Starting Reception September 2026
Welcome to our new Reception families!
We are so excited to welcome our new Reception pupils and families to Ursuline in September 2026!
We know this is an exciting time but there’s also a lot to take in over the next few months so this page will hopefully provide you with all the information you need to help your child prepare for starting school at Ursuline this September.
Transition arrangements
Once you have accepted your offer of a place at Ursuline, we will begin to implement our steps for a smooth transition to Ursuline. This will include the following:
- Ursuline staff will begin to contact your child’s existing early years setting and discuss your child, including likes and dislikes and any support currently in place etc with their key worker in April/May.
- You will then be invited to book onto a slot at one of our New Families evenings on either 16th or 17th June (3.45 – 4.15pm; 4.15 – 4.45pm; 4.45 – 5.15pm; 5.15 – 5.45pm) where you and your child have the opportunity to visit the school and meet your child’s Reception teacher and staff. You will also be given a welcome pack which gives you important information and photographs of your child’s new classroom/teacher to help with transition.
- We will also pay a short visit to you and your child at home in late June/early July (sign up for a time slot at the New Families evenings). This is a lovely opportunity for your child and teacher to begin to get to know each other and is also a chance for you to ask any questions you may have before the summer break.
Arrangements for September
To help you plan for your child starting school, please see below for details:
Stay and Play visits
- Children and parents are invited to a Stay and Play visit just before they start school in September. This is a lovely opportunity for your child to meet half of each class and get to know staff and learn some of our routines, including lunchtimes. It will either be on Wednesday 2nd or Thursday 3rd September from 10am – 1.15pm (your child’s session date will be included in their welcome pack handed out at the New Families evening in June).
- The idea is for you to come into school with your child and stay with him/her for a little play and then parents are invited over to the school hall for a tea/coffee and a chat with other new parents before leaving, while the children continue to stay and play and get to know each other in Reception. They will then stay for a sandwich in the hall, meet welfare staff and play before being picked up via the school hall doors at 1.15pm. Children wear their own clothes at the Stay and Play visit and save their lovely uniform for their first full day on Friday 4th September.
- Our school day
- Children will start full days with effect from Friday 4th September.
- The Reception/Key Stage 1 gate (on Nicholas Rd) opens at 8:40am and children need to be in school by 8:50am.
- Collection of Reception children at the end of the day is at 3:10pm from the school hall doors (via Nicholas Road).
Don’t worry, we will show you where these gates are when you come for the Stay and Play visits on 2nd or 3rd September.
Book bags and PE kits
- Please send your child in with a school book bag (name labelled) when they start school. We use these to send home class library books initially and then when appropriate, phonics homework.
- PE Kits – Full details of our PE kit will be in the welcome pack and are on our website. Please note that with effect from September 2026, all new PE kits will consist of a blue PE Ursuline top (no red, green or yellow as in previous years).
Snack
We have snack in the morning (carefully considering any allergy/dietary information provided) and another in the afternoon (usually fruit). We ask for contributions towards snack, which can be made via the Arbor App (details will be in the welcome pack).
Timetable
At the centre of our learning and growth, we have a carefully planned curriculum with quality texts and a Catholic ethos, following in the footsteps of Jesus. Structured learning times build as the year progresses. We have extended periods of continuous provision where children are helped by staff to get to know each other and our learning environment, make friends and learn school routines.
Some further information you may need closer to the time:
Things we will ask you to return to school by 10th July
- The pupil information forms which are in the welcome pack handed out at the New Families evenings in June. These are really useful as they help us get to know some key information about your child before they start in September.
- Let us know what filling your child would like on their sandwich when they stay for lunch on their Stay and Play visit on either 2nd or 3rd
Things to bring in on your child’s first day
- A ‘Chatter Bag’, handed out at home visits in June, filled with some of your child’s favourite things (or photographs of them!). This will help the children to chat about themselves to help us all to get to know each other in those first few weeks.
- School dinner menus with choices for a 3 week rolling period (school dinners are free until the end of Key Stage 1).
- A pair of wellies, labelled with your child’s name, to be kept in school and used daily for outdoor learning.
- A water bottle, labelled with your child’s name. Please send your child in with a water bottle with fresh water each day.
How will we communicate with families?
Texts and emails will be sent via the Arbor App. Please let the office know if you are having any problems downloading this app.
We also post regular updates of what we have been learning in Reception via social media. Please could you take a look at the list of permissions needed for posting pictures via social media, school website, newsletters etc as well as other permissions/parental consents. This can be done via the Arbor App.
We invite parents and carers into school regularly for Maths Fun and Book Buzz sessions and will be holding a Meet the Teacher/Welcome to Reception session within the first few weeks in September.
Teachers are also available at the end of each school day for a quick chat if needed, once we have dismissed all children safely.
We understand this is a big milestone in your child’s life and the start of a journey where we work with families so that together, we can support our new Ursuline Reception children to live, learn and grow in the footsteps of Jesus.
Ursuline Reception Team
Useful links:
BBC Bitesize 'My first day at school' - an activity to work on together at home