School Visits

We urge you to make arrangements to take your child for at least one visit (hopefully a minimum of two or three) to their new school and classroom before they start school in order to familiarize your child with what they will face when they start. If children have a chance to become familiar with the new setting it will hopefully be a little less daunting and scary for them when the big day arrives!

Many schools have programmes in place that allow children to have a series of classroom visits where they learn about some of the activities and expectations of school. If your chosen school offers these programmes and visits we strongly urge you to take your child along.Take time to be with your child and support them as they transition. But be aware that there will come a time when you will need to step back more to allow your child and their new teacher to establish their relationship without you.

Don't leave arranging visits until the last few weeks before your child starts. It is advisable to ask at your first meeting about school visits, and once you have made your decision about a school to attend ring and arrange times for school visits in advance. Mark them on your calendar! If the school are slow to offer dates keep ringing until an arrangement is in place.

Some schools only offer one visit prior to starting school however if you feel your child requires more, particularly after the initial visit, keep asking until your request is met.

This is huge for your child and you need to ensure that he or she is prepared as well as possible so the transition is smooth and a positive experience for all involved.