Welcome to Concordia Academy
We cannot wait to meet you and your family in September and start our learning adventure. Starting school is an exciting milestone, and we want both you and your child to feel happy, secure, and ready to thrive from day one. Starting anything new can be a daunting prospect so this page is dedicated to getting you and your child ready for September. Please familiarise yourself with all the content so that we can make your child’s transition into school as seamless as possible!
What to expect
Once all admission offers have been sent out by the local authority, you will receive an email from us acknowledging your child’s place at Concordia Academy. By the end of May, you will have received emails from us requesting you to complete our Admission and Consent Forms. Please complete these forms as soon as possible to avoid unnecessary delays.
Documents required for admission to School
As part of our legal and safeguarding duties, we must ensure that we verify the identity of children being admitted to school, as well as confirming who holds parental responsibility.
Before your child starts school, you must provide some documents to us. This is so that we can confirm who your child is, who their parents are, where you live, and any other important information. Children will not be allowed to start until the school have received all requested paperwork.
We need to see original documents, as we cannot accept photocopies. We will take a copy of each document that you provide and retain this confidentially in your child’s pupil file. Any information on the document that isn’t relevant to this process will be covered or redacted so that it doesn’t show.
If you don’t provide these documents to us, there could be a delay to your child starting school. If you can’t find the right documents, please let us know straight away, so we can help.
What we require:
1. Proof of the child’s legal name and date of birth
We need this information so that we can know your child’s full, legal name so that it is entered accurately on our admissions register. We also need to make sure they are in the correct year group.
Documents accepted (only one is required):
· UK birth certificate (long version preferred)
· Valid/current passport (passports belonging to parents on which the child is named are accepted)
· Official document(s) from the National Asylum Seeker Service showing that they support your family (for example an ARC application registration card)
· Change of name by deed poll (if applicable)
2. Proof of your child’s main address
We need this information to send letters to the right address, signpost local support that you are entitled to, and to do a welfare check (home visit) if your child is not at school and we are worried about them.
Documents accepted (only one is required):
· Council tax bill for your home for this financial year (financial years run April to March each year)
· Current housing benefit entitlement letter
· Tenancy agreement for your council housing, housing association or privately rented property
· Letter from the National Asylum Support Service (NASS) telling you of your housing address
· Letter from Adult or Children’s Services Asylum Team, telling you of your housing address
3. Proof of parental responsibility
We need this information so that we know who has legal responsibility for your child, who we should communicate with about their welfare and progress and who can make decisions about their education.
Documents accepted:
· Birth certificate (long version)
· Adoption order
· Parental responsibility agreement or parental responsibility order
· Child arrangements order
· Special guardianship order
Please bring the above required documents along to the school office at your earliest opportunity between the hours of Monday to Friday 9.30am to 2.30pm.
Stay and Play
The first part of the transition process is for your child to attend a Stay and Play Session. This session is a compulsory part of the settling in process where parents will also receive a talk from the Headteacher and EYFS Lead. This session lasts for 1 hour and will help the teaching staff decide which class your child is going to be in. Due to limited space in the classroom only one parent can attend and younger siblings are not permitted. Sessions for 2025 will be:
Monday 30 June
Tuesday 1 July
Tuesday 8 July
Wednesday 9 July
We will be inviting each child to come along to one of the scheduled sessions and also ask you to please complete this short form in preparation. You will receive an invite for Stay and Play, please do not attend if you have not received an invite for that session. It is important your child attends their allocated session as this is a great opportunity to meet our staff, and experience first hand the warm and welcoming community that makes our school so special.
Induction and Settling in
It is important that your child feels happy and secure as they start their school life. For this reason, we have a carefully planned programme to gradually prepare your child for full–time education.
In order to ensure that your child transitions smoothly into their Reception year at Concordia Academy, we have arranged for a staggered entry for all children which takes place across the first 2 weeks of September. Your child will be allocated a group and will follow the transition arrangements below. You will receive a letter informing you which group number your child will be in.
Phase One of the transition will see pupils coming to school for the morning and leaving before lunch at 11.30am.
Phase Two will see groups of children stay for lunch and be collected afterwards at 12.30pm.
Phase Three will see all children stay for lunch and be collected afterwards at 12.30pm.
Details of each phase are outlined below.
Phase One
On the following dates, children will be dropped to school at 8.40am and collected before lunch at 11.30am.
| Monday 7th September | Group 1 starts and continues for the rest of the week. |
| Tuesday 8th September | Group 2 starts and continues for the rest of the week. |
| Wednesday 9th September | Group 3 starts and continues for the rest of the week. |
Phase Two
During this phase children will arrive at school for 8.40am and stay for lunch with their respective group. Each child will get a sample meal from the school dinner menu.
| Group 1 | Group 2 | Group 3 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Date TBC | Children stay for lunch and are collected from school at 12.30pm. | Children leave before lunch and are collected from school at 11.30am. | Children leave before lunch and are collected from school at 11.30am. |
| Date TBC | Children leave before lunch and are collected from school at 11.30am. | Children stay for lunch and are collected from school at 12.30pm. | Children leave before lunch and are collected from school at 11.30am. |
| Date TBC | Children leave before lunch and are collected from school at 11.30am. | Children leave before lunch and are collected from school at 11.30am. | Children stay for lunch and are collected from school at 12.30pm. |
Phase Three
| Date TBC | On this day all children arrive at school for 8.40am and stay for lunch. Children are collected from school at 12.30pm. |
From XXX September, all children will go full time. They will start school at 8.40am and be collected at 3.15pm. During the induction period, staff will be available in the playground to direct children, parents and carers to the Reception classes.
If your child needs a little more time to settle and adjust to their new surroundings, staff will speak to you or make a call home in order to agree a ‘settling in’ programme.
Important Dates
(these may be subject to change)
| Stay and Play | Date TBC |
| Date TBC | |
| Date TBC | |
| Date TBC | |
| Settling in period | TBC |
| Lunch with your child | TBC – only one parent can attend and due to health & safety younger siblings cannot attend. |
| All children will be in full-time (if we feel your child needs a longer transition we will discuss this with you | TBC |
School times
The school gates open at 8.40am and close at 8.50am sharp each day.
Teachers and support staff will always be available between these times to talk to parents/carers and to settle your child. Staff are also available after school once children have been dismissed to their parents and carers.
Lunchtime: 11:30am-12:30pm Home time: 3:15pm
At home time, children are collected from the classroom door. Staff will call each child in turn as they see you when you will be required to give the staff your collection password. Your password was chosen by you when completing your admission forms. This can take a little time as staff become familiar with new faces, so it is important that parents/carers are patient.
If your child is to be collected by someone that staff do not recognise, please ensure they have the correct password for the child or we will not release them.
Useful Links
Please see our Parent Pack for more information
Breakfast and After School Care
Is my child too ill for school?
To help make the transition as smooth as possible, education and early years experts, including REAch2 Academy Trust, have created Starting Reception—a practical guide filled with expert advice, tips, and activities to support your child. Find out more: https://startingreception.co.uk
Starting-Reception-Parents-flyer-handout
If you have any questions or concerns, please don’t hesitate to get in touch. We’re here to support you every step of the way, and we look forward to working in partnership with you to give your child the very best start to school life!
Privacy Notice for Parents and Children – It’s important that parents understand how we will process, store and share your personal data and that of your children. The Privacy Notice provides this information and links to where you can obtain further information.
