September 2024 Reception Intake

Welcome to Poplar Farm School!
 
We are delighted you'll be joining us in September, and we can't wait to meet you all!
 
Enjoy the videos below, which give you a tour of our school and an insight to what happens in EYFS. 
The school tour video shows you the many areas in our school: classrooms; library; The Den; The Rainbow Room; The Sensory Room; hall; food science room and our many outdoor learning spaces.
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Members of staff
 
These are some of the staff members you will see during transition events as we start to get ready for September!
Mrs Buckley

Deputy Head Teacher

Mrs Buckley is the Deputy Head Teacher and Designated Safeguarding Lead at Poplar Farm School.

Miss Costall

Class Teacher

Miss Costall is one of the Class Teachers in EYFS.

Mrs Hodson

Head Teacher

Mrs Hodson is the Head Teacher at Poplar Farm School.

Miss Hunt

Teaching Assistant

Miss Hunt is a Teaching Assistant in EYFS. You will also see her in Poplar Pioneers a couple of mornings each week.

Miss Mason

Assistant Head Teacher

Miss Mason is the Assistant Head Teacher at Poplar Farm School. She is also the SENDCO. If you have any queries regarding the SEND needs of your child, please email her at sendco@poplarfarmsch-cit.co.uk.

Mrs Rowntree

Class Teacher

Mrs Rowntree is one of the Class Teachers in EYFS. She teaches on a Monday, Thursday and Friday.

Mrs Steel

Class Teacher

Mrs Steel is one of the Class Teachers in EYFS. She teaches on a Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday morning.

Mrs Thorpe

Senior Administrator

Mrs Thorpe is the Senior Administrator at Poplar Farm School. If you have any queries about the admission arrangements, please email her at enquiries@poplarfarmsch-cit.co.uk.

Miss Tindale

Teaching Assistant

Miss Tindale is a Teaching Assistant in EYFS.

Transition Events
 
To ensure that your child enjoys a smooth transition to joining us at Poplar Farm School, we have a number of events to make this possible.
 
For parents and carers, there is an information evening on Wednesday 15 May 2024 at 6pm, in the school hall.
 
For children, there are 4 bookable transition visits:
- Wednesday 5 June,10-11am
- Tuesday 11 June, 1.30-2.30pm
- Monday 17 June, 1.30-2.30pm
- Wednesday 26 June, 10-11am.
 
On Friday 5 July, we have a whole school 'move up morning' from 9.15-11.45am. The new EYFS intake can book for this session as well.
 
Parent and carers will receive a Microsoft Forms email from the school office to book the children into some or all of the transition events listed above.
 
If you have any questions about these events, please contact the school office enquiries@poplarfarmsch-cit.co.uk or 01476 850680
 

 

School Uniform

 
Poplar Farm School has a uniform code based on our belief that uniform enhances a feeling of pride, belonging and ownership of our school. The school uniform is as follows:

Uniform: Green Poplar Farm sweatshirt/cardigan, white Poplar Farm polo shirt and grey trousers/skirt/shorts. Poplar Farm coats and fleeces are also be available.

During the summer months, green checked dresses can be worn.

Grey or green tights and white, green or grey ankle socks should be worn.

All hair accessories (bobbles / slides / headbands etc) should be green; white; grey or black.

Any earrings worn must be studs and need to be removed for PE lessons. If the children can't remove these themselves, please remove them at home in the morning.

Nail polish is not permitted.

PE: White Poplar Farm t-shirt, black sport shorts / black jogging bottoms, green Poplar Farm PE hoodie and trainers.

Shoes: To avoid injury children should always wear sensible black shoes that cover their feet. As such, any heels, sandals or any other strapped footwear should not be worn to school.

We appreciate that sometimes logo uniform can be expensive so we researched thoroughly before choosing our supplier. Plain uniform items in school colour (green) without a logo can also be worn. We have a range of pre-loved uniform for sale in the main school office. Prices range from £1 - £1.50 per item. On occasion, we can support parents through the use of Pupil Premium.  For more information please contact the school.

Please click here to visit the suppliers website to order. 

During the busy summer period, orders can take up to 15 working days to dispatch.

To view the CIT Uniform Policy, please click here.

 
Frequently asked questions
 
Do you do a lot of outdoor learning and activities? If so, does this continue throughout the school years as well as reception?
 
We love to embrace the outdoors. The Reception children have access to a fantastic outdoor area throughout their day as they can access it from their classrooms. We are also developing a Forest School area on our school field, which includes a fire pit for children of all ages to use.

 

What is the usual daily routine? Start time, finish time, break times, etc?

A plan of our school day can be seen on the school website via the following link: Poplar Farm School - School Day (poplarfarmsch-cit.co.uk)

 

Is religion or religious studies prominent in the school?

We follow the Lincolnshire agreed syllabus for our RE curriculum. 

 

If a child has a toileting accident are staff able to help them clean and change themselves if needed? 

Our Intimate Care Policy can be found via the following link: Poplar Farm School - Policies (poplarfarmsch-cit.co.uk)

 

How do you settle children if they get lost or seem unhappy?

We have a high ratio of staff:children some of the time, as well as two Learning Mentors who work in The Nest and The Rainbow Room Poplar Farm School - Pastoral Support (poplarfarmsch-cit.co.uk)

 

What’s the usual child-to-staff ratio?

School works on a 1:30 ratio however we are lucky to have TA support meaning these ratios are lowered a portion of the time. 

 

What’s the school lunch like? And is there a packed-lunch policy?

We are very lucky to have an on-site school chef who prepares a variety of healthy meals for the children taking in to account a balance of meat free and vegetarian options. We do have a no packed lunch policy for children in Reception to Y2 as all children are entitled to a free school meal and we are able to offer such a variety. We also find that our family dining style aids more fussy eaters in making confident choices in selecting their own food. Poplar Farm School - School Meals (poplarfarmsch-cit.co.uk)

 

What are the lunchtime arrangements?

On a usual school day the children eat together in the school hall and we follow a "Family Dining" routine. This means the food is served on platters and the children are encouraged to serve themselves. 

 

How does the school deal with bullying?

Our Anti-Bullying Policy can be found on our school website via the following link: Poplar Farm School - Policies (poplarfarmsch-cit.co.uk)

 

How do you support high or low achievers?

We monitor closely, arrange interventions and communicate openly with parents in both cases. 

 

How does the school communicate with parents and involve them in the life of the school?

We communicate with weekly newsletters and regular school updates via an app called ParentMail. We also use an app called Class Dojo to update parents with current learning including videos and photos of the children enjoying their time in class. Reception parents also have a 'Tapestry' app, which links to the EYFS curriculum.

 

In Reception, what proportion of the day is available for free-flow, independent learning?

In reception we use a system call Plan Do Review. This gives the children a chance to choose which area they would like to learn in at various points in the day. They select their name and place it in whichever area they want to use and make an alternative choice if particular areas are already full. This includes the outdoor area which is accessible from the classrooms allowing them to free flow in and out as the day goes on.

 

What is your behaviour management policy?

Our Relationships and Behaviour Policy can be found on the school website via the following link: Poplar Farm School - Policies (poplarfarmsch-cit.co.uk)

 

What are the safeguarding arrangements in school?

Our Deputy Head Teacher Mrs Buckley is our Designated Safeguarding Lead and there are three designated deputy safeguarding leads on site also, Mrs Hodson, Mrs Thorpe and Mrs Anderson. More information is available on the safeguarding website page. Poplar Farm School - Safeguarding (poplarfarmsch-cit.co.uk)

 

How many children are there in the class?

There is a maximum of 30 children per class in EYFS and KS1.

 

What style of learning is used?

We deliver an enriched curriculum – topic based and supported by rich literacy texts and underpinned by the Unicef rights of a child.

 

Is Year 1 separate to reception?

Each year group is separate and we have two classes per year group.

 

What sort of outdoor space do you have and are the grounds secure?

Hopefully you have been able to see some of the outdoor space via the virtual tour. We have a large field with a fire pit and outside classroom, a playground and a separate outdoor area for reception which they access throughout the day as an extension of the classroom.

 

What is your Ofsted rating?

We had our first Ofsted inspection in January 2023. We were graded 'good' in all areas.

 

Do you have breakfast and after school clubs?

Poplar Pioneers, run by school staff runs our breakfast and after school club. They open at 7:30am and close at 5:50pm. Poplar Farm School - Poplar Pioneers - Breakfast & After School Club (poplarfarmsch-cit.co.uk)

 

If you have any further questions about our school, please send us an email
enquiries@poplarfarmsch-cit.co.uk
or give us a call on
01476 850680.