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Waverley Preparatory School and Day Nursery

  • Reception 2026 'Need to Know' Information

    We are looking forward to welcoming our Reception 2025 pupils very soon. The information below will help parents get started on this exciting next step in their child's future. 

    Important Dates for our Reception 2026 cohort

    • Friday 27th February 2026 - Family Afternoon Tea 16:30-18:00hrs (for our Reception 2026 pupils, parents, carers and siblings).

    • Friday 17th April 2026 - Pupil Settling-In Afternoon 13:30-15:00hrs (Pupils only). (Children booked to attend Nursery on that day will be collected at the start of the settling-in session by school staff and then returned to Foundation afterwards if parents wish.)

    • Tuesday 7th July 2026 - New Pupil Familiarisation Day (full school day: 08:30hrs-15:30hrs) (Pupils only).  (Children booked to attend Nursery on that day will be collected at the start of the settling-in session by school staff and then returned to Foundation afterwards if parents wish.)

    • Thursday 3rd September 2026 - First Day of Autumn Term.
    • September 2026. 'Meet The Teacher' Evening. Date and time tbc but most likely on Tuesday 8th September. Held within the first 2 weeks of the new school year at approx. 19:00-21:00hrs. Parents only event. Children must not attend. Further information to follow.

    Update us (documents to complete prior to start of term)

    Please keep a look out for the New Pupil Data Booklet which will arrive shortly by email. Parents are required to complete and submit this form containing information we need to know such as contact details, medication etc. 

    Term dates (also known as 'academic dates')

    Your child's first day of school for Reception 2026 is Thursday 3rd September 2026. 

    All our Academic Dates (term dates) can be found within our 'Parent Hub' section on our website by clicking here. 

    We have a small number of inset days each academic year for teacher training. School is closed and Holiday Club is open on inset days.  

    Absence due to ill health (reporting in sick)

     Absence must be reported by 08:30hrs to our office by calling 0118 9731121. Alternatively, please email the school office via info@waverleyschool.co.uk and copy in your child's Form Teacher.

    Absence from school during term time - IMPORTANT

     In accordance with Government regulations, holidays, special days out, trips to visit family abroad and regular medical/dental appointments are not considered as reasons for term-time absence during the school day (08:30-15:30hrs). They must be taken during school holidays or outside of core school hours of 08:30-15:30hrs.

    Requests for term-time absence during the school day (08:30-15:30hrs) must be applied for and approved by the Head, Mr Shore, in advance. Applications must be made via the Application for Leave of Absence During Term Time Form which can be accessed by clicking here - the form can also be found on our Parent Hub section of our website at https://www.waverleyschool.co.uk/Useful-Documents/. The school requires at least 5 working days’ notice for a request, except in emergencies. 

    To help our families plan their time away, our term dates can always be viewed on our website at https://www.waverleyschool.co.uk/Academic-Dates/ or by clicking here. 

    It should be highlighted that any absence from school means that children fall behind very quickly. Parents should also be aware that the school is required to report absences of more than 5 days to the Local Authority and Waverley may also undergo a pupil absence inspection from the Local Authority at any time. Likewise, we are often required to submit details about absence in secondary school applications. 

    When your child can return to school after sickness

    Sickness and diarrhoea. Children may only return to school once they have been clear for 48 hours since the last bout of sickness or diarrhoea.

    High Temperature. Children may return to school once they are feeling well and their temperature has returned to normal.

    Hand Foot and Mouth (HFM). Children must stay off school for 5 days due to the highly contagious nature of HFM which can make some children and adults very poorly.

    Medication. If your child is unwell, we strongly request that children are not given medication to alleviate their symptoms then brought into school. Once medication wears off, children can become very unwell very quickly. Medicating children then bringing them into school also puts the rest of our community (children, staff and vulnerable adults) at much higher risk and causes knock on effects for everybody, whether this be our ability to staff our school, having many unwell children or preventing parents from going to work. Please be considerate.

    Diary dates

    Our school terms are packed full of events. Ensure you stay up to date. Our diary listing is available on our website under our 'Parent Hub' (or by clicking here) and events coming up in the next week are also put in our weekly Parent Communication (read more about this in the section 'Communications from School'). 

    The school day (timings)

    Children should aim to arrive at school for 08:30hrs. We ask that children arrive at 08:30hrs so they can settle and get organised for the day. Registration closes at 08:45hrs.

    Lessons start promptly at 08:45hrs.

    Children arriving after 08:45hrs are considered as 'late'. We find that children arriving late or very close to 08:45hrs can get upset or feel anxious as they feel rushed. Children arriving late will miss out on important teaching time.

    Where to collect your child at the end of the day

    Pick-up at 15:30hrs is from the outside gates. Please do not come into the school grounds to pick up your child. Your child's Form Teacher will bring their class out to meet parents. 

    Pick up points: Reception , Year 2, Year 3 and Year 5 to be collected from the playground double gates. Year 1, Year 4 and Year 6 exit via the single pedestrian gate closer to the entrance of our school building. 

     What to bring to school each day (and what not to bring!)

    Snack. Reception children will need to bring a small healthy mid-morning snack (no crisps or chocolate) in a named box. Please label both the lid and the bottom of the box. Snacks will be stored in the classroom and children have access to them during the day. 

    No nuts. We are a nut-aware school as we have children with severe nut allergies. Therefore, we do not allow any nuts or food/snacks containing nuts on our site.

    Water bottle. Named. (Please ensure the children can competently open their water bottles and snack boxes. )

    PE Kit: On Wednesdays, children come to School in their PE kit. There is no need for children to bring their usual uniform to change into - they will wear PE kit all day. PE kit includes T-shirt, shorts, tracksuit top and bottoms, PE socks and trainers. Swim kit is not needed as our pupils start swimming in Year 1.

    Please name EVERYTHING! Even socks (a 'Sharpie') across the bottom works well. Please encourage your child to dress and undress themselves. Socks can be especially tricky and need plenty of practice before starting school!

     Toys: We ask that children do not bring in toys or other personal items into school. 

    Shoes: Please don't buy shoes with buckles or laces unless  your child can cope with them unaided. 

    Forest School - Correct kit essential!

    Forest School is included in the curriculum until the end of Year 2. This is a weekly session and children will require the correct clothing for the time of year in order to be able to participate. Please ensure that you read the kit list very carefully and that your child always comes into school on Forest School days with the correct kit. You can view the full list of Forest School kit by clicking here. For general information about Forest School and what we do and learn, please click here. 

    Communications from school (keeping up to date)

    We send out a weekly Parent Communication every Friday by email during term time. We strongly advise parents to read this before the start of the following week as it contains need-to-know information for the week ahead. 

    We use a system called Clarion to send out emails. For urgent issues, we may send a text message via Clarion. eg. closure due to extreme weather. We ask that parents do not unsubscribe from Clarion as they will miss vital, and sometimes urgent, information.

    Uniform

    Uniform List: Further information about our uniform and a uniform list can be found in our ‘Parent Hub’ section by clicking here. Please note that some uniform items are optional and some compulsory - these are indicated on our uniform list.

    School bags/Rucksacks: Whilst the Book Bag is an item listed for our Reception children, we stringy recommend that children simply obtain a Waverley School rucksack and do not purchase the Book Bag.  The Book Bag does not fit in the rucksack and children find it difficult to carry the additional bag. To find the rucksack on the Stevensons website, under the Waverley section, please visit 'Preparatory' uniform items. 

    Uniform Supplier: Our uniform supplier is Stevensons who have a new branch in Reading and an online store at www.stevensons.co.uk. We recommend buying uniform prior to the summer holidays to allow for items to be changed and to ensure availability. Click & Collect and online ordering for home delivery is available.  

    Pre-loved uniform

    Waverley has a pre-loved hand uniform shop which stocks good quality, Waverley-branded items.  Our second hand uniform is run by the WFA (Waverley Friends Association), our parents association, which organises fun events and activities for our pupils and their families. To access the online shop please click here. To contact the WFA to enquire about items, please email uniform@waverleyschool.co.uk.

    Breakfast Club and After School Club ('Clubs') - including ad hoc sessions

    The school day starts at 08:30hrs and ends at 15:30hrs. Children requiring wrap-around care outside of these hours will need to be booked into Early Risers Club (07:30-08:00hrs), Breakfast Club (08:00hrs-08:30hrs) or After School Club (15:00-18:00hrs). 

    Bookings for our After School Club (ASC) and Breakfast Club will open end of July/early August. Bookings are made via our online booking system and parents will receive an email with login details and how to book sessions once bookings are open. The most cost-effective option is for parents to book for the term ahead. We always have space available in our Early Risers, Breakfast Club and After School Club for those parents needing it. However, for our specialist clubs eg. Cookery, tennis etc we recommend parents book very promptly (as soon as bookings are released) as these have limited places available so tend to book up very quickly and these specialist activities must be booked for the entire term. 

    We also offer ad hoc sessions which can also be booked by emailing clubs@waverleyschool.co.uk or calling the school office on 0118 9731121 option 2. Again, we always have ad hoc sessions available for Breakfast Club, Early Risers and After School Club. Whilst don't offer ad hoc sessions in the specialist clubs eg. tennis, cookery, judo etc there are always plenty of other After School activities that children can participate in. 

    You can read more about our Early Risers and Breakfast Club by clicking here.  For more information about our After School Club click here. 

    If you have any questions prior to booking, please contact Mr Alex Kear-Hill at clubs@waverleyschool.co.uk

    Holiday Club

    Holiday Club is open to all school age children from Reception to Year 6. Children joining our Reception 2026 class will be eligible to join Holiday Club from 1st September 2026 onwards, which is when they are considered to be of school age by the Government. If you need holiday care before the 1st September, your child will need to be booked into Nursery for ad hoc sessions if they normally attend term time only. 

    Bookings for our Holiday Club are also booked via our online system called Kids Club HQ. Parents will be notified by email when bookings for Holiday Club are open. You can read more about Holiday Club here. To book, please click here to be redirected to the KidsClub HQ site. You will need to register before being able to book. 

    Holiday Club is available to children for all Waverley holidays and half term holidays. The only exception is that Holiday Club is not open during the Christmas week. Our Holiday Club is open to both Waverley and non-Waverley pupils and places do fill up fast. 

    Fees, invoices and when to pay

    School fees are due in full by the first day of each term. We reserve the right to charge interest on overdue invoices. 

    Annual Fees Discount. Waverley offers a discretionary discount for fees paid annually in advance by the first day of the Autumn Term. Parents are required to advise us by a certain date (the Bursar will advise of the exact date) by when parents must inform us that they wish to take advantage of the annual fee discount. Parents who express an interest after this date in July will not be able to take advantage of the benefit. 

    After School Club (ASC)/Breakfast Club invoices for a new term are sent out by the end of the previous term. Fees for ASC are due in full by the first day of term for the ASC which the invoice refers to.

    Holiday Club. Sessions are booked and paid online via KidsClub HQ. 

     Peripatetic Lessons (Speech & Drama and Musical Instruments)

    Speech and Drama: This is included in the curriculum for all pupils. We also offer a dedicated Speech and Drama After School Club for children wishing to enter for Trinity exams. To find out more about the benefits of Speech and Drama and what our pupils do in these lessons, please click here. 

    Musical Instruments: Music is included in the curriculum throughout school. Through our specialist teachers, children also have the opportunity to study a range of instruments in individual 30 minute music lessons. This includes, but is not limited to, piano, guitar, electric guitar, trumpet and flute. We recommend that children start learning a musical instrument from Year 1 or 2 - we find our Reception children are a little too young and do not yet have the finger strength or concentration levels.

    Follow us on socials!

    There is so much happening at Waverley that we can never fit everything into our weekly Parent Communication. For regular updates during the school week to see what is happening at school, follow us on social media.

    • Facebook: @waverleyschool
    • Twitter: @waverleyschool
    • Instagram: @waverleyprepschool

    Who to contact

    We're here to help! Please do not hesitate to contact us if you have any queries...

     The Waverley Friends Association (WFA) - Our parent association

    Every Waverley parent is automatically a member of our WFA who organise events for the school community. Read more about the WFA by clicking here. To find out how you can get involved email the WFA at wfa@waverleyschool.co.uk. The WFA is also responsible for our second-hand uniform. Click here to access the second hand uniform online shop. Please contact uniform@waverleyschool.co.uk for further information about second hand uniform.