Admission - Reception 2025
Welcome to Muscliff - prospective Reception parents Sept 2025
If you would like to join us for a tour to hear more about the school and answer questions, please email office@muscliffprimary.co.uk with your name, email and phone number.
The tours will be in October and November 2024. We are yet to confirm exact dates but will update this page once confirmed. If you would like to get in contact with us to express interest, we would be delighted to hear from you.
Welcome to Muscliff Primary School.
We are delighted you are considering sending your child to our school.
Please have a look at the FAQ below for more information.
Prospective Parents FAQ…
How many classes are there and what are the class sizes?
There are two classes of 30 children in the current Reception, and three classes in each year group from Y1 up to Year 6. Each class has a class teacher, or two in the case of a job share. Some classes have a teaching assistant, dependent on the needs of the children in each class. There are two TAs working across the two Reception classes.
What time does the school open and close each day?
The school day runs 8.45-3.15pm (3.10pm for Reception).
Do you have a breakfast club / after school club?
Yes. You can book your child in for the days you need using our Parentmail app.
What food /drink can my child bring into school?
Your child will need a snack pot in reception containing raw fruit or veg ONLY and a named water bottle containing water ONLY please.
Will my child be given a free school meal?
You have the option to order a free school meal while your child is in Reception, Year one and Year two, under the government’s Universal Free School Meals directive. These are prepared by our wonderful kitchen staff, led by Chef Kev. Menus are sent out to parents in July ready for the new year. At present we are unable to offer a hot lunch option. Children currently have the choice to bring in their own packed lunch or receive a free school packed lunch prepared onsite. In Years 3-6 the children all bring their own packed lunch from home unless parents are eligible for Pupil Premium grant (free school meals) according to the state benefits they receive.
Do you have a school uniform? Where can I buy it?
Yes. Our uniform is navy trousers/ shorts/ skirt/ pinafore dress, white polo shirt and the jade coloured school jumper /cardigan. In the summer girls can also choose to wear light blue checked dresses. The school jumper/cardigan is available to buy from the office/ via Parentmail. Children in Y5 and 6 wear a shirt with a school tie.
What do the children wear for PE?
Each child will be given a house team. Their house team has a colour related to it; Resilience blue, Kindness green, Aspiration red, Responsibility yellow, Curiosity orange – the children wear a PE t-shirt of that colour, along with navy shorts and trainers. On a day where children have PE, they will come in, in their PE kit and remain in it for the day.
What happens if my child is unwell?
If they become unwell at school we will phone you straight away – it is so important we have up to date contacts for four trusted people in case we can’t get hold of the first contact.
If they are unwell at home we ask that you phone the school to explain the reason for the absence by 8am.
What does the induction period look like?
Once we have been allocated our final 60 children we liaise with the preschools/ nurseries to find out about your child. We take advice from the preschool settings about who your child is friends with and create three roughly equal classes (boy/ girl mix, friendship groups etc). Then we will invite parents to a ‘Welcome’ evening meeting at the end of June. At this meeting we will give you lots of information, including the class your child will be in.
If your child has an additional needs or medical conditions it might be necessary to have a specific meeting between home, school and preschool before the end of July so that we can fully prepare for your child to start school. There will be an induction meeting for you and your child to attend so that we can get to know more about them and you can share any questions/ information with us. This will be held in the classroom with the teacher and the TA. After that your child will do a few days of mornings / afternoons before starting full time. The reason for the part time arrangement is so that we can transition 15 children at a time in school – learning new routines, rules, equipment, people, making friends and so on. We find this really supports the children’s transition in to school. It has worked successfully for several years. We appreciate it can be a little disruptive for parents finding child-care however we will give you as much notice as possible, and it is vital that we get this early transition right for the children.
Will my child be in a class with their friends?
We speak to preschool providers about friendship groups and group the children accordingly. We take children from many providers (up to 30) so there will be some children who don’t know anyone and some who know quite a few. If we receive a large group of children from one preschool setting we will split them between classes so they are able to mix with other children too. Reception is all about making new friends!
What do the Reception children do all day?
So much!! Have a look at the current ‘class pages’ (Children tab) and click on Reception to see what has been going on for the past few weeks – this should give you a flavour of the reception timetable and activities.
How will I find out how my child is getting on?
In reception we use Tapestry – an online journal that teachers record observations and notes on. You will be given a log in too so that you can add comments. There are also two formal parents evenings a year (October and March) and other opportunities to see your child’s teacher to discuss their progress.
How will you challenge/ stretch my able child? How will you support my child who has additional needs?
We ensure that all children have support whatever their ability… some might need more challenge and questioning to extend their thinking, others might need support to achieve in smaller steps. Adults in school are very well equipped to work with all children, whatever their starting point. Teachers use constant daily assessment to plan next steps for individuals and groups.
Do you teach a language? Music? Drama?
The children have a full curriculum including French (from Year 3). They are all entitled to a broad balanced curriculum – this will include music and drama and all other subjects. We follow the National Curriculum. Please have a look at other pages on the website for more information about what we teach.
How much sport/ PE do you do?
The children have two timetabled PE lessons per week. In reception the children play outdoors often as part of their wider EYFS curriculum.
My child is very young (born in August) – will they cope with full time school?
Every year we get asked about this. Almost all children will cope well and will be ready to start school. In rare cases we can support with a more gradual transition if you and the preschool feel it necessary. The reception timetable is a mixture of adult led and child initiated (play ) activities. Your child will be able to go at their own pace initially as they settle in to school life. We are very happy to discuss this further with anyone.
Will I get in if I don’t live in catchment?
Each year this is different – depending on the number of 4 year olds living in Muscliff at the time! Some years we are oversubscribed. For the past two years we have taken several children from out of catchment. Please follow the advice provided by the Admissions team at the Local Authority – choose three schools including your catchment school.
When will I know if my child has got a place?
National offer day is 16th April 2025. If you apply to BCP council online you will receive an online response. If you post the form, you will receive a letter.