Starting School: Everything you need to know

So your little bundle of joy is starting school in September.

"I'm not ready!" I hear you all cry.  He/she is only a BABY!  He/she can't possibly be old enough for school, surely!

But the time travels so fast and they are, indeed, growing up.  So to ease the transition I've pulled together some of the best blog posts and articles on the web at the moment on 'starting school'.  What skills they need to practise in advance, what you can do to ease your own pain as a parent, help for parents with children with allergies, what extra things expats may need to consider and a whole lot of resources to help you out.  I hope it's useful!

Preparation

 

What preparation can I do with my child before starting school?

 

Five Key Skills: Over at Mindful Mum, Lorna Clark, parenting consultant and maternity nurse, explains five important skills that will help make your child's transition to school that little bit easier.

Putting on coats and shoes:  It's really helpful for a child to learn this skill before school.  With one teacher to up to  thirty children, it's difficult for the teacher to help everyone get coats and shoes on.  Check out these top tips for helping your child learn this important skill at The Nurture Store

Photo by Flickr djwudi

Potty Training?  Karen is flabbergasted that potty training before school seems to be so difficult for some parents.  Or does it become an issue when they are engrossed in the new tasks at school and forget to ask to go?

What do you think?

Have you toilet trained your little one in preparation for their new school life? 

K is for Kit: Over at PinkOddy's Blog, preparation for school includes talking about the different letters of the alphabet.  In this post; K is for Kit.

It's a great idea to incorporate some activities like this through the summer period.

Reading Tips: Over at Life, Ninja Killer Cat and everything else, Claire provides some great tips for starting to read with your pre-schooler.  It's good to get them familiar with books and reading as early as possible.  After all, to learn about other things you first need to be able to read!

Get Crafty: Maggie, at Red Ted Art, has pulled together a collection of the best back to school crafts to get you in the mood for the start of school.

If the idea of a yummy Schultuete doesn't get them running through the front gates, maybe the gorgeous notebooks and decorated pencils will?  At the very least, the last week of the summer holidays are sorted!

 What about me? 

 

 How will I cope? What are other mums feeling?

 

Sentimental? Wondering what she'll fill her time with, and whether Little Miss will settle in OK, Mum on the Brink is a mum feeling sentimental about the next stage in her young girls life.

This post is sure to strike a chord with mums everywhere.

Struggling with logistics? Lady Briggs ponders how her daily schedule will change when K starts school in a few weeks.  Nursery's often cater very well for working parents, but with the move to school, and a 3.30pm finish she's got some logistics to work out.  Find out how the preparation is going with this follow-up post too.

Proud? Kel, at Writing, Rambling and Reviews, is really proud of her growing boy.  Legs is really looking forward to attending his new school in September. 

 

Making the most of time at home: Pippa, over at A Mother's Ramblings, has collated a list of the things she wants to do with her Big Boy before he starts school in a year.  It's a long list!  Are there things you want to do before the new term comes around?   

 

 

 

 

What if my child has allergies?

 

Over at Allergy UK this comprehensive post provides information on how to establish a management plan, what questions to ask and how to prepare for school when your child suffers from allergies. 

For those with food allergies I particularly like the idea of sending a 'special treat' tin to school so that your child doesn't miss out on a treat when other children bring in birthday buns or treats to hand out.  This is just one of many useful tips on this site.

What about schools outside the UK?

 

In the Netherlands they hang up their school bags with their national flags in June, have a unique way of keeping the school clean and accept new intakes every week!

Find out more about Funky Monkey's start at her new Dutch school in this vibrant and enlightening post over at Tales from Windmill Fields.   

In Australia it's different again, with the school year starting in January (I suppose it is their summer!).  Trevor Cairney, leader of the New College at the University of New South Wales (Sydney) talks us through the varied starting age across Australia in his Literacy blog and how this compares to other countries.  This post is an insightful and comprehensive discussion as to the best starting school age for children, including what to consider if thinking about holding your child back for a year.

Resources 

Reading, phonics and books!

 

 

Welcome packs: If you want to get a head start, you might want to invest in some resources to help support your child's learning.  Twinkl Resources provide educational materials for schools, but there's nothing to stop you being 'teacher'!

Their Key Stage 1 Welcome Pack is a great place to start.

Phonics Tests: If you've heard rumours about a worrying new test that your child will have to take in Year 1, don't fret.  My post, here, outlines my views on the new Phonics Screening Tests, and rest assured, my summary is that you shouldn't be at all concerned with this test.  It's a test of the teacher's method, not the child's ability.

 

 

 

 

Books: Starting School

For books that serve a double purpose; firstly getting the process of reading underway and secondly, reading about starting school!  This is my special collection of books to get you and your child, in the mood!

Next steps

If you found this post useful, please help share it with other mums just like you, who may also find this guidance useful as their child takes a first step into the education system.

I'd appreciate it if you'd share this post with your friends, using the sharing buttons below.

If you notice any glaring omissions in this post, then please contact me!  I want to ensure this is a useful and accurate article.  Or feel free to add any of your own tips in the 'comments' box below.  Commenting is welcome.

Good luck to all those children starting school in 4 short weeks.  Have fun!

Unless otherwise stated, all the pictures used in this post are from the contributing articles and are used with the permission of the websites referred to.

School Uniform: Prude or Slut?

Picture the scene; school is letting out.    It's a hot, barmy, unexpected and therefore much talked about random summer's day in England.  The children are all without coats, but clad in the usual black skirts or trousers and white school shirts.  It's a secondary school and a uniform is compulsory for those in Year 7 through to 11. (That's ages 11 to 16)

I pull up in my car at the pelican crossing outside this particular school as they are milling about.  Some cross the road in front of me, but my eyes are drawn to a group of girls on the pavement to my right.  They are all wearing the required black skirts, obviously with bare legs (did I mention the weather?) and I am struck by the shortness of the skirts.

Don't be daft I tell myself, thinking they probably just 'look' short because I'm all old and unfashionable and couldn't get away with that length anymore.  But then I notice that I can see one of the girl's bum cheek peeking out from underneath her skirt.

Yes.  You read that correctly.  Bum cheek.

Go on.  Now tell me I'm a prude.  It's not just that I could see this that bothered me.  It's that every person passing, whether walking or driving, could see this; and not everyone out there is 'safe'.  What do I mean?  You know exactly what I mean.  Let's not be naive.  You can argue all you like that it shouldn't matter what you dress your children in.  Yes, since they are under 16 these are still children we are talking about.  But it does matter.  It really does.

In the 80s the rule was knee-length.  If you could see all your knees the skirt was too short and you got a letter to send home.  I wonder what, if anything, this school did about this particular skirt.  On the evidence of the skirts surrounding her, not one more than about an inch lower in length, probably not a lot.

If there are any teachers out there reading this; I'd be interested to know your thoughts.  What are the rules these days?  If any?  Do you agree with them?  Or not?  Why?

It seems that everyone wants me to know what, if any underwear they are wearing this summer, doesn't it.  Can you avoid VPL this summer?

Help! My child doesn't want to go to school!

Late on Sunday evening, the night before school was due to start a new term after the Easter break, my friend's five year old daughter took a tube of toothpaste, squeezed out three or four large gloops, and rubbed it all into her dry hair like shampoo.  All over. 

Her mother, understandably, was fairly upset.  It took four actual shampoos and rinses to get the bulk of it out of her hair.  Bedtime was somewhat delayed.

You'll obviously have worked out that this child wasn't keen on school.  It's nothing new; she's been coming up with excuses to avoid going to school for the whole 18 months she's been in attendance.  Luckily, her mum, being the sensible woman she is, hasn't let her daughter win this battle of wills.  Attending school is not a debating matter.  But, the daughter has obviously inherited her mother's fighting spirit and stubbornness, so it's a battle of wills that continues to rage.

Excuses have included;

• I can only go to school when it's sunny.  
• I've broken my leg. (she obviously hadn't).  
• I can't find any socks (she'd hidden them all)
• I can't find my shoes (she'd hidden those too)

There's no doubting she's got a brilliant imagination.  But mum has had mornings where she has had to take her into school in her pyjamas, uniform in bag, and carry her to the door kicking and screaming.

Ironically, once at school, all reports suggest that she enjoys it.  She is super bright; reading texts far beyond her years; but appears to socialise happily in the school environment.

Her mother, though, is starting to wonder if she'll ever go to school without fuss.

Can anyone help? 

Is this something that she will eventually grow out of?  Or is it a habit that she'll find hard to break?  Is there anything more mum can do?

What inventive things has your child done to avoid school?

Christmas Assembly Confusion! You need to take 'what?' to school?

My eldest girl (5 yrs) came home with instructions yesterday.  
 

“Mummy…..” she said in that slightly irritating whiny way that 5 year olds have perfected and which you know will precede a question that involves you doing something, or that presents you with a new complicated job to do.

“Mummy…….. I need a costume for school for the Christmas assembly”

“OK luv, what do you need?” I say overly cheerily to suppress the groan that is threatening.

“I need a quilt, mummy”

“A quilt?”  I frown.

“Yes” she says seeing the doubt in my eyes and nodding her little head furiously.   “A quilt”.  Obviously I am doubtful.  I have an image in my head of a small child swamped with her winter quilt, over her head, wrapped around her like Mary’s shawl in the nativity, a large belt strapping it all together.  Ahhhh... I think I may be on to something.

“Is it to dress up as Mary?  Or a Shepherd?”  I ask thinking I’ve worked it out.  But she’s not at all happy with that suggestion and I can see very quickly that she is disgusted with my apparent stupidity.

“NO Mummy”   At one point I think she’s going to tut at me and she says very slowly and slightly loudly..  “We have to dress up like the Countries.” 

“Countries?”

“Yes Mummy.” I can tell she’s getting exasperated now.  “So I need a quilt.  Like they wear in bonny Scotland…………”

And so it transpires that the children have been learning about the Olympics and are doing a Christmas assembly on this subject, in which my daughter is supporting Scotland.  I am not sure which made my laugh more in the next 10 minutes until I finally came up for air, the ‘quilt’ or the fact that my daughter had used the word ‘bonny’.  A word we have never used in any context previously before!

Thinking about it though; it’ll be harder to get hold of a kilt for this assembly than it would be to supply a quilt, so maybe she’s on to something!

Starting school.....Aaagghh!

It's a nasty, rainy morning in the Midlands.  Standing in the rain, huddled together with matching book bags and water bottles are three parents.  Waiting for the bell to ring, they are trying to keep dry, catch up with friends, keep an eye on their children, and stop the bottom of their trousers soaking up any more water but subtlety hitching them up to Simon Cowell heights every 3 minutes.  They are carrying all the school paraphernalia required.  Their children, 4 years old, are too busy running amok to hold said paraphernalia, and will, if unprompted, probably run into school without required book bag, water bottle, a photograph of themselves as babies (this week's homework for the parents), and a signed letter saying that, yes, they are allowed to have their eyes tested by the school nurse.

The mums all have the look of a frightened rabbit about them.  It's only week two.  They thought school would mean; drop off at 9am, pick up at 3.30pm.  But no.  Their children are all 'Rising Fives', which essentially means that they are not five at all, in fact they are nowhere near five, having only turned four a few measly weeks ago, and are so young that the smallest size of school uniform looks massive on them.  They are, as a result, starting school in September for 'mornings only'.  Which means, by the time you've dropped them off at 8.55am, and returned to pick them up at 11.55, you've barely had time to boil the kettle.  They have spent the first two weeks of school coming home with letters to their 'frightened rabbit looking mums' almost daily, inviting said parents to sign various forms, attend a school meeting (week one), attend a PTA meeting (week 2), become a school governor (week 2), obtain a minimum of £25 sponsorship for an event all children are participating in in week 4, sign their children up for football classes, dance classes, and remember to take in a copy of their child's birth certificate so that their identity can be confirmed.

On top of this they are required to remember to send their children with a clear (not coloured) bottle of water at the beginning of each week (presumably schools don't use their own cups for drinks anymore?), ensure name labels are in every item of clothing and dress them in 'easy' clothes on PE days (as the teachers presumably don't have the time to help them get dressed or undressed, regardless of their young age).  I can imagine a bunch of school children running around a school hall half-dressed.  A young boy still in his school shirt because he can't quite do the buttons yet.  A young girl still in her coat for the same reason.  Shorts on back to front.  Plimsolls on the wrong feet.  Oh dear.

And all of this on top of the added strain of having to get the child to school on time.  Not just to a relaxing play group once a week.  But to school.  Everyday.  Where I'm sure they do detention for parents that are stupid enough to be late.

It turns out that school now runs our lives.  We can't go on holiday anymore without consulting the school timetable.  Though looking at the prices is an easy way of spotting when the holidays are.  When the prices hike.

Am I stressed?  Ever so slightly.

Can I still be yummy doing all this?  Goodness knows.  I will try my best.

Back to School Mayhem!

I haven't had two minutes spare in the last week!  This week Cheeky Monkey No.1 starts school for the first time, Cheeky Monkey No.2 starts a new nursery and I start back at work.

I still haven't managed to find some PE shorts for CM1.  And her name labels haven't yet arrived from Marks & Spencer.  I might be more stressed as a result, but luckily CM2 was more than happy to start nursery today, was absolutely shattered on her return home, and went to bed fairly easily, bearing in mind the nightmare of a week we have had trying to get her to calmly go to sleep in her new cot bed (see previous posts).

It's late.  And I don't suppose the girls will sleep through the night, if the rest of this week is anything to go by, so I'm afraid I only have brief words of wisdom today.

1.  Don't convert a child's cot into a cotbed days before you start back to work after a summer break.
2.  Don't leave school uniform purchases, including name labels,  until the last minute.
3.  Do get your school shoes from M&S.  They are apparently "scuff resistant".  I'm looking forward to testing that claim!
4.  Do enjoy time off with toddlers.... How quickly time flies and before you know it they are at school!