Starting School 

Your child’s readiness for school will depend on maturity rather than age. Many four-year olds are well-able to cope while some five-year old children may have difficulty in adapting. We try to make things easier for both parents and children by having the beginners come in to meet their classmates and their teacher and see their classroom before the school closes for the Summer holidays in June. 

Useful tips to help with the first few days 

Most children starting school have had the experience of pre-school and already know their  classmates; therefore, there is no need to worry about your child transitioning to this  school. It is just another stepping stone in your child’s education and life experience, so  there is no need for either child or parent to be anxious. 

Try to communicate a positive attitude to school by encouraging your child to look forward  to the experience while remembering that school is much different from that which you  might have experienced yourselves.  

As oral language and communication are vitally important, please give your child plenty of  opportunities to speak, describe things and give their opinions. Encourage them to listen to  stories, listen to and follow instructions, say little rhymes and to recognise their colours. Please give your child plenty of opportunities to cut paper with scissors, to colour and to  draw. Using triangular jumbo pencils at the pre-writing / drawing stage is very beneficial as  those pencils help children develop the correct pencil grip, which is very important! 

Encourage your child to learn to put on his / her coat and to zip it up.  

It is amazing how these skills, which we take for granted, once mastered, make life a lot  easier for everybody in school.