Preparing Your Child For Starting School

Over the Summer months you can prepare your child to help them get the most from school, access all areas of learning independently and feel confident to try everything we have to offer.

Below we have listed a few of the things which might help your child settle into their new school environment.

• Buy their school coat early, teach them how to put it on and take it off, then let them practice buttons and zips until they can do it on their own.
• Teach them how to pull a sleeve or leg through the right way if it is inside out.
• Check your child can go to the toilet on their own (without reminders) and can wipe themselves carefully without help.
• Let your child undress and dress themselves alone and without help as often as possible to practice changing for P.E. lessons
• Teach them how to put clothes the right way round if they get inside out. Tights are very difficult!
• Check your child can recognise their name when hand written on clothes, book bag, lunch box etc (please don’t write all in capitals but with a capital at the beginning and the rest lower case).
• Buy their P.E. kit early so they can practice putting it on a few times. (They will love to show grandparents and friends!)
• Teach them how to put everything in their bags, checking their name is on so they know it is not someone else’s.
• Check your child can use a knife, fork and spoon without help, and begin to teach them to cut their food up.
• Buy their lunch box early and practice opening and closing it. Have a picnic together so you know they can manage. Remind them to eat their sandwich, rice, pasta, tortilla wrap or sausage roll before they eat their fruit, yoghurt, cake, biscuits.
• Check your child can wash and dry their hands on their own.
• Visit a library and borrow books about starting school to share together.
• Please always talk excitedly about starting school and remind your child of all the fun things they played with when they came on the visits.
• Always talk positively about school and try not to show your worries as they may pick up on this.
• You can also click here to see key members of staff, maybe let your child take a look so they become familiar with us too! You might like to look at this story about what the school day might be like.

We hope this information will help reassure you that we aim to make your child’s transition to school as happy and comfortable as possible. If you have any questions contact us on 01603 57 88 66 or by emailing the school office, office@whf.set.education