Reception New Starters 2026

Welcome to Marsh Baldon CE Primary School

We are delighted to welcome our new families and children to join us in September 2026. We can’t wait to get to know you properly and integrate you into our school family. If you weren't able to secure a place, please put your name down on the waiting list with Oxfordshire County Council Admissions Team.

In the meantime, there is lots of information on the website under the Parents tab that you may find useful - School lunches; Uniform; After School Clubs and Breakfast Club; Wraparound Childcare. We have also added documents and guidance below that you may find useful, and please don't hesitate to contact us with anything that we can help with.

Carolyn Hanwell Lisa Scott-Russell
Headteacher Class Teacher

Being ready for school

School readiness may mean several things to different people. At Oxfordshire County Council we have adopted UNICEF’s description of the three elements of school readiness:

Children’s readiness for school
Families and communities’ readiness for school
Settings’ and schools’ readiness for children.

Children have the potential to become school ready when families, early years providers and schools work together to support the development of children’s confidence, resilience and curiosity.

A child who is ready for school will be:

Curious and confident about learning.
Resilient and ready to take part.
Able to take risks, ask questions and find solutions.
Confidently active and be healthy.
Independent with self-care skills.
Comfortable to make friends and take turns.
Cared for and feel safe and secure.
Able to vocalise choices.

	Footsteps Parents Guide - teaching road safety to your child	[pdf 2MB]
	Starting Reception	[pdf 1MB]
	The Road to School - track your journey to the start of school	[pdf 1MB]
	What to expect, when? A guide to your child's learning and development in Early Years	[pdf 1MB]
	Starting Reception	Link
	Your child's journey to school starts at home	Link
	BBC Bitesize: Starting primary school	Link
	Advice and games to help you and your child prepare for primary school, then thrive during their first year.	Link
	Books about starting school	Link
	50 Things to do before you're 5	Link
	50 exciting, open-ended ideas for play for children aged 0-4.	Link