We are so happy to welcome all of our new families to our school. On this page you will find an introduction to our school, including lots of pictures and videos of our classrooms and provision. Feel free to watch the videos and look through the photos with your child. We hope this helps them to familiarise themselves with their new classroom and school before they begin.
Mrs Banks – Class Teacher
Miss Monk – Cover Supervisor
Mrs Shaw – Assistant Headteacher Foundation Stage Leader
Miss Reynolds – Teaching Assistant
Mr Jackson – Sports Coach
At Bishop Ellis, we have a wonderful brand new school.
This is what the school building looks like:
This is where the Reception classrooms and outdoor area are:
This is our playground where we get to go and play at break times and lunch times:
The Reception classroom is filled with lots of fun things to do and learn. This is what it looks like:
You will get to learn and play in both of the classrooms at different points throughout the day as well as in the creative area in between to make some fun works of art:
You’ll also get to play in the amazing outside area:
We have our very own Reception-sized toilets to use which look like this:
At Bishop Ellis, we wear a lovely school uniform. This is what we look like in our winter uniform. We wear a white shirt and grey bottoms (trousers/skirt/pinafore dress). We also wear a red v-neck jumper or cardigan which must have the school logo on it and the school tie. We also need sensible black shoes (not trainers) to keep our feet warm and help us to play outside!
In the summer, we can wear the summer uniform which looks like this. We can wear a summer dress with white socks or shorts with grey or black socks. We can wear these with our usual jumper or cardigan.
For PE, we wear our PE kit. We wear plain black bottoms (either shorts or trousers) with no logos or symbols on them. We wear a red T-shirt with the Bishop Ellis logo on it and comfortable velcro trainers to help us run fast!
We don’t have to carry too much with us to school. We bring our book bags every day. We put them in our colour group box every morning so they are neat and tidy and we can get our reading books out easily. Please don’t bring a ruck sack instead because they don’t fit in the boxes.
We also bring a water bottle so we can stay nice and hydrated. We put them in the water bottle tray so we can get them easily and drink lots during the day.
And we bring our coats in because we use the outdoor area all year round. We keep them tidily on our pegs.
Oh yes! Learning in Reception at Bishop Ellis is so much fun! We have lots of things for you to play with and explore whilst you are at school. Just have a look at some of our children having fun throughout the day:
Yes, yes and yes again! We use our outdoor area every day at Bishop Ellis, even through the winter (so don’t forget to bring coats, hats and gloves on the really cold days!) We have so many fun things to play with outside.
Like our bikes:
Our water wall for making a splash:
Our climbing frame:
Our playground with a running track for racing our friends:
Our caravan for taking a ride in:
And so much more!
At lunchtime, we go to and get our yummy dinners from the lovely ladies in the dining hall:
We line up ready to make our choices!
We line up and choose what we would like:
Then we take our trays and carry them back to our tables to eat with our friends:
We try hard to use knives and forks and cut our food up (with a little help!)
Eating with our friends
We make sure we leave the hall tidy by putting away any food waste, cups, trays or cutlery, then we head outside to play!
Could your child be entitled to funding to support their learning? Follow the link below to find out about the Pupil Premium and how it can support your child.
For all information for our induction/settling in days and meeting please click the link: Important Days & Dates
As we prepare for the exciting transition into Reception, we’re sharing a few key guides to help your child feel confident and ready for school life. Our Starting Reception guide offers simple ways to build independence, from practising putting on coats to encouraging early social skills. Good oral health is also an important part of school readiness, and our Children’s Tooth‑Brushing guide explains how to establish a twice‑daily brushing routine to keep little smiles healthy. For families still working on toileting, our Potty Training guide provides practical tips to help children recognise their body cues, build confidence, and manage toileting independently. Together, these small steps make a big difference in helping your child feel happy, capable, and ready for their Reception journey.
Our team leader for the Foundation Stage is Miss Jackson. If you have any queries or concerns, or wish to book an appointment to discuss any issues, please feel free to contact the school office by telephone on 0116 2695510 and Miss Jackson will get back to you as soon as possible.
© 2026 Copyright St Thomas Aquinas - Catholic Multi-Academy Trust | STA-CMAT is a limited company by guarantee registered in England and Wales (company number: 08090890)
