Opportunities for New Parents to Learn about and Visit our School

Although our two evening presentations have now taken place, we still have a number of opportunities for you to find out more about our fabulous school by visiting during the working day when the children are learning. 

Dates and times are listed below. Please click on the relevant link to secure your space.  Each event has a limited number of spaces as we wish to keep our children and staff as safe as possible during the continuing Covid-19 pandemic.  We kindly request that face masks are worn when visiting the school site and hands will need to be sanitised.

If you are unable to make any of the organised dates, please have a look at the Headteacher's presentation and videos below to help you find out about our school.  At the bottom of this page there are a number of questions that other prospective parents have asked;  have a look as you may find the answer to a question you have.

Day Time Tours of the School

There are 10 places available on each tour, please click on the date to book your place.  Children are welcome to attend and do not need to book a place.

Wednesday 3rd November at 9.15am FULL

Friday 5th November 9.45am  FULL

Monday 8th November 9.30am  FULL

Friday 12th November 1.30pm FULL

Thursday 18th November 1.30pm  FULL

Friday 19th November at 9.30am  

Monday 22nd November at 1.30pm  FULL

Thursday 2nd December at 10.30am  FULL

Friday 7th January at 9.30am  

Tuesday 11th January at 9.30am

A child's first year in school is very important and we offer a caring, stimulating environment which is specifically designed to meet the needs of four and five year olds.  Should you choose our school for your child, there will be a number of planned opportunities for parents and children to visit the school and to take part in a variety of activities prior to full time attendance. The dates for these will be shared with you in due course.

Frequently Asked Questions

Bus Service

Fleet Infant School is one of a few Hampshire schools to run a bus service for children living 2 miles or more from the school, in catchment and north of the railway line. Children meeting the criteria become eligible from the term after their 5th birthday and remain eligible until their 8th birthday. Outside of these times, parents will need to pay termly for their child's bus pass. This will be explained further when your offer of a place at Fleet Infant School has been confirmed. 

How long have the teachers been working at Fleet Infant School? 

We are a very established staff with most staff having worked at the school for a number of years.  Mrs Clark is in her fourth year of headship at the school.  Although staff may have been in place for a few years, we are still a forward thinking group who are always keen to try new initiatives to keep things fresh and exciting for our children.  Currently the performance management of the teaching staff is based on action research in education.

Do you mix classes at the end of each year?

Yes, we do mix the classes ready for the following year, as we see the school as a whole community where it is good to know lots of people.  This can also help with rebalancing of classes where needed.  Parents are asked to talk with their child about which four friends they would like to be with the following year and we guarantee one child from their list.

Do you stream for any subjects?

We do not stream as a general rule for English or Maths. However, we do sometimes put children into phonic groups based on the phase of sounds they are learning. 

How do you manage noise levels being open plan?

No Year R classes are currently in the main school building, being based in the mobile classrooms which easily access the outside area.  The main school building houses six Key Stage 1 classes.  Children learn to moderate their noise and be respectful of the classes on either side of them, which usually means there is a nice working hum around the building.  Subjects which may be noisier like music and drama take place in the special music studio, the hall or outside, to minimise the noise inside.  

Are the children able to free flow into all Year R classrooms and the outside area?

When life returns to normal, Year R children will have times in the day where they can move freely between their classroom and the outside area.  They do not free flow into other classrooms.

How is adult-directed learning conducted?

During their school day, children may be asked to work with an adult on a specific task they need to complete, either indoors or outdoors.  Adults also interact with children during their play to extend their learning.

Do you use Tapestry?

At Fleet Infant School we do not use an online reporting platform.  Instead, we collect the children's observations and work and put this into a Learning Journal.  This is sent home at the end of the year as a lovely record of all the learning your child has completed.

Which phonics scheme do you use?

We teach phonics using Letters and Sounds.  Please have a look at the Year R page on the website for more details.

How is transition from Year R to Year 1 managed?

Children have a number of opportunities to spend time with their new Year 1 teacher before the summer holidays.  In the first half term of Year 1, children have shorter learning sessions and opportunities for self-chosen activities.

How is PPA covered (Planning, Preparation and Assessment time for teachers)?

In Year R this is covered by the class teaching assistants and other staff (HLTA, Deputy Headteacher, Learning Support Assistants) who are familiar to the children.  In KS1, PPA is covered by an external sports provider, a music specialist and the Deputy Headteacher.

What happens when my child starts school?

All children begin school in September regardless of their birthday or age.  There will be a few half day sessions but all children are usually in full time by the second full week of term.  If your child is particularly tired or struggling with full time attendance, there is an option of part time attendance in discussion with school staff.

The classroom looks very much like a nursery classroom although there are more times when the class will sit together and do their learning e.g. phonics, register time, snack time, whizzy maths.

What will happen if my child is anxious when starting school?

Visits to the school before your child starts, usually help to settle most children and they are generally excited to begin school.  If your child finds it hard to separate from you or is anxious, we ask you to give them a kiss and cuddle, say goodbye and leave quickly.  The child is then distracted and whisked away and usually settles very quickly.  We will always ring you to let you know your child is now settled and were there to be any prolonged periods of crying, you would be informed.

Behaviour Management

The school manages most behaviour through positive rewards, verbal, stickers and the school's behaviour chart. Each class has a behaviour chart where the children can move from green, to silver, to gold when they have been noticed behaving correctly.  Should a sanction be necessary,  and a child has been reminded verbally to think about making the correct choice and still continues, they may be moved to orange then red.  Any child in this situation will be moved back up to green as swiftly as possible.  Please see our Behaviour Policy on the website for more detail.

What do we teach?

Year R follows the EYFS Curriculum, similar to their nursey or pre-school.  Key Stage 1 children at Fleet Infant School (i.e. Years 1 and 2) access the National Curriculum.  This includes subjects such as Music, Drama, PE, DT, Science, History, RE, Art and Geography as well as English and Maths. 

Homework

At Fleet Infant School we believe young children need to have time to relax and play after school as our children work very hard in a school day. Therefore, our homework expectations are minimal.  All children are expected to read with a parent at least three times a week across the school.  Maths challenges are sent home half termly in Year R and every other week in KS1.  In KS1, a home learning project will be set half termly linked to the topic the children are studying in class e.g. a map of their route to school. KS1 have weekly spellings and mental maths targets to practise at home.

Breakfast and After School Club

Our wrap around care is provided by SCL who are usually based at Velmead School.  Children can be dropped off at Velmead Junior School from 7.45am and are then walked across to our school in time for the start of the day.  At the end of the day they are collected from us and walked back across to Velmead where they can be picked up anytime before 6pm.  Children can be booked in for as many sessions as needed and at short notice directly with SCL.  This provision carries a cost payable directly to SCL.

Playtimes

As Year R children access the outside constantly through the day they do not have a set playtime.  At lunchtime, children play in the main playground with the older children but there is a quieter less busy area for them to play in, should they wish.  Familiar staff are with the children at lunchtimes to support with play and to keep the children safe.

Trips and Visitors

During the Autumn and Spring terms, Year R have a number of visitors into school to enhance their curriculum e.g. drama story teller, Miller's Ark, Chinese New Year performance.  Year R children do not go out on a trip until the Summer when they usually go to the Gordon Brown Centre and have a fun 'teddy themed' day. 

Parental Involvement 

We welcome parents into school on numerous occasions (pre Covid).  These include 'book looks' where you can look at your child's work with them, Christmas craft sessions, Easter Hat Parade, Christmas Fair, FISA Fest singing concert, Christmas plays etc.

Snack and Lunchtime

Children are provided with a fresh fruit or vegetable snack daily by the government.  Milk is also available, free of charge for children under five and then chargeable should your child wish to continue having milk.

All infant aged children are entitled to a free school lunch which consists of a meat, vegetarian or jacket potato option as well as a picnic bag option in the summer.  Any child with a specific dietary requirement for medical reasons can also be catered for.

Staff to Pupil Ratio

All Year R classes have a full time teacher and a full time Learning Support Assistant to support the children's learning and development in class.  In KS1 there is a full time teacher in each class and a Learning Support Assistant, mornings only.

Assessment

Children in Year R are continually assessed at school through their interactions and conversations with the adults as well as the adult-led tasks they complete.  There are formal assessments twice during the year, a baseline assessment on arrival and one at the end of Year R, both using the Development Matters document.

Support and Extension

Staff at Fleet Infant School are very experienced at providing extra support for those children who take longer to grasp concepts as well as extending those who grasp concepts easily.  Extension work is mainly through differentiated work in class and guided work with the class teacher.  Support work may be in class and also through small group or individual support to practise a certain skill.

Parent Concerns

We have an open door policy and welcome conversations with parents about their children.  Staff are happy to discuss specific children with their parents after school through an arranged meeting although a quick chat can often be had when dropping a child to school.  We would prefer to know of any concerns as soon as possible in order to help settle them quickly.

Extra-Curricular Activities

KS1 children are able to access a range of clubs provided by outside agencies after school.  These include Dance, Gymnastics, Drama, French, Chess, Choir, Judo, Football and Multiskills.  All these clubs are chargeable and operate on a first come, first served basis.   Year R children are not eligible for any clubs until the Summer term.

Please find below a slide show which shows photographs of some of the important things in and around the school grounds and our reception children learning and playing..

The County Website

All information about applying for a school place is published on the County website www.hants.gov.uk/admissions where parents can apply on-line at any time for an in-year application or between 1st Nov and 15th Jan for the appropriate New Year R Intake.

We hope that your family will join us in September 2021 but until we are a little closer to your children starting school, here are a few things you can be practising over the year to get your child ready for school.

School readiness

Please find below leaflets provided by Hampshire Services for Young Children and Southern Health NHS Foundation Trust regarding starting school.

There is some useful information and signposting towards websites on specific themes.