New starters
Welcome to Saint James Church of England Primary School!
We are delighted to be welcoming you to Saint James this September and look forward to you becoming part of our warm and caring school community.
At Saint James, we are proud to provide a happy, supportive environment where every child is valued, encouraged and helped to flourish as they grow and learn.
Preparing for school
Starting school is an exciting milestone, and it’s natural to have lots of questions along the way. We are here to support you every step of the journey.
We have put together some helpful information to guide you as you prepare for school, and we hope it helps make the transition into our community a positive and confident start for your child.
Transition events
Over the summer, we offer a range of transition events designed to help your child feel happy, confident and excited about starting school. These sessions give children the opportunity to become familiar with their new environment, meet staff and begin building positive relationships.
We warmly encourage families to attend as many of these events as they can, as they play an important role in supporting a smooth and confident start to school life.
Event details
Parent's induction meeting for parents
Parents only. Held in Saint James School Hall. Come along to get important information about starting school, try our school dinners and ask lots of questions! You will find out your child's class teacher at this meeting.
Thursday 4th June 5-6pm
Stay and Play
Wednesday 17th June 2026 – for children born between September – February
Thursday 18th June 2026 – for children born between March and August
3.45pm – 4.45pm
This year we have split the first stay and play – to allow your child to have a quieter first visit to school. Please check the dates to ensure you attend the correct session for your child.
The children will have the opportunity to meet all our class teacher’s. They will spend time exploring and playing within our exciting and engaging classrooms as well as discovering their home base.
For this Stay and Play session, please bring your child into the classroom and spend a short time playing with them before saying goodbye and leaving. This helps children begin to build confidence and independence in a gentle and supportive way.
Thursday 25th June 2026
9.15am – 11.00am
All new year R children are invited to come along and join us for a Forest School morning in our woodland.
Please can all children wear long trousers or leggings and trainers for this event.
We will provide a fruit snack and water to drink.
Wednesday 1st July 2026
3.45pm – 4.45pm
For our final stay and play, the children will spend time exploring our 3 classrooms and the outdoor environment, they can choose whether to build, paint, play in our sand pit or explore our water investigation centre. Before taking part in a story and song time before going home.
For this final Stay and Play session, please say goodbye to your child outside the classroom door. This is an important step in preparing them for the September start and helps build confidence and independence.
Young person benefits
Milk and fruit
Children are provided with a fruit snack every day.
Every child under the age of five is entitled to free school milk. Children over five are entitled to milk at a subsidised price, more information can be found on the coolmilk.com. website.
You can register your child for milk at coolmilk.com.
Pupil Premium
Some families in receipt of benefits are also entitled to Pupil Premium funding.
By registering for Pupil Premium your child will continue to receive free school meals beyond KS1, and our school could raise up to £1385 to help fund our services.
A child is eligible for free school meals if their parent or carer receives one or more of the following benefits:
- Income support.
- Income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance.
- Income-related Employment and Support Allowance.
- Support under Part VI of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999.
- The guaranteed element of Pension Credit.
- Child Tax Credit, provided you are not also entitled to Working Tax Credit, and have an annual gross income, of no more than £16,190 as assessed by His Majestys Revenue and customs. (Parents who are made redundant or start working less than 16 hours per week, may find their children are entitled to free school meals for a limited period).
- Working Tax Credit run-on – paid for 4 weeks after you stop qualifying for Working Tax Credit.
- Universal Credit (provided you have an annual net earned income of no more than £7,400 as assessed by earnings from up to three of your most recent assessment periods)
No other benefits qualify for free school meals from Key Stage 2 (years 3, 4, 5, 6) or for the pupil premium for Reception Year and Key Stage 1 (years 1, 2).
Apply for Pupil Premium
To apply for Pupil Premium you need to visit the Hampshire County Council website and complete their online application form.
You will need your National Insurance (NI) number to apply.
