Many parents tell us that they are anxious about their child’s transition from nursery to primary school. That’s understandable because it’s a big change and one of the biggest moments of your child’s life.
But by attending pre-school, your child will be supported with school readiness so that when it’s time to go to ‘big school’ they are eager to get started and learn. At Alpha Kindergarten Fletton, here are some of the ways that we support your child as they get ready for school:
- Prepare your child for school life through roleplay
In pre-school, your child will enjoy roleplay activities to get used to how life at school will be different. This might include dressing up and playing in school uniform to normalise this new aspect of school life. By trying on the uniform before heading to school, this roleplay helps your child to feel more comfortable with the change in a familiar and supportive environment.
We do register time during every pre-school session so that your child can start their first day with a familiar activity.
- Support your child’s independence, ready for school
One of the biggest changes between nursery and school is that there are usually fewer members of staff in the classroom after the transition. That means that it’s important your child is supported to build their independence before their first day at school.
For example, we work to support your child as they learn to put on their coat and shoes by themselves, go to the toilet independently or eat their lunch without difficulty.
We also support your child in building up the confidence to ask for help when needed, so that they are comfortable to do so in their new school environment.
- Helping your child to make friends for their new school
By Spring, we will know where our pre-school children will be going to school. At this point, we will gently encourage those children who are going to the same school to play in group activities together. This will help to ensure that your child will have pre-existing friendships and know some friendly faces when they transition in September.
In the small number of cases where a child is going to a primary school that no-one else form nursery is attending, we will support the child to grow their confidence in making new friends. For example, we will gently encourage them to play with children in pre-school who they wouldn’t normally play with.
- Getting your child used to a more structured day
At nursery, we believe that children should learn through play and we allow children to choose what they would like to play with to develop their independence. However, life at primary school is more structured so in pre-school we start to ease your child into a more structured routine.
While still focusing on child-led play, we extend group activity times to help them get used to concentrating on single activities for longer.
- Coordinating with your child’s school
To ensure that your child isn’t starting from scratch at primary school, we will work with your child’s primary school teacher in the months before they go to school. We will share information about your child’s progress and any additional needs to help give them the best possible start to school.
In the summer term, a member of your child’s reception team will also visit the children in nursery so that your child recognises a familiar face when they start in September.
- Supporting parents with the transition to primary school
The transition to school is a big event in your child’s life and we recognise that this can make parents very anxious. Therefore we work closely with parents to support them as September approaches. This starts by helping to guide parents through the school application process – explaining how the process works, ensuring that deadlines are met and answering any questions along the way.
We also run school readiness events for parents, providing them with tools to help them prepare their children for the transition. At parents evenings, we will share the information that we send onto schools so that you will know what to expect in September.
