Parents
Our Partnership with Parents/Carers
Information evenings and workshops
These sessions aim to keep parents/carers informed of any new initiative or ways in which we are able to work together to support children’s learning.
In the Autumn Term we hold a ‘Meet the Teacher’ evening to give parents an overview of the year ahead and how each year group operates day-to-day. FOWVIS offer the opportunity to socialise in the school hall during this event.
In the Summer Term the Year 2 staff hold a SATs information meeting to explain how the Year 2 children will be presented with their National Tests.
In the Summer Term Year 1 staff deliver an information meeting on the Year 1 phonics screening.
In the Summer Term we also hold an Induction Evening to inform new parents of routines and information about starting school and to provide an opportunity to look around the school and meet staff.
The Year R class teachers visit each child in their home before he or she starts school in September. This is to meet the child and provide information on school routines, expectations and helpful tips for starting school.
Parent/Carer Volunteers
We are happy to accept the help of parental volunteers to support learning in school. Those volunteering have been cleared to work with children through an Enhanced DBS check and we ask volunteers to follow the TAMAT Staff Code of Conduct.
Typically, volunteers help by listening to children read, support group work in the classroom, play board games as part of our lessons, support art and craft work, such as painting and sewing, prepare resources and help when we visit the local area, such as when we walk to church for our carol service.
Events during the year at school
Parent/Teacher consultation evenings
We hold two parent and teacher consultation evening sessions throughout the year. One takes place in the second half of the Autumn Term; the other is during the Spring Term.
An online booking system is made available on PMX so that parents can select their preferred time. We understand that for some parents a late afternoon or evening appointment can be difficult and so the two evenings offer different times.
Annual reports and open morning
In the Summer Term, we hold an ‘Open Day’. This is an opportunity for parents/carers to visit the school to share and celebrate their year’s work. Parents will receive a copy of their child’s annual report at this time (& Yr 2 SATs certificate).
We offer regular E-safety updates.
Harvest assembly
The children attend a Harvest assembly at St. John's Church. We also collect contributions of food which the children help to distribute to a local food bank.
Christmas celebration
The children in each year group put on a production for parents/carers at Christmas time in the school hall. They also attend a Carol Service at St John’s Church.
Year group singing assemblies
We hold a termly singing assembly to which parents of children in a specific year group are invited. Year 2 parents will be invited in the Autumn Term, Year 1 parents in the Spring Term and Year R parents in the Summer Term.
Curriculum days/weeks
Throughout the year, we arrange a number of themed weeks and days.
‘Art Week’ is held in the Autumn Term where we study the work of a chosen artist and then create our own work in a similar style. ‘Book Week’ will be in the Spring Term and children may be asked to dress up around a book theme on one of these days. These are always very popular weeks in the school year.
In the Spring Term we also hold our Family Learning sessions, when family members are invited into school.
In the Summer Term we hold our Health and Sports Week, culminating in our Sports Day.
Year 2 Extravaganza
The Year 2 children create a musical performance in the Summer Term for the rest of the school and for the Year 2 families.
Year 2 Leavers’ assembly
Before the Year 2 children leave Windlesham Village Infant School, we hold a leavers’ assembly to which Year 2 and other leavers’ families are invited.
Home learning
Home learning is not just about formal exercises carried out without the help of adults. It is the active involvement of parents in joint activities that is most valuable in promoting children’s learning.
We recommend the following time for home learning:
|
Year Group |
Reading |
Other activities |
|---|---|---|
|
Reception |
10mins |
10mins |
|
Year 1 |
15mins |
10mins |
|
Year 2 |
20mins |
10mins |
We encourage parents to undertake short activities of different kinds – simple games, learning spellings and number facts but predominantly reading.
Feedback for children, parents and teachers
We encourage parents to give immediate feedback to children on their home learning. Teachers give feedback through class learning or through comments written in the home learning books. Children’s efforts are rewarded through smiley faces, stickers and praise points.
We regard it as essential to have feedback from parents on the activities they have undertaken with their child, both on how well he/she did the activities and on whether the activities were interesting/too easy/too hard etc.
Parents are encouraged to write comments in the home learning and reading record books and to keep up a dialogue with their child’s class teacher.
Reading
It is essential that children read daily at home. We encourage all our children to either read to a parent or be read to for between 10 to 20 minutes a day. Children bring reading books home every evening.
