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Welcome to Parkland Primary School Virtual intake meeting - reception

Croeso i Ysgol Gynradd Parkland.

We are thrilled that you have decided to choose Parkland Primary school as the community where you want your child to grow, develop and learn at such an important time in their lives. We look forward to developing strong relationships with you so that we can work together in shaping your child’s future.

Parkland Primary School is located in Sketty Park in the west of Swansea. The school is fortunate to be sited within beautiful grounds, which enhance the learning environment and offer wonderful recreational spaces for our children. We believe learning is achieved through direct experience, with children's needs placed at the heart of all we do. It is our belief that children learn best when they feel safe, happy and secure in a stimulating environment which we strive to provide. We also believe that a broad curriculum is the platform on which we ensure ALL children are able to be stimulated, motivated and celebrate their talents. It is also crucial to the development and maintenance of self esteem, self belief and motivation, which are vital to achievement and developing a drive to succeed.

School Statement

Together We Thrive

Gyda’n gilydd rydyn ni’n ffynnu.

School Vision

Parkland Primary is committed to everyone thriving in a safe, happy, nurturing and stimulating environment. We believe that everyone should learn to care for and respect themselves and others and become healthy and confident. We provide rich experiences and encourage ambitious, capable, creative learners who adapt to and embrace challenge; equipping pupils for lifelong learning. Diversity is valued and celebrated and learners are supported to become ethically informed. Our curriculum reflects and responds to our learners and the community.

First Day

This can often be an uncertain time for children and parents alike. Please be reassured that all staff are well equipped in dealing with these concerns and supporting your child as they familiarise themselves with the setting and routines. Our talented and experienced staff will do their utmost to comfort, encourage and support your child so that they feel safe, happy and excited whilst in school. Do not be surprised if your child is tired at the end of the day as it can be an extremely busy time and an exhausting day; mentally, socially and physically.

All staff have been trained in Attachment Awareness Coaching and we realise that by building a child’s social and emotional capabilities we enable children to happily engage with others and society and to learn and develop fully to attain and achieve.

Session Times

School begins: 8:50am

(this could change to 8:45 am if current restrictions are not lifted)

School ends: 3:20pm

(this could change to 3:15 pm if current restrictions are not lifted)

These times are our usual session times. However, due to current restrictions we have put in systems to reduce footfall around the school site whilst parents and carers are dropping off and picking up their children.. We are using a one way system around school and ask parents and carers to drop off their reception child at the times above. However, for those parents or carers who have other children elsewhere in the school we allow parents/ carers to drop all their children off at the earliest drop off time (allocated to their children) and to pick all their children up at the latest time (allocated to their children). We have done this to make it more convenient for such parents and carers.

Children are brought to and collected at the reception classroom entrances via the small gate at the side of the school, through the Gabalfa Road gate or Key Stage 2 Gate (see Routes around the School video at the bottom of the page). Please see Routes around the School video at the bottom of the page if you need further clarification about this. More information about this will also follow in September.

What is the Foundation Phase?

The Foundation Phase sets out the curriculum for 3-7 year olds in Wales and provides children with the building blocks for future learning. It is based on the principles that children learn best by doing and taking an active part in their learning. It is an experiential curriculum which takes place both indoors and outdoors. This is how they learn best, so please do not be surprised if children come home a little dirty! Children will have the opportunity to explore the world around them and find out how things work. Your child’s interests will be taken into account and they will be encouraged to make choices about their learning. We call this EPIC time which stands for Everyone Planning in Class. Children will learn a lot through play which is a powerful tool and this helps children develop and extend their language and communication skills. It also allows children to use initiative, take risks and make mistakes without fear of failure.

We believe learning is achieved through direct experience, with children’s needs placed at the heart of all we do. It is our belief that children learn best when they feel safe, happy and secure in a stimulating environment which we strive to provide. We also believe that a broad curriculum is the platform on which we ensure all children are motivated and their talents celebrated.

Curriculum for Wales

Education in Wales is changing and Parkland Primary School is adapting and evolving in order to meet these changes. This new curriculum aspires to enable learners to develop towards the four purposes of the curriculum which are: Ambitious Capable Learners, Ethically Informed Citizens, Enterprising Creative Contributors and Healthy Confident Individuals. It places the learners at the heart of the curriculum and uses what is important to the learners and community as its bedrock. Parkland School staff have been working with much passion and enthusiasm to meet these new requirements.

Growth Mindset

Our staff have undertaken Growth Mindset action research which is based on the idea that your brain is a muscle and you are able to grow intelligence through hard work, practice, problem solving and creative thinking. The children will learn that they can improve if prepared to try hard and adapt. If they are not able to do something then they are not able to do it YET but with a determination and perseverance they can become better. We teach children not to be afraid of making mistakes but to value them as part of the learning process. If a child can do everything well and get everything correct then they are not learning. Mistakes show children where they went wrong and this is fed forward to subsequent learning.

Metacognition

All Parkland Staff have also undertaken action research about metacognition. Metacognition is a set of behaviours which maximises pupils potential for learning and self-efficacy. Metacognitive learners understand how learning happens and apply this understanding so that they learn in the most effective way. At Parkland we encourage and develop these behaviours with pupils from nursery and build on it year on year.

Pupils are encouraged to think about their learning to help them plan, monitor and evaluate their work or learning activity.

Restorative Practice

Children, at this age, are learning to get along with one another and learning the art of compromise. All staff are trained in Restorative Practice which is used if incidents and/or disputes occur between pupils. Those children who are involved are encouraged to unpick the situation and to see alternative perspectives.

Emotion Coaching

Many school staff are trained in Emotion Coaching. 'Emotion Coaching is based on the principle that nurturing and emotionally supportive relationships provide optimal contexts for the promotion of children's outcomes and resilience.' (https://www.emotioncoachinguk.com)

Rights Respecting School - UNCRC

We are a Rights Respecting School which means that children are aware of their rights and how to respect the rights of their friends, classmates and other people. Every class has a class charter, which pupils and adults co-construct, and this sets out the rules of the classroom and school which all the children agree to.

Year Group Organisation

Typically, throughout the day children will be mixing with pupils from across their year group. It is hugely beneficial for children to mix with a range of children and work and collaborate together. They will be registered as a class but for much of their day they will be working with children from across Reception. However, if restrictions remain then children will be only mixing with their own class until restrictions change at which point we will revert to our typical organisation.

There are 3 registration groups across the year group with a maximum of 25 pupils per class. Each registration group has a teacher and a number of support staff. Pupils will be working with all the adults across the setting.

Watch the video below to look at the types of things the children will usually get up to. This was filmed before lock down.

Who's who?

The three class teachers for next year are: Mrs Laura Sansom-Garnell, Miss Amy Hall and Miss Bethan Wright.

Below are the headship team: Anne Lloyd (headteacher), Felicity Poole and Rachel Leahy (deputy headteachers). Please feel free to contact us if you ever need to.

The School Administrator (Mrs Fiona Thomas), Office Clerk (Mrs Sarah Packer) and Attendance Officer (Mrs Sara Brown) are based in the school reception/office and are happy to answer any queries you might have.

Contacting Us

Please feel free to contact us either by ringing the school on 01792 205462, using the school email address: Parkland.School@swansea-edunet.gov.uk or by signing up to and downloading the Class Dojo app.

Class Dojo connects primary school teachers, students and families through communication features, such as a feed for photos and videos from the school day, and messaging that can be translated into more than 35 languages.

Home Learning

Pupils will have weekly learning to do at home. This will include developing their phonic understanding, reading skills, handwriting skills and basic number skills. It is vitally important to support you child's learning at home and build on the skills that they have learnt in school. This partnership, between home and school, is integral to improving you child's abilities, independence and confidence.

Lunchtimes and Snack

Lunch is at 11.50 and children will usually eat in the infant hall (if current restrictions ease otherwise it will be in the classroom). They will be encouraged to choose their food, try different things and eat independently. It takes a bit of time to get used to and they may not finish all of it. Lunch time supervisors keep a careful eye on the children and make sure they have eaten enough. A packed lunch can also be provided by yourselves and any uneaten food will be sent home in lunch boxes so that you know how much they have eaten. If you have any worries please do not hesitate in contacting us and we will do the same with you.

The cost of school dinners is £2.40. School dinners need to be paid through sQuid which you will be given information about in September. A healthy snack and milk will be provided every day too and we ask for a £1 voluntary contribution for snack every week please.

Breakfast Club

Childcare sessions are available to parents before school. This is used by children from reception to Year 6.

7:45am-8:50am: £3

8am-8:50am: £1

8:20am-8:50am: free (door close at 8:30am and children will not be admitted after this time).

After School Clubs

A number of After School Clubs are run by school staff and a letter will be sent home early in the autumn term about this.

The school also has a childcare facility run by the school. Spaces are limited and provided on a first come, first served basis for Reception children and older. Each session costs £6.50. Children need to be booked into after school club beforehand. You may need to wait for a space to become available and sign a contract. Please request a booking form from your child's class teacher or collect one from the office.

Childcare Provision at Oaktree Nursery

Oaktree Nursery also runs an after school childcare facility for children up to the age of 5. Once again spaces are limited and provided on a first come, first served basis. Each session costs £6.50. Children need to be booked into after school club beforehand. Please contact Cathy Holland on 01792 205462 or HollandC7@hwbcymru.net to arrange this.

Uniform

The school actively encourages the wearing of school uniform. We are very proud of our school and feel that the wearing of uniform helps children to feel part of the Parkland ‘family’. On a practical level, it also helps with the burden of selecting suitable clothes for school. Uniform can be purchased from a number outlets, including J & S Sports in Tycoch. The uniform consists of a green sweatshirt/ jumper/cardigan with the school logo, a white/green polo shirt, grey trousers for boys and girls or a grey skirt if preferred. In the summer children are able wear green and white gingham dresses and grey or black shorts. The uniform does not need to have the Parkland logo embroidered on to it as this is optional but we strongly encourage pupils to wear school colours.

The clothes above are examples of what is suitable to wear for the pupils. Please make sure you include your child's name and class on the label so that they can be quickly found if lost otherwise, as you can imagine, in a busy classroom there can be a number of green jumpers at the end of the day without a home to go to!
The clothes above are examples of what is suitable to wear for the pupils. Please make sure you include your child's name and class on the label so that they can be quickly found if lost otherwise, as you can imagine, in a busy classroom there can be a number of green jumpers at the end of the day without a home to go to!
The clothes above are examples of what is suitable to wear for the pupils. Please make sure you include your child's name and class on the label so that they can be quickly found if lost otherwise, as you can imagine, in a busy classroom there can be a number of green jumpers at the end of the day without a home to go to!

Foundation Phase is an experiential curriculum and for that reason do not be surprised if your child comes home a little dirty at times. We actively encourage the use of the outdoors to extend children’s learning experiences. We also want the children to enjoy their play times.

Spare Clothes

Spare clothes are available in school but you might want to consider including a spare set of clothes in your child's school bag.

PE Kit

In Reception pupils will be learning how to change for PE lessons. We want pupils to be able to move freely when in PE lessons so comfortable clothing is essential. Please see the examples pictures below.

Remember to add your child's name and class to the labels of PE kit too.
Remember to add your child's name and class to the labels of PE kit too.

Outdoor Learning Kit

In instances where lessons are taking place outside, and weather permits, the children will be required to wear wellies and a waterproof coat and trousers. We do have this equipment in school although you are able to provide it if you would prefer. The clothing you send in will be kept in school and should be marked with your child’s name. However, while it is rare for anything to go missing please be aware that we can not be held responsible if it does.

Attendance and Punctuality

Regular attendance is not only important in helping children settle to school life quickly but also essential for their learning, and therefore strongly encouraged. However, we realise that children get ill, particularly when they are younger and their immune systems are developing. In the case of absences please notify the school office first thing in the morning of your child’s absence and the reason for this. This is a legal requirement. The school's number is 01792 205462.

Sickness/injury - if your child becomes unwell or injured during the school day we will inform the parents on our contact list of the need for your child to be collected. Parents and guardians will always be informed each time their child bumps their head - it is the parent's/guardian's decision as to whether they would like to collect their child.

Medical Needs

If your child has medical needs please ensure the school is informed. You can do this through the class teacher, via the headteacher, deputy headteachers or the office staff. We prefer medication to be administered at home or for you to come and administer the medication yourself, on the school premises. When this is not possible school staff will administer prescribed medication if written consent has been provided. Forms are available for this in the school office.

Health Care Plans should be completed if your child has any medical condition which requires additional consideration at school such as; asthma, epilepsy, allergies etc. Please inform your child's class teacher of this and they will provide you with the appropriate forms.

Photographic Tour of Parkland Primary

Finding your way around Parkland Primary

Please watch this short video showing how you can access the Nursery classrooms.

Reception Key Information

The video below details the information shared above.

Thank you and we looking forward to meeting you and your child soon.