will be supported by a member of the Midday Supervising team but will also be encouraged to build their independence.
After they have eaten their lunch, the children will go outside to play on the school playground. During this time, they will be able to meet and play with children from the other year groups in our school.
Will my child go on school trips?
How are Reading, Writing and Maths taught?
In Reception we follow the Early Years Foundation Stage Curriculum and tailor our teaching to support the individual needs of each pupil. At Lift Offa's Mead, we recognise that children learn to be confident and independent from secure relationships. Children will be part of a 'Family Group' led by their 'Key Person' where they will sing songs, listen to stories and engage in activities to develop confidence in speaking and listening and build social skills. Teachers and support staff aim to read one-to-one with every child each week. We teach phonics daily in small groups and following a short writing or maths input form the class teacher, we have lots of activities, both inside and out, for the children to develop and practise their new skills in different contexts. We actively encourage phonics support at home and will help you understand how to help your child.
Who will be working with my child?
What equipment will my child need to bring to school?
A book bag, a water bottle they can keep in school (if they would like to).
At the start of Autumn term, we will ask you to send a named pair of wellington boots into school. We are very lucky to have outdoor play which includes exploring the woodland on school grounds and a good pair of wellington boots and a waterproof coat are essential. We learn through exploration!
Please also ensure when the weather becomes colder that you send your child in with hat, gloves and scarf and a sun hat / sunscreen for the warmer months.
Please provide a spare set of clothes in case of little accidents - uniform preferred.
What is the routine on arrival?
To make sure the transition into our Reception Class is as happy as possible we operate a staggered entry. Even if your child is used to completing a whole day at Nursery or Playgroup a whole day at school can be tiring and quite daunting. Therefore in the first week children will be at school for half a day including lunch. The second week children will be in full time.
Week 1: Monday 1st September & Tuesday 2nd September Inset Days
Wednesday 3rd September & Thursday 4th September 8:40am – 12:30pm

Friday 5th September 8:40am – 1:30pm (to include lunch)
From Monday 8th September, we will continue with a normal school day from 8:40am - 3:10pm Mondays to Fridays.

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