School Readiness
‘Childhood is not a race to see how quickly a child can read, write and count. It is a small window of time to learn and develop at the pace that is right for each individual child. Earlier is not better’
Magda Gerber
There are conflicting ideas in education, policy and media reports about what ‘school-readiness’ is and what it means for our little ones as they start primary school.
However, it is generally agreed that being ready for school is not about the academic milestones a child should achieve by they time they reach school, such as writing their name or counting to 10.
These will be easily learnt once children have developed the skills needed to explore school life and are ready to embrace the age-appropriate independence it brings.
Having a good bedtime routine and time in the morning for breaklast and a relaxed start can promote good habits for many years to come.
But there are others things you can do too!
Being confident about school
Perhaps the most important ‘skill’ is to separate from parents and accept school as a fun, exciting and engaging place to be.
While this may not describe every parent’s memory of being at school, it’s important that children begin this journey feeling secure and confident about the new experiences, new skills and new friends to be had!
How you can help: Try not to talk about your own worries and concerns when your child might be listening.
It may feel like a scary and uncertain time for you but talking about school in a positive and enthusiastic way will help your little one feel excited about the changes ahead.
And remember once enrolled, attendance is not optional, so avoid asking whether your child wants to go!
Managing their own needs
While many children will have attended a nursery, pre-school or childminder, entry to a primary school still marks a shift in expectations as well as independence and being able to manage their own personal care should be top of the list for things your child can do as they start school.
Wiping their own bottom, blowing their nose and being able to dress themselves will make a typical school day run more smoothly for everyone.
How you can help: Allow opportunities for your child to wipe their own bottom and nose at home.
While you can check afterwards and praise their attempts, it’s important that children routinely try as these skills can only be developed over time and with practice.
Think carefully about the uniform you choose for school. While tights and pinafore dresses can look nice and smart, they are not the easiest items for dressing independently.
You can help by ensuring that your child can dress themselves in the items that they will wear to school. Can they manage fastenings? Do they know which is the front and which is the back? Can they tie laces if their shoes have them?
Being responsible
Early on in every child’s school experience they will be expected to be responsible for their own belongings. A busy classroom can sometimes come as a bit of a shock – so remember that there will be up to 30 identical sweatshirts, 60 very similar shoes and a variety of yellow tops, and navy jumpers/cardigans!
How you can help: By dressing themselves each morning your little one will be familiar with their uniform and will then manage toileting and changing for PE with more confidence.
Remember to name EVERY item of clothing clearly and ensure that your child knows where to look for their name.
Encourage your child to carry their own belongings on the journey to school as this will help them to remember what they brought each day – and what they need to bring home again!
Carrying in a lunchbox is a useful way for your little one to remember whether they are having a packed lunch for a school dinner.
The ability to focus
Being able (and willing!) to following directions is such an important skill as so much of the school learning will rely on these skills, and being able to concentrate and focus on the adult talking will help your child to take on board the information they will need for a successful day.
How you can help: Playing games like ‘Simon Says’ and ‘musical bumps/statues’ are great for developing listening skills.
Tuning out background noise is a learnt skill and as children start school this is often something still to be developed so help by turning off the television or other background noise while your little one plays.
Encouraging thinking skills
Encouraging your child to ask questions, and discuss possible answers will be a very positive characteristic to enter school with. Alongside this, the confidence and ability to ask an adult for help can only benefit both your child and the classroom teachers.
How you can help: Encourage questions with “That’s a good question”, “What do you think?”, “What do you think will happen if we do that?”, “How can we make that happen?”, and always admit it if you don’t know — it can be fun to find out together!
Encourage your child to try out their ideas for themselves, even if you can see it won’t work.
And finally...
Building new relationships can take time, but if parents talk to teaching and school staff early on and share information, worries and problems they can help address any issues as soon as they arise. Cygnets will begin liaising with primary schools shortly so please do advice us if your child is attending a different primary school.
Remember everyone is working towards the same goal – for children to progress and achieve effectively and be happy and have fun doing so.
The truth is - we don’t get children ‘ready’ for school. We certainly don’t pull them away from their play to learn how to trace over letters or play matching games to teach them numbers.
We don’t make children sit on the carpet listening to us for long periods of time and then tell them off when they start fidgeting.
We provide an environment that is age appropriate. 2 year olds are not built to sit still (neither are 3, 4 or 5 year olds for that matter!).
Children are innately curious and eager to learn.
Given the right environment and the right adults, children will learn and make progress.
Do our staff just sit and watch the children play?! Absolutely not! Our staff are highly trained and will spot 100 teachable moments a day. Supporting and encouraging the children every step of the way. Sometimes it might be a gentle ‘you CAN do it’, or a ‘you’re ok!’. Sometimes it’s a cuddle and a story. Other times it might be discussing the detailed anatomy of a frog, or working out how to find out which cable reel rolls down the hill the fastest!
At Cygnets Preschool, children are given freedom. Freedom to follow their own lines of enquiry, their own interests. What looks like ‘just playing’ to some, is in fact serious business to us. By allowing the children to follow their own interests and giving them time, they begin to make progress you could only dream of from a ‘planned’ activity.
With staff on hand to gently encourage, prompt, suggest, model, praise and support- children begin to show an interest in all of the things ‘school’ requires of them.
Oxfordshire School Readiness Strategy
Oxfordshire is using UNICEF’s description of the three elements of school readiness:
• Children’s readiness for school.
• Families and communities’ readiness for school.
• Settings’ and schools’ readiness for children.
Priority 1: Strong Home Learning Experiences to support children's learning and development
Priority 2: Early Engagement
Priority 3: High Quality Provision
Priority 4: Information sharing and High-Quality Transitions
School Readiness / Transitions
We recognise that children sometimes move to another early years setting before they go on to school although many will leave our setting to enter a nursery or reception class, we prepare children for these transitions and involve parents/carers and the receiving setting in this process.
In order to enable a smooth transition, we prepare records about a child’s development and learning in the EYFS in our setting, we share appropriate information with permission with the receiving setting or school at transfer. Confidential records are shared where there have been child protection concerns according to the process required by our Safeguarding Partners. The procedure guides this process and determines what information we can and cannot share with a receiving school or setting.
Transition concerns the changes a child encounters from one place to another e.g., from home to Preschool and starting school. Often these transitions involve a process of change that requires them to adapt their thoughts, feelings and behaviours to meet new expectations.
We offer support and understanding to the period of adjustment required by children and parents/carers as they adapt to change.
Transfer of confidential information
The receiving school or setting will need to have a record of concerns that were raised in the setting and what was done about them. A summary of the concerns will be made to send to the receiving setting or school along with the date of the last professional meeting or case conference. Some Safeguarding Partners will stipulate the forms to be used and provide these
Where there has been a section 47 investigation regarding a child protection concern the name and contact details of the child’s social worker will be passed on to the receiving setting or school – regardless of the outcome of the investigation
This information is posted or taken to the school or setting, addressed to the setting or school’s designated person for child protection and marked confidential
How parents/carers can support their child
We understand the importance of parents/carers role in providing stability and continuity throughout the transition process for their child and the following are ways in which support can be offered:
Preparing the child for Preschool by explaining they will be left, but the parent/carer will return for them and ensuring the child is used to being left with other adults occasionally
Talk to the child about their key person
Allowing time to talk through the child’s worries and concerns
Sharing of information about the child during the settling in period
Being involved with sharing information between settings
With the parents/carers permission we will pass on any relevant information to a new setting or school via telephone and/or letter with any information that will be relevant to the child’s particular needs.
If a child had additional needs, our SENCo will ask for the parent/carers written permission to be allowed to contact a new setting or school and any other professionals involved to arrange for information to be passed on to ensure continuity of care is carried out during the child’s transition.
Transition from home to the setting
Staff are sensitive to the needs of children and parents/carers when they first start preschool. Practitioners understand that all children settle differently in their own time and our preschool is able to accommodate the differing needs of individual children. We offer support in the following ways:
Most children (with ups and downs) will settle well, and quickly be joining in with all the play and learning we offer. They will be accessing our curriculum and thriving. But some children will have barriers so will need help to settle in. We want all our children to feel confident, happy and capable, as soon as possible.
Information sharing, the child’s starting point which is on the admission form
Information for parents/carers when their child first attends – a welcome pack, who the child’s key person is, where copies of the policies are etc.
Special arrangements to support children who speak English as an additional language or who have learning difficulties e.g., staff using words in the child’s home language and obtaining support from outside agencies.
Transition from one provider to another
When a child attends more than one setting, we make contact with them and share information to provide the best outcomes for the child. These include:
Obtaining permission from the parent/carer to make contact with the other setting
Sharing behaviour strategies if needed
Reporting on progress is shared with the other setting with parent/carers permission and we encourage them to share with us in return, in line with sharing information with other settings under EYFS
Transition from the setting to school
We work closely with our link school to give our children transitioning into Reception the foundations to support each and every child to reach their end of year Early Learning Goals whilst becoming, independent, well-rounded members of our community. Every child is treated as an individual and encouraged to learn and progress at their own pace to help them thrive and enjoy the best possible start to their school learning journey.
We recognise starting school can be a worrying time for children and their parents/carers, and the more that can be done to ease this transition the more positive an experience it will be for all involved:
Teachers/support staff are encouraged to visit the child in the setting and make direct contact especially where there are concerns about a child’s behaviour or development
Activities are organised which reflect the transition process e.g., using a classroom setting in a separate room, role-play etc. Opportunities are provided for children to express their concerns and fears
Documents and assessments of the child’s progress within EYFS are transferred via the parent/carer
We hold meetings to plan transition for your child into school/setting. As well as parents/carers and Preschool staff, these could include Foundation Stage school teachers, school SENCo, receiving setting staff and relevant professionals
Using the EYFS assessment of development and learning, these ensure the key person prepares a summary of achievements in the seven areas of learning and development
This record refers to any additional language spoken by the child and his or her progress in both languages
The record also refers to any additional needs that have been identified or addressed by the setting
The record also refers to any special needs or disability and whether a EHA was raised in respect of special needs or disability, whether there is an Education Healthcare Plan (EHCP) in place and gives the name of the lead professional
The record contains a summary by the key person and the document may be accompanied by the child’s Learning Journey
For transfer to school, a transition record is completed and if there have been any welfare or protection concerns a star is placed on the front of the assessment record