P1 FAQs

Frequently Asked Questions:

When will we know what class my child will  be in?

You will be given this information at the P1 Induction for parents. You will receive an email with which date you should attend.

How are classes made up?

The formation of Primary 1 classes is led by the Senior Leadership Team. We work alongside Mrs Lemmon, our Senior Early Years Practitioner, and the Nursery team. We always work hard to make sure that the class your child is in, is the best fit for them. They take lots of different things into consideration when forming classes including, but not limited to, developmental stage, friendships and levels of independence.

Who will my child's teacher be?

P1 teachers for the upcoming session (2023-2024) will be shared very soon.

What will my child need for starting Primary 1 at Hanover Street?

Further information will follow nearer the time but all children need school uniform (see question below). 

A water bottle, a school bag that would hold an A4 folder is suggested.  

A healthy snack for playtime and a packed lunch if this is your preferred choice for lunchtime.

Gym kit - currently the children are wearing their play clothes on gym days. This is a tracksuit, leggings, etc. This is for coronavirus restrictions and so that children don't need to get changed throughout the day into shorts and t-shirts. We will inform you of any further changes when restrictions change. 

School uniform - hanover.aberdeen.sch.uk/our-school/school-uniform/ 

Which area will my child be in and which door will they use to come in each morning?

This will be shared during the P1 Parent Induction.

If parents/children can't attend, is there an alternative for induction? 

Lots of information can be found on our school website, particularly within our P1 Induction Booklet.  Registers will also be kept at each meeting, so parents who do not attend the induction event can be followed up with. 

How can we support transition activities at home?

Look at our theme grids with support activities. These will be shared weekly with our current pre-schoolers, or all can be viewed here.

This session, we have also introduced Transition Teds. Activities can be found here.

When will my child start school?

Term and holiday dates will be shared in induction booklets in the weeks to come. They can also always be found here: https://www.aberdeencity.gov.uk/services/education-and-childcare/view-school-term-and-holiday-dates

To support transition, we take the children into Primary 1 in small groups, building up the class size gradually.  This means that not all Primary 1 children will start on the first day of term,  detailed in the website above.   We anticipate all P1 children will have started at least their first day by the end of the second week of term.  You will be informed of your child's starting date and time before the end of term. 

What is the uniform for Primary 1?

Our current school uniform is listed here.

How is the day structured in Primary 1 at Hanover Street?

At Hanover Street, we believe that a developmental approach to learning is crucial for the progress of our learners.

This means that the play based opportunities presented in Nursery are carried through into Primary 1, as is the provision of a free play area which is similar to what the children will have been used to in Nursery. 

Activities are regularly play based and free play is built into the timetable daily.   There will be focused literacy (language), numeracy (maths) and other curricular area lessons, with developmentally appropriate experiences and activities to go alongside these. This may be play, games, written activities, digital activities, etc. 

Can you tell me about eating - snacks and lunches - in Primary 1?

The children are able to have a snack at playtime. This snack is provided by home, and we normally suggest a piece of fruit and a healthy drink.

At lunchtime, the children have 3 options:

1 - to go home - parents must pick up and drop off children. For this option, teachers should be informed also.

2 - school lunch - these are free. The Scottish Government provide free school lunches for all P1 to 5 children (P6 and P7 will receive free meals from August 2022 tbc). 

3 - packed lunch - this is a lunch provided from home. We ask these to be provided in a packed lunch box which the children can easily open. 

What's on the menu? And how do the children choose their meals? 

School meals operate on a 3-weekly menu cycle which can be found here or here. With our new lunch system, Parent Pay, children have the option to choose their meal from home or when they come into school in the morning. The children are only offered meals which match with the dietary requirements, which you will let us know about on induction. This information is also shared with the kitchen staff, so when the children are being served, the staff are aware further. 

Can you tell me more about Free School Meals?

Even if your child is receiving free school meals, please (if you qualify for these) do register for this anyway.

Why?

In lockdown last year, families who were registered for these received supermarket vouchers to go towards food at home. It allows you to access certain other benefits.

Also, it supports the school. When we have children registered for free school meals, the school receive what we call "PEF money."  This is  Pupil Equity Funding which is allocated directly to schools and targeted at closing the poverty related attainment gap.  Every council area is benefitting from Pupil Equity Funding.

This funding is spent at the discretion of the Head Teacher working in partnership with each other and the local authority.  In recent years, Mr Markey has spent this money on Support for Learning teachers, nurturing support, wider experiences for the children, etc. It really has made a positive impact. 

How will I know how much my child is eating at School Lunch?

Children are supervised in the Dining Hall by members of the Senior Leadership Team and, on certain days, Pupil Support Assistants.   Our staff will encourage your child to try their meal and to eat 'a little more' if they have not had very much.  If your child is not eating very much then the class teacher will have a quiet word with you at the end of the school day or a member of the Senior Leadership team will give you a quick call.

Packed lunch?  Again they remain supervised and supported to open any tubs/packets.  Anything that is not eaten is left in the packed lunch box so that you can see what they have eaten and left.

How will the teacher know what my child can and cannot do?

The simple answer to this is....this is what we are trained to do! 

In the first few weeks of school the single most important thing is your child's wellbeing.  We want them to enjoy school and learning.  If your child does not feel safe or that school is not fun they will not learn.

To support your child's transition to P1, Nursery staff will meet with the class teacher.  Information will be shared (developmental overviews, nursery observations, SeeSaw profile, etc).  Our teachers are very skilled at quickly identifying each child's capabilities and support needs.  

In addition to the constant observations our teachers are making of your child we do like to use more formal assessments in numeracy and literacy to gain a clear picture of their starting point at the start of the P1 journey.  From this information teachers plan a very clear literacy and numeracy programme of learning activities for your child each day.

The foundations of numeracy and literacy are so crucial and we make no apologies for spending time and  ensuring that these foundations  are firmly in place for each child.  

My child could count before they started school, so why are they working on numbers to 5?

Many children come to school being able to count, in order, numbers to 10 and often beyond. 

We spend time on basic numbers to ensure that children can not only count in order but understand the true value of each number.  For example what is 5? What does 5 really mean? 

There is so much more to number than simply counting aloud and we will spend time ensuring that your child has a firm grasp of all of the necessary concepts and relationships in basic numbers before moving on. 

What about if my child needs to use the toilet?

As we establish new trusting relationships with your child, they can often be a little too shy to ask to go to the toilet (this shyness does not last long!).  One of the first things your child will be shown when they join us on day one is where the toilets are in relation to their class.  In the first few weeks the class teachers take the class to the toilet at frequent intervals.  If a child asks to go to the toilet outwith these times either an adult will go with them or as they become more familiar with the route, a friend might be asked to go with them with an adult keeping an eye on them going to and from from a distance.

Sometimes, even though your child may have been toilet trained for a few years with no accidents, they may have one in school.  If this happens we will check their school bag for a clean change of clothes provided from home or provide them with some spare clothes we have in school.  A Pupil Support Assistant will escort them to the bathroom and help them change (should they need help) and any soiled clothes will be put in a bag to go home.