We can’t wait for your child to join us at Sprowston Infant School.
Starting school can be an anxious time for families, but we want to reassure you that we will take good care of your child and can’t wait for them to join us and start the next chapter in their development.
Starting school can be a much smoother process if we all work together and help your child to be school ready. That does not mean reading, writing and counting – although these are great skills to have, they are not the main focus of the transition process.
The key things to be focussing on to support your child in being ready for school are these:
- To be able to use the toilet by themselves*
- To be able to use a knife and fork
- To be able to take turns and share toys
- To recognise their names
- To be able to hang their coat on a peg
- To be able to pay attention for short periods of time
- To be able to talk about their feelings
- To be active for at least three hours a day
- To be able to take their coats on and off
- To be able to put on their shoes
- To be able to dress and undress themselves
In addition to this, limiting screen time and ensuring a good sleep routine will help no end.
If you have concerns that your child is not able to do any of these things yet, please speak to your child’s current setting as they can support you with this.
*We know toilet training is often one of the most daunting things but, unless there is a medical reason, children must be toilet trained when coming to school. If your child is not toilet trained then please talk to their nursery, call Just One Number and start the process. Children will often surprise you how quickly they pick it up. Motivators and rewards are a good incentive! If your child has medical needs, please get in touch with us at the earliest opportunity so a plan can be discussed and put in place.
Just One Number is a great service if you need help with any of the things above. Please do not hesitate to get in touch with them for advice and support: Just One Number 0300 300 0123.
They also have a parent line: Parentline 07520 631590
Parentline is our text service for parents and carers to get in touch about any parenting questions or concerns. You might find it hard to call in to Just One Number during opening hours, due to a hearing impairment or you may just prefer to chat by text with a health professional. If you need advice about your child or young person’s health or wellbeing, simply send a text and one of our team will text you back. You can text at anytime on 07520 631590. A health professional from the 0-19 team will reply during our opening times. You can have the whole conversation by text if that works best for you, or the practitioner can call you.
Please see the following pages for lots of useful resources to help with these things.
