New Nursery starters 2024-2025

If you are joining us for September of the new academic year, then after May half term each year our Early Years staff will contact you to make a home visit to introduce themselves and for your child to meet them so they have a familiar face.  This will only take place for those pupils who are not already in our Nursery. 

There will be a 'Play and Stay' session in school in July 2024  for new pupils starting in Nursery and Reception, who are not currently already in school with us. 

if your child turns 3 we can then admit them in to our Nursery the term after their 3rd birthday. This means we have admissions in place for January, April and September each year. Please contact us in advance to book a space before we are fully booked. 

Welcome to Thursby School.

Welcome to Thursby School and to our Early Years unit for our wonderful Nursery and Reception children. 

Nursery children have the option to wear a school uniform OR they can wear their own clothes. Reception children must wear school uniform. 

    Uniform:

• Uniform with the school logo is available to buy, though we do not expect a logo to be present if parents do not wish to. We have recently changed supplier for the school uniform to Stitch and Print in Wigton. This is a local firm who will deliver uniform free of charge to school, twice weekly.

   

  Parents place an online order via the link below and goods will then be delivered to school. Mrs Shaw will then send the uniform home with your child, therefore saving on postage costs.

   

  https://www.stitchandprint.co.uk/shop/category/Thursby-School?c=3907001

   

  We also have our Uniform Policy to view on this website under the section 'Policies' through 'Key Information'  
• Uniform consists of white polo shirt, navy blue school jumper or cardigan, (does not need to have the school log on)  charcoal grey trousers / shorts / dress / skirt / pinafore. In warmer weather blue gingham dresses may also be worn. 
• Black shoes only. please.
• PE kit consists of a white t-shirt, logo t-shirts and navy shorts. 
• Outdoor learning is a big part of our curriculum, and we love to get muddy. Please provide your child with wellies and waterproofs (all in ones or trousers and jacket). These can be kept in a plastic bag on your child's peg. 
• Book bags maybe purchased too. We recommend children bring them to school every day. 

Most importantly, PLEASE label EVERYTHING. Items of clothing do get misplaced or lost and it is very difficult to get them back to the rightful owner when they have no name. 

   Fruit and milk: ALL children in Nursery, Reception, Year 1 and Year 2 are also entitled to free fruit and this is their daily snack.  All under 5 children receive free school milk. Once your child is 5 this needs paying for if you wish to continue. Cool Milk provide school with milk and you will be able to order nearer September from them. They will contact you for how to set this up. 

  Lunch:

• ALL children are registered and set up on our lunch system 'School Grid'. Parents should activate their account through the email received. School grid can then be accessed online or through the App. Lunches can be ordered daily, weekly or half termly. We encourage parents to do this with their child at home. We do check each morning that children have ordered their lunch. 
• Nursery pay for lunches via the School App. and part time nursery can choose whether to stay for lunch or not though there is an additional wrap around care cost for this. 
• All Reception children are entitled to the government funded school lunches.  

  Water Bottles:

• Please ensure your child has a filled water bottle with them EVERY day. Water bottles can be purchased from the uniform website, but this is not essential. 
• Please, ONLY WATER, in bottles. 

  Breakfast club:

• Reception children may attend our breakfast club. 
• Breakfast club is run by Mrs Bell and starts at 8am - entrance via the hall doors.
• This can be pre-booked via our main office with Mrs Shaw, though we are able to take pupils without a booking when required as we have sufficient staff on site each day to support requirements. Breakfast club starts for children in Reception class upwards. 
• Breakfast club forms for payment are available at the main office. These are located on the wall shelf next to the sliding window. Forms can also be downloaded via our website parent's info page.
• Payments can be made daily, or in advance, if you prefer to pay weekly, monthly or half termly. 

  After school club:

• At the moment, we do not offer any wrap around care for Nursery children nor for Reception after school
• After school clubs are based around extra curricular activities and we offer these to Reception children onwards. These club opportunities will be sent out to parents towards the end of the half term ready in advance for the half term ahead. 
•  

  Absences: 

• If your child is poorly, please phone or email our school admin address, no later than 9.30am on the first day of absence.  We follow our Forst Day Absence Policy and Procedures if your child is absent. We also have a whole school Attendance Policy. Both can be viewed easily on our website under 'Attendance' and also under 'Policies on the 'Key Information' section. 

  Holidays: 

• Holiday request forms are available from the main office . It will be the discretion of the head teacher to authorise any holidays., though it must be noted that this is only in exceptional circumstances and the majority of any holiday in term time is not authorised. 
•  Nursery children are not of statutory age though we would appreciate parents completing a holiday form so school knows why the child is absent for a longer period. 

  Medicine: 

• Any medicines that need to be given during school time must be taken to the main office at the start of the day, and relevant medication forms will need to be filled in for school to administer medicine. Only medicine prescribed by a doctor and labelled as such and can not be taken out of school eg 4 times a time can be administered. 

   Start and end of the school day:

• Voluntary one way system: As a school we have agreed with local residents that we will encourage our parent's to use a voluntary one way system during school drop off times. This system is as follows: Enter school road, turn left on to Shawk Cresent and follow the road round until you reach school road again, turn right on to school road to exit. No vehicles are permitted to enter school grounds at any time during these times either. Please support us in keeping your children safe.  

• .At the start of the day children are to enter via our garden gate which is round the back of our Early Years unit. Parent's are able to come in to our garden area to settle children in on their first week only.  After the first week staff will go out on to the school yard to collect the children from yourselves and bring them in to school without an adult at 8.45am.  The school yard is also where you wait to collect your child at the end of the school day (3.20pm) and the staff will bring your child out to you.  The past 2 years during Covid19 have shown us evidence that the easier the swap over from parent to school is, the more easily the children settle faster in school and dropping and collecting on the yard has made a significant positive impact to faster settling of children.
• At Thursby, when building relationships with parent's, we pride ourselves on our 'open door policy'. We all understand that starting school is as much a 'big step' for parents as it is for children! Please do not hesitate to speak to any member of staff with any queries or concerns you may have. If necessary, appointments can be arranged for the end of the day and we are more than happy to liaise via phone call or email too on 01228 711180 or class1@thursby.cumbria.sch.uk 

If you have any other queries and would like to make direct contact with the class teachers you can email: class1@thursby.cumbria.sch.uk   (Miss Butler and Mrs Gibson) 

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