Starting a New School

Starting school is a big step and we do everything we can to make the transition from pre-school or nursery as smooth as possible.

You will have lots of questions and we will do our best to make sure you and your child are well prepared. We will invite you to attend a meeting in the summer term to discuss arrangements. We also invite the School Nurse and County Catering. You will be able to meet your child's teacher and other key staff. Our children come from various pre-schools and nurseries so we offer days for your child to attend during the summer term, giving the children an opportunity to meet each other. Our arrangements have proved very successful and our children look forward to coming to school. There will be a further meeting early in the Autumn term to find out more about the EYFS curriculum. 

Click here to check if your child is 'school ready'

Tips for starting school

• Do be positive - starting school is exciting and there are lots of fun things to do.
• Do be matter of fact. Everyone goes to school and it means that your child is now a big boy or girl!
• Talk to your child about school and give them plenty of time to get used to the idea.
• Please do not use school as a threat when children behave badly!
• Try to get your child into a routine for getting up and ready in plenty of time in the morning. Children do not like to be late and a stressful start is not the best start for the parents or child.
• Ensure your child gets plenty of sleep - establishing a bedtime routine will help. Bedrooms are for sleeping - TVs, DVDs and computer games are best placed out of children's bedrooms.
• Teach your child to ask for the toilet and ensure that they can manage their personal hygiene.
• It is normal to be apprehensive about your child starting school but try not to put your anxieties onto your child. If you do have a niggling worry, no matter how silly you think it sounds, please tell us.
• If you have a child starting at any other time, then please ask about visits.

Moving on ...

When children leave St George's at the age of eleven, they will usually go to one of the local secondary schools. We arrange visits so that children can visit their new schools and invite secondary teachers in to talk with children. Some children need additional visits, and this is easily arranged. As part of transition arrangements, we work closely with secondary schools to provide children with the opportunities they need in order to feel as ready as possible for their next adventure in life.