Monteney Primary School

Reception Starters - September 2024

Welcome to Monteney Primary School!

A very warm welcome to Monteney Primary. We are delighted that you will become part of our Monteney family from September 2024. We can't wait to meet you all!

You will be receiving through the post very soon a pack with some information. We are currently looking at making plans for the transition to school process such as stay and play sessions and family information meetings. We will use this page to keep in touch and keep you updated. In addition, we use an App called Class Dojo to keep in touch as well. Please look out for your invite once we have received back to school the information to register your child.

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Frequently Asked Questions

We will be updating this page periodically but, for now, here are some Frequently Asked Questions that may help:

Q: Can I come and visit the school? Not at the moment, but as soon as we are fully open, you may arrange a visit by contacting the school office by email on office@monteney.sheffield.sch.uk or by phone on 0114 2467916.

What class will my child be in? We are a two-form entry school so we will have two classes of 30 children. We try our best to allocate the children so that there is an even mix of boys and girls/ Summer, Spring and Autumn born children in each class. The Early Years provision at times will work as one area so children mix between the classes. Both classes share the outside, secure area which is located at the front of the school.
Can my child be with their friend from Nursery? We cannot promise this. We have an intake from several Early Years settings and we try and speak to every one of these individually to get to know your children and their abilities/needs/friendships and so on. As well as trying to balance the classes as explained above, this forms part of our thinking about which class they will be in. You can also let us know if you think they would benefit being with their friends from nursery, or indeed apart from their friends from nursery! As explained above our Reception classes mix together throughout the day.
My child knows no-one starting in September. Will they be OK? Yes, they will be fine. Every year, we have children who know no-one else, and special care is taken of them by our very experienced staff who will help them to settle and make friends. You will be hearing about a whole new set of friends in no time!
Who will my child’s teacher be? At the moment, we have not set the staffing structure for September. We will let you know who all of the team will be as soon as possible. When this is confirmed we’ll ensure that all children have a special transition book which will include lots of photos of their new classroom and of the teachers that will be looking after them.
What do I do if I don’t think my child will like school or will get upset at the thought of starting school? This is a very common occurrence. It is a massive change for your child…and indeed for you. Take a walk/drive past the school if you can and begin to explain the concept, especially if they are your eldest child. Talk with excitement about the things they may be doing or learning. When you go to buy their uniform/shoes/lunchbox, make this an exciting trip with a treat afterwards! Find one of the many, many storybooks about starting school and include this in your reading with them. Most importantly of all, if you are anxious or nervous, chat about this with the Early Years team. Together we can help support you and your child with this transition.
Will I have to fill in any paperwork for the school? Yes. This will be coming to you at various points over the next little while. Please post it back to us as soon as possible so we can start processing your information ready for when the new children start.
What if I have another question? Contact the school office by email on office@monteney.sheffield.sch.uk or by phone on 0114 2467916.

Details about EYFS and the curriculum

The Early Years is all about your child learning through play. Your child will spend most of their day in school accessing the continuous provision and following their own interests both indoors and outdoors. The areas within the classroom will be set up by adults who have taken into account your child’s interests and next steps. The children will access these areas with support and guidance from teaching staff.

During the day, your child will take part in some short adult led activities focused around Communication and Language, Phonics and Maths. Although adult led, these will be fun and engaging sessions, planned with the children’s interests and needs in mind. There are ample opportunities throughout the year for outdoor play, as we believe this is vital for children’s development.

Once the children are settled in school we hope to be able to provide opportunities for you to join us in the classroom to experience our learning environment. As soon as we can we will also provide parental workshops to inform you of our teaching approaches, allowing for greater collaboration to support your child’s progress.

Uniform

Please visit our Uniform page for information on our school uniform policy.

School uniform with the school logo can be purchased by following the below links

https://myclothing.com/monteney-primary-school/6351.school

https://www.logoleisurewear.com/index.php?route=product/category&path=158

School Dinners

For those children staying for school dinners, we operate a banding system. This allows children to select their dinner option at morning registration. At dinner time, children are given a coloured band which they exchange for their chosen meal. This ensures that children receive their first choice and helps to minimise food wastage.

The current Dinner Menu and further information can be found on our School Dinners page.

Free School Meals

As you may be aware, the Government introduced the Universal Free School Meals Scheme (UIFSM), which means all children in Year R, Year 1 and Year 2 automatically quality for FREE nutritious school meals to maximise their learning at this critically important time in their school life.

Thousands of children already benefit from this scheme across the country. However, we recognise that some parents are confused as to whether they need to register and are consequently not taking advantage of this scheme which could save you over £400 a year for each child in KS1. For UIFSM, parents do not need to register unless they qualify for income based free school meals.

The income based Free School Meal system is separate from UIFSM. Whatever year group your child is in, you could help your school even further by registering for free school meals. Your school can then receive Government funding of £1320 per child eligible for Free School Meals to provide an even greater quality learning experience.

This criteria for eligibility is where parents/guardians are in receipt of one or more benefits:

Income Support
Income-based Job Seekers' Allowance
Employment and Support Allowance (Income Related)
Support under Part VI of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999
Families in receipt of Child Tax Credit will also qualify provided that (a) they are NOT,entitled to Working Tax Credit, and (b) their annual income, as assessed by Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs does not exceed £16,190 (subject to annual review)*
Guarantee element of State Pension Credit

It is therefore important to sign up for free school meals, even if your child is in reception, year 1 or year 2, (and receives free meals under the Universal Free School Meals system) so that your child’s school receives as much funding as possible.

It is quick and easy to check if you are eligible by following the below link.

https://www.sheffield.gov.uk/schools-childcare/school-meals

Calendar & Events

For information about our school events and key dates for your diary, please visit our Calendar page in our News menu. The News menu also has lots of other useful information, so please take a look.