Frequently Asked Questions
Starting school is exciting and as a time of change it can have its challenges but it doesn’t need to be scary. Every child is unique but we find that parents play a big role in students’ confidence when starting school.
Some different ways you could help your child feel confident about starting school are:
- If you (as a parent) feel nervous try not to let it show
- Tell them good things about school
- Make sure you keep our Orientation Days free in your diary so your child can start to feel comfortable about school
- Get them to try on their uniform and give lots of compliments
There are lots of different things you can do to help your child develop the independence they will need at school. Every child is different and you know your child’s needs but some ideas that might help your child grow in their independence are:
- Teach your child to put their shoes and socks on independently
- Use shoes with Velcro until they can manage laces on their own
- Check that your son knows what a urinal is and how to use it so they can go to the toilet on their own
- Talk to your daughter if they are not used to going to the toilet with a dress or long skirt on so they know how to do this
- Get them to carry their own bag places and to unpack and pack it themselves
- Teach your child to take their jumpers on and off by themselves so they can do this at school
Try not to be too worried about what your child needs to know before starting school. As they get closer to starting school we will give you lots of different ideas and support to help your child get off to the best start possible.
Some different things you can do to help your child understand school are:
- Tell them about the different parts of the school day (recess, lunch, lessons etc)
- Discuss what the rules are in different places (e.g. the pool, the park etc)
- Play games as a family and talk about the rules and taking turns
There are lots of ways you can help your child get ready for literacy learning. Rather than practising literacy skills on their own, it is best if you can help your child to develop a love of reading and to see literacy in the world around them.
Some ways you can help your child’s literacy development are:
- Make sure your child sees you reading so they know that everyone does it and it can be fun
- Read to them regularly
- Sing songs together and play rhyme games
There are lots of ways you can help your child get ready for Maths learning. Rather than practising Maths skills on their own, it is best if you can help your child to see Maths and numbers in the world around them.
Some ways you can help your child’s Maths development are:
- Play counting games in the car
- How many red cars can you see?
- Talk about the time
- What numbers can you see on the clock?
- Little hand on the 7 means it’s bed time