Earlier this month, our children moving up to primary school in September, all received notification of their school allocation. There are a couple of important dates that parents and carers must consider!
Accepting A Place:
If you’ve not already accepted a place, please make sure your acceptance is received by the local authority before 30th April. If you applied online, then simply log on and make sure you accept your child’s place by that date. If you applied by post, all postal confirmations must also be received by that date so please factor in postal time (we recommend getting them in the post ASAP!).
Appealing:
If for any reason, you are not happy with the school that you’ve been allocated, you have the right to appeal against the decision. Appeals must be received in writing by Thursday 16th May. Please remember though, that if you are appealing, you MUST accept your allocated school place by 30th April, otherwise this place could be allocated to another child.
For more information on how to appeal, you can download the BCP Council School Appeals Guide for Parents and Carers here : (PDF guide from BCP will be inserted here)
Getting Your Child Ready For BIG SCHOOL!
Starting Primary School is an emotional time for parents and children. The next big step in life and one that sees our children start to grow and develop into their own little people. It’s a time when they start making their own friends and becoming a little more independent. Here are a few handy tips that between now and September, will help both you and your child be ready for this next step in life:
- Helping Them To Become Independent:
When your child starts in Reception, he or she will be expected to be able to look after themselves – this includes being able to dress themselves, tackling buttons, zips and taking their coat on and off. They should also be able to use a knife, fork and spoon and be able to go to the toilet without assistance.
- Making Friends:
Most Reception classes will have around 30 children in a class so it’s really important that your child is able to socialise with other children. Encourage your child to talk to other children at the park. Playdates are also a great way of getting children to interact.
- Listening
In Reception, children are expected to be able to sit and listen to what their teacher says without interrupting and also to answer when spoken to. A great way to get your child prepared for this is to roleplay schools – with siblings, friends or with teddies and dolls. Also, encourage family discussions at the dinner table ensuring everyone takes a turn to listen and speak.
- Knowing Their Name:
Children all develop at different times. Remember that some children will be almost five by the time they start school in September, whilst other children may just have turned four. Some children will already be able to read and write words and numbers whilst others may not. Whatever stage your child is at, to get them ready for school, helping them to recognise their own name will help them to settle in and to be able to pick up their own school jumper or book-bag.
- Look Forward To School
Some children will be more than ready to start school come September and will be very excited at the prospect. Others may find it very daunting and be a little frightened at the prospect. To help prepare your child for school, the school will have a number of settling in sessions before September which is an opportunity for parents, carers and children to meet the teachers, and to see what school is like. Talk enthusiastically about school over the summer and if you are fortunate to know other children that will be starting in the same class, get them together for playdates prior to starting school.