Sunshines FAQs

Before your child starts school

We will send you an admissions form to complete, giving us all of the information we will need about your child. We will also need to have sight of your child’s birth certificate or passport; we will ask you to bring one of these documents to the Early Years Office or School Office.

We will invite your child for settling sessions in Sunshines during the Summer Term before they start school. We also liaise with any nursery/preschool setting that your child has attended, to find out more about your child and help them have a smooth transition into our school.  You will be invited to an Information Evening, to meet the Sunshines teachers, visit the classroom, and find out about our school.

We will give you a copy of our Welcome book, filled with photographs and information to share with your child. A digital copy of this will also be uploaded here.

What is Sunshines? Where is Sunshines? What are Sunrise and Sunset?

Our two reception classes are called Sunrise and Sunset; there are up to 30 children in each class.  The two classes share a large space which is called the Sunshines room. Each class has its own teacher and a team of experienced EYFS practitioners who support learning across Sunshines. For much of the day, all children can move freely around the whole room and outdoor area. They also spend time learning with staff in small groups, and learning together in Sunrise and Sunset. The Sunshines room and outdoor area are located at the end of the school building closest to our school field. If approaching through our main gate, these are to your left.

What is the Early Years Office?

The Early Years Office is your first point of contact for any queries or messages regarding your child in Sunshines (or nursery). You can get in touch by phone (01977 684037, Option 3) or e mail (eyadmin@athelstan.n-yorks.sch.uk). When your child moves into Year 1, these queries and messages should be directed to the School Office.

What is the school uniform?

Our Early Years Children, including Sunshines, wear uniform suitable for our very practical curriculum – please click here to find out more.

Is wraparound care available at Athelstan?

Yes.  For our Early Years children, we run Rainbow Wraparound. For children in Years 1-6, wraparound care is provided on-site by Time Out.

Can I still use Working Families Funding to pay for Rainbow Wraparound?  Is there any financial support available for school-aged children?

Working Families funding stops once a child starts attending a school reception class.  Information on the various other forms of financial support available to families (e.g. Tax Free Childcare, Universal Credit for Childcare) is available on the Childcare Choices website.

Pupil Premium funding and Free School Meals are available to children from families in receipt of certain benefits and tax credits. For children in receipt of this funding, we provide support with the costs of school uniform, school trips and more. Click here to find out more and apply. If you have any problems with the online application process, you can request a paper application form from the Early Years Office.

When are the school holidays?

You can see our term dates by clicking the News and Events tab on our website home page.

Where and when do I drop-off and collect my child?

Children in Sunshines and Key Stage 1 go into school at 8.35am and the school day finishes at 3.05pm. We ask that children arrive promptly at the beginning of the day and are collected promptly at the end.

In response to parent feedback, we operate a ‘kiss and drop’ system in the mornings: parents do not come onto the school site. Our main gate (Milford Road, LS25 6QN) is closest to where Sunshines children will line up and meet the Sunshines staff at the start of the day before walking to their classroom. Sunshines children can also arrive at our Rose Avenue or Highfields gates; if they are not confident to walk to their line by themselves, they can walk with an older child, or wait a member of staff to walk with them.

At the end of the day, you will come into the Sunshines playground to collect your child. If your child is in Sunrise, you will collect them from the door leading directly onto the playground. Children in Sunset should be collected from the side door.

If your child is attending Rainbow Wraparound, you should use our Rose Avenue gate. Go through the gate at the end of Rose Avenue, then walk straight on; the door to the Puddles classrooms and Rainbow Wraparound is on your right, next to the scooter pod. Please knock to let the staff know you are there. If the Rose Avenue gate is locked, please press the ‘Early Years Reception’ buzzer.

How will the school communicate with me?

Sunshines send out a weekly newsletter by email to tell you what the class will be learning about. This is also posted on the Sunshines class page of our website.  

Most of our school communications are by e mail. We send out weekly school newsletters on Friday afternoons; these can also be seen here. Other letters are usually e mailed, though we will occasionally send home paper letters in your child’s book bag (usually if there is a section to be completed and returned).

We also use text messages to keep you informed of the smaller pieces of news that arise during the week, and to issue reminders. You will be invited to set up an account with Evidence Me, a secure online service which allows us to send observations of your child’s work and play for you to view online. We also post news of our day-to-day activities on Facebook and our Twitter feed (subject to parental permission for children to be included) – please follow us!

You can always see the dates of key events in the school calendar for each term in the News and Events tab on our website home page.

How can I talk to my child’s teacher?

You will be able to talk to the Sunshines staff when you collect your child at 3.05pm; please wait until they are free after seeing the other children out. Alternatively, you can write messages in your child’s planner or contact us by e mail. For admin or logistical queries, please e mail the Early Years Office (eyadmin@athelstan.n-yorks.sch.uk). For queries relating to your child’s learning or wellbeing in class, please contact the Sunshines teachers – you’ll find their e mail addresses on the weekly Sunshines newsletter.

Teachers are not able to come to the phone during their teaching time, but you are always welcome to telephone the Early Years Office and request that a teacher call you back during lunchtime or at the end of the school day.

Should my child bring a snack or drink to school?

No. In Sunshines we provide a range of healthy snacks including wholemeal bread /toast, wraps (ham/chicken), fruit loaf, apples, pears, oranges, plums, bananas, strawberries, melon, pears, cucumber, carrots and peppers. Water is available for children to drink at any time.  To fund this, we ask for a voluntary contribution from parents, paid termly through Parent Pay.

Children under five are entitled to free milk at school; this is drunk at snack time. Once your child has turned five, he/she can continue getting milk at school if you register with Cool Milk and make a termly payment directly to them. Reminders will be sent to parents / carers shortly before their child’s 5th birthday.

When your child moves into Year 1 we will ask that you send them to school with a water bottle. Children in Year 1 upwards can purchase break time snacks at school, or bring in a piece of fruit from home.

Tell me about school lunches

Lunchtime for Sunshines is from 11.30am–12.30pm. Sunshines eat in the school hall, at the same time as children in our Puddles nursery, before the older children.

All children in Sunshines and Key Stage 1 are entitled to a Universal Free School Meal. We provide a good range of meals, with a menu that repeats every 3 weeks.  We offer a range of meal options every day, including jacket potatoes, sandwiches and a vegetarian meal as well a main meal of the day.

We are able to cater for children with special dietary requirements by arrangement, though we need to have the correct paperwork in place in order to do this. If your child requires a special diet, please make sure that we are fully aware of child’s needs so that we can work with you to provide suitable meals for your child.

School lunches should be ordered using the Meal Selector in Parent Pay.

If you are having any problems using the Meal Selector, please contact the Early Years Office.

What if I’d prefer to send a packed lunch?

You are welcome to send a packed lunch every day, or to send a packed lunch some days but have a school meal on others.  Packed lunches should arrive with your child in the morning.  They should include a drink and should not include sweets, fizzy drinks or chocolate bars.  

 Please be aware that we are a NUT AWARE SCHOOL - please click here to find out more.

What is Parent Pay?

We are a cashless school: we cannot accept cash payments. Once your child has started at Athelstan, all payments should be made through Parent Pay (for Rainbow Wraparound invoices, we can also accept payments through the Tax Free Childcare System or Workplace Childcare Vouchers). Parent Pay also includes the Meal Selector for ordering your child’s school meals (see above).    

If you are new to Athelstan, details of how to set up your Parent Pay account will be sent out at the start of your child’s first term with us, before their first day.  If you need this re-sending, or are struggling to set up your account, please contact the Early Years Office.

Can we take a holiday in term time?

From the start of the term following your child’s 5th birthday, they are of statutory school age and you should not take them out of school for a holiday in term time, other than in exceptional circumstances. For clarification of such circumstances, please contact our Attendance Officer (attendance@athelstan.nyorks.sch.uk ).

If you decide to take a holiday during term time, you will need to complete a Holiday in Term Time form. These are available from the Early Years Office, School Office or (by e mail) from our Attendance Officer. If your child has started school but is not yet of statutory school age, the same procedures still apply. We strongly encourage you not to book holidays in term time, and will record any such absences as ‘unauthorised’.

What if my child is ill?

If your child is ill, please call us before 9am, select the option ‘report your child’s absence’, and leave us a message. Alternatively, you can e mail our Attendance Officer (see above). If you know that your child will be absent for more than one day, please let our Attendance Officer know when we should expect them to return/ when you will update us. Otherwise, please contact us, as described above, every day that your child is absent.

Please note that if your child has been vomiting, or had diarrhoea, they must stay off school for 48 hours following the last episode.  For information about whether/ for how long your child should stay off nursery for other specific illnesses, please refer to the booklet below or take a look at the UKHSA Infection Control Guidance.

If your child is absent and we have not heard from you, we will send a text message asking that you call us immediately to update us; this will be followed up with phone calls if we do not hear back from you.  We will complete a Home Visit if we have not heard from you by 10am.

If your child becomes ill during the school day, we will contact you using the contact numbers you provide on your admissions form.

Can my child be given medicines at school?

We are not able to give non-prescription medicines (e.g. calpol) during the school day. We can give prescription medicines, providing that the dosage/frequency instructions on the prescription label mean that they cannot be given outside of the school day. If you would like us to administer prescription medicines, you will need to complete a ‘Request for medication to be taken at school’ form, available from the Early Years Office or School Office.

Children with asthma should bring an inhaler to school to be kept in the classroom. Please contact the Early Years Office to request the relevant paperwork, which you should complete and return along with the inhaler.

Can my child to take part in extra-curricular activities?

Yes. A range of after school activities is offered at Athelstan, with different activities available to each age group each term. Clubs offered to Sunshines in the past have included football, dance and multisports. A limited number of places is available for each activity, and places are assigned on a first come, first served basis. We send out information at the end of each term about which clubs will be running the following term, and how to book a place.

Children who attend Rainbow Wraparound can still take part in activities after school; they will be taken to their Rainbow Wraparound session when the activity ends.

My child’s birthday will be on a school day!

On their birthdays, children can come to school in non-uniform.