Author: Chloe Dorrell

Welcome to Collaton St Mary!
This booklet has been written to help prepare you and your child for the exciting adventure of starting school. We aim to give you the information you need and answers some of the questions you may have.
As a school, we want to work in partnership with you to help your child achieve their full potential during their time at Collaton.

General Information
The School Day
The school day starts at 8:45am and the class teacher will welcome your child into their classroom. The children will start their day with a morning activity and then the register is then called. Please ensure your child arrived at school in good time for the register.
If children arrive after 9:00am, they will need to go to the school office, where they will receive a late mark.
Home time is at 3:15pm. Children in Reception and KS1 need to be collected by an adult from the classroom. If someone new or different is collecting your child, can you please inform the class teacher in the morning.
Attendance
As a school we believe that every day counts, therefore it is very important that children attend school everyday so that they can make good progress in their learning.
If your child is unwell, please ring the school office that morning to inform us of the reason for absence. If your child is absent for a few days, please ring every morning to inform the school of their absence.
School Uniform
The Governing Body places great importance on the wearing of school uniform. It is a very valuable sign that children have pride in their membership of the school, in its new and modern surroundings, and in the team spirit it creates. It reflects our Christian ethos, a tradition we believe to be ever more important in swiftly changing times.
Please ensure all items of clothing and personal items are marked with your child’s name. The next page will detail items required for our school.

Uniform may be purchased from the ‘Riviera Schooldays’ shop, 186 Union St, Torquay. Leaflets and prices are available from the school foyer.
Secondhand uniform is also sold through the PTFA.

What can I do to prepare my child for school?
Please support your child to be able to go to the toilet independently.
Ensure they can put on their coat and shoes.
Use gross motor movements daily—jumping, swinging arms, brushing the floor, running, using alternate feet on the stairs, throwing a ball.
Encourage fine motor skills: using tweezers to pick up objects, threading beads, colouring, painting, using chalk, picking up small objects between their thumb and index finger.
Take time to talk to your child and get involved in their play.
Share books, songs and games.
Help you child recognise common shapes, colours, numbers and letter sounds.
Write your child’s name and help them to recognise it.
Introduce counting activities and songs.
Provide opportunities for running, climbing and chasing.
Let your child enjoy, listen for and invent sounds.
Play I spy—segment a word c-a-t and you child can blend and work out the object you are talking about.

If you have questions or need to get in contact
Collaton St Mary C of E Primary School
Blagdon Road,
Paignton,
Devon
TQ3 3YA
01803 556433
admin.collaton@acexcellence.co.uk
School website: https://www.collatonstmaryprimary.org/