Starting ‘big’ school is an important milestone for every child and their parents. At Once Upon A Time we believe that when children leave our nurseries to embark on the next chapter in their lives we must do all we can to support and celebrate this transition, ensuring the children are well prepared for the next stage in their learning. We believe all children need to be able to start school ready to learn, that they are able to make friends and play and that they are confident to ask for what they need and voice what they think.
Children’s early experiences are paramount for their future success and these are influenced by many factors including the impact of their early education and care. Parents and staff working together in partnership are important to develop the home learning environment. By working together, we believe that this will help improve your child’s progress and support them in making a better start at school.
We have recently embarked on a program to develop better links with our local schools. We believe that it is important to liaise with the school prior to children joining them. This year we have visited local schools to share information about our learning program and invited the teachers to visit the children at the nursery. In the time leading up to the children leaving the nursery to start school staff will plan and provide a variety of activities to promote school readiness for example:
- Reading books together about starting school
- Role playing the teacher with the register and/or at story time
- Encouraging independence
Staff will also discuss with the children how they are feeling, taking an interest in what they say and engaging in conversations about what to expect at their new school.