New Starters
A very warm welcome from Mrs Griggs (Headteacher) and all the staff, at Royal Rise Primary School.
We are thoroughly delighted that your child will be joining our reception class in September and we are very much looking forward to getting to know you all!
Starting school should be a happy and exciting time, but we understand that it can be a daunting time too. We are sure that you'll have lots of questions; we hope the information here will help answer some, if not all, of those questions.
We hope that you are looking forward to September. Please rest assured that we will do our utmost best to make you and your child feel secure, valued and part of the Royal Rise family. Our aim is to provide your child with the very best education possible, to help them become 'The best that they can be' and we hope that you will work with us, in partnership, to achieve this vision.
If you've read the information below but still have questions, please do not hesitate to contact us. You can contact the school office on: 01732354143 or by email office@royalriseprimary.kent.sch.uk
Reception Class - September 2025
You should have received your offer on the 17th April, and an email from our Admissions Officer Mrs Noon. This has more information on how to accept your place and your invitation to your stay and play and forest school sessions.
If you have any further questions, please do not hesitate to email the school at office@royalriseprimary.kent.sch.uk.
How do we enter the school and where is my class room?
The main entrance to the school is via Royal Rise, and we also have a pedestrian entrance via Kings Road.
Please note that although we do have a car park, we ask that parents not to use the Royal Rise road entrance unless on foot, as the car park is for staff and disabled parents only.
Entrance to your class room is to the right once you enter the Royal Rise gate from the Kings Road Entrance.
If you enter via the Royal Rise road entrance, your classroom will be on the right hand side once you've gone through the green gate, which is to the left of the school office.
What will my classroom look like?
We're very excited to welcome you to our 'Virtual School', below you'll be able to move around your classroom, as well as the rest of the school!
My child is nervous, how can I support their transition to Primary School?
Starting Primary school can be daunting. We'll do everything we can to make sure your child feels supported; should you need to contact the class teachers to discuss anxiety, worries or any other matter, you can contact them via the class email address: reception@royalriseprimary.kent.sch.uk
The school day
Everything we do has your child’s happiness at its core. Without a happy, content child, there isn’t fantastic learning. Our day reflects this philosophy.
The school day starts at 8:40 where we will welcome your child into the classroom for activities that settle them into the day and support them with an area of development.
They have lunch between 12 and 1 but will have been offered a fruit snack mid- morning. We provide milk to drink, and water should your child need to fill up their water bottle. During their lunch hour they have time to eat their lunch and visit the Key Stage One playground.
After they have settled in, we teach phonics in small groups which is followed by a teacher led session with adult directed activities to follow. These activities are either linked to a topic, a skill we want them to develop or a skill we want them to rehearse (for example, reading). After that we have snack, and it is child initiated time. Here the children are free to direct their own learning and have access to both the indoor and outdoor classroom come rain or shine!
Just before lunch we gather around to talk about what we have learnt and participate in a maths teaching session.
In the afternoon, we start with a teacher led session that is followed by child-initiated learning. Throughout the day we read stories, reinforce our number skills, practise our phonics, talk about how we are feeling and have fun!
We have a PE lesson once a week that supports the children to reach key developmental milestones in their physical development.
Before the end of the day, we gather for story time and a daily reflection.
Communicating with you
At Royal Rise we use a variety of platforms to ensure that we can communicate important information with you.
Arbor - Is our main platform that we use to send out letters and other important information. Once your child has started, you'll receive an email from us asking you to sign up to Arbor and to download the Arbor App; it's an excellent tool that keeps everything in one place - making keeping up to date, a little easier.
Facebook - We use Facebook to show our parents what we get up to at Royal Rise: our amazing work, as well as keeping you up to date with any events that we might have. Be sure to 'like' our page, so you don't miss anything!
You can find all the others ways we communicate with you here
What uniform is required and where can I purchase it?
Royal Rise's branded uniform is provided by Superstitch 86, it can be ordered directly from their website and delivered to you!
Please note that unbranded articles of uniform can be purchased from any shop or supplier.
Details on the items of uniform required are below:
We ask that ALL uniform must be labelled with your child’s name, preferably with iron-on or sewn in tags, as these are better lasting, as hand written names are often too faded to identify.
For your convenience SuperStitch86 sell iron-on name labels
Break and Lunch time
Milk and fresh, seasonal fruit is provided to all EYFS and Key Stage 1 children. Should your child have a dairy intolerance, or allergy, you are more than welcome to send an alternative that can be used for break times.
All EYFS and KS1 children are entitled to receive universal free school meals, as funded by the government. Our school meals are provided by Independent Catering who provide an excellent variety of wholesome, delicious meals. For more information, or to have a look at the current menu, please visit our School meals page.
Should you send your child with a packed lunch, we request that children are sent with a varied, healthy lunch.
Please note that we are a 'nut-free' school; any food items containing nuts are strictly prohibited.
Before and After School Care
We provide a wrap around care provision called 'Castle Club', at which children will be provided meals, additional educational support and lots of fun!
For more information please visit the Castle Club page.
