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Supporting The Transition

At Nursery

The aim of prepared for schools is to ensure a smooth transition from nursery to school, which gives your child a head start in their education.

We use many strategies to prepare your child for the start of their school career, which include:

Role play, which allows children to explore school life in an imaginative and creative way. The role play area is transformed into a reception class. This allows children to participate in activities associated with school such as daily registration, assemblies and wearing school uniform. This exposes children to many of the daunting elements of their first day in an environment they are comfortable in.

Reception teachers are invited into the nursery to spend time with your child and to build a report. With your permission, your child’s key-person can share relevant information through passports to school. Individual learning journeys and my learning stories.

We visit the websites of the school your child will be attending and invite your child to browse the website on our interactive whiteboard.

Transition books for local schools containing photographs of key people and areas of provision are shared with your child to help familiarise them with their new learning environment

Circle times, story boards, persona dolls and transition sacks encourage the children to talk about their feelings and express any concerns they may be feeling.

At Home

Your child may be anxious about what to expect on the first day at school. One way of helping them is to talk through their fears:

Explain where they will be going, what they will be doing and for how long.

Answer questions and talk through any fears by asking them what they think the school might be like.

Emphasise the things they may enjoy.

Tell them that you or another familiar adult will be there to meet them at the end of the day.

Never dismiss your child’s fears – things that seem obvious or silly to an adult can seem like terrible obstacles to a four year old!

Building on practical skills

If children have a good idea of what school is going to be like and have already experienced learning activities at home and in other settings, they are less likely to find the experience stressful. Games, role-plays and reading at home can help your child get into the right frame of mind and boost their confidence.

Activities for your child could include:

Playing games that involve taking turns or speaking in front of a group.

Playing with children of a similar age to develop social skills.

Reading books about starting school.

Using your child's favourite toys to role-play going to school.

Painting and drawing, which involve sitting down for short periods of time.

Supporting transition at home

You can help prepare your child for their first day at school by:

Discussing a typical school day together. Talk about daily routines such as the register, playtimes and assemblies so your child has an idea of what to expect.

Talk positively about how exciting going to school will be, but at the same time let your child know that it is ok to feel worried.

Purchase school uniform together. Make this a special event by emphasising that they are buying their grown up school clothes. When choosing shoes consider fastenings, Velcro or buckles may be more manageable for your child than laces. Your child will enjoy choosing their own school bag and lunchbox. Don’t forget to ensure your child is able to open all equipment independently.

Encourage your child to put on their uniform and shoes independently, as well as their coat when you go out. This will prove useful as they will need to change their clothing at school to participate in physical education classes.

Read stories to the children about going to school. A book or two about a character doing the same can help confidence and opportunity to talk about fears. A reading guide can be found on the companion website.

In the weeks before they start school establish a regular morning routine, ensuring plenty of time for breakfast.