'School Ready'

What does it mean to be ‘school ready’ for us as parents, and for our under 5s? 

There’s a lot of talk at the moment on what it means to be ‘school ready’ and of course this will vary from child to child, even more so for children with additional needs. This is, however, more than just ensuring our children are prepared for the changes that school brings. This next stage for them, is also the next stage in our parenting journey.  

What can you do, what should you do, and what isn’t going to make a difference at this stage? 

Firstly, try not to let other well-meaning people build up ‘big school’ as an issue. Those comments of “you can’t do that when you go to school”, and “you will have to do this by yourself when you go to school” are not helpful and only serve to increase anxiety. Far better to practise with your child: encouraging them to ask for help with things that they find difficult, and reassuring them that school is where we learn lots of new skills and that’s a good thing. If your child finds it difficult to ask for help you can start to use a visual, for example: Makaton 

Make the school feel familiar 

Start to bring the school into view. If you live close by, divert your walks so that you ‘just happen’ to walk past. You can be very matter of fact, “oh look, that’s your new school,” and carry on as you were. Then add in a ‘hook’, “that’s great – it’s really close to the park, we can stop at the park after school, if the weather is good,” no big deal, just a part of your day. You may not be at the local school, so try to drive past as often as you can. Find somewhere that will be a good stop point, a park or coffee shop, for example (if you are providing transport) just to make the journey more familiar. If you can make school somewhere that is more of a day-to-day experience in advance, then it will be far less of a daunting prospect. 

Practise the morning routine 

Begin to get your morning routine more in line with getting ready for school in the few weeks before the start of term. This can be as tough on us as it is on siblings if our child is the eldest or hasn’t been going to nursery or childcare regularly in the mornings. Remember that if you have younger children, you will also have to get them ready to leave in all weathers too. A solid routine is essential to keep everyone on track. A now and next approach can help children with this. (Click here to see an example of a now and next board on Amazon.) Getting the school uniform out the night before, school bag by the front door and breakfast bowls on the table before you turn in for the night will make life the next morning a little less fraught. 

School uniform and labelling 

School unform, oh the joy of finding unform that isn’t scratchy, that is easy to put on and doesn’t get lost. Our blog here has links for school uniform, including adaptive clothing.  It’s a pain, but do put your child’s name in and on everything. Click here for examples of school uniform labels. When everyone has the same jumper, shirt and book bag it’s impossible for adults, let alone a five year old to tell if they have theirs or someone else’s. A name, with a symbol or picture will make it easier for your child to recognise if this belongs to them, and will save any support staff involved from lengthy searches at the end of the school day. Make sure that your child sees this name label and gets used to this before school starts. If they are able to recognise this, it will help. 

Coats and shoes: build independence 

It can be extremely challenging for many young children to put on their coat and shoes. They will be expected to do so at least four times each day at school – morning break, lunch, afternoon break and home time. With many children needing help, your child may not always be in the position to receive this help in a timely manner. Practicing at home will make a huge difference, and welly boots are easier to put on than shoes when you first start out.  Click here to watch how to teach a child to put on their own coat. 

Name writing: focus on recognition first 

Don’t fret about your child being able to write their name before they go to school. If they can recognise their name this will be highly beneficial. Write their name on paper for them to draw on, let them look at the shape that their name makes. This is why your child will recognise shops and logos; they are looking at the shape that the letters make. You can use a multisensory approach, magnetic letters on the fridge door, wooden letters, puzzles in chunky wood to enable them to put the letters in the right order, look for places such as Etsy for personalised items and   Crossbow education for multi-sensory resources. 

Letters and numbers in everyday life 

Point out letters and numbers in your day-to-day life. Children become fascinated by the usual things that they then realise have other purposes. Car registrations, house numbers, food packets and tins. Rote learning – e.g. counting to 10 - requires meaning – counting numbers slowly as you share a pack of chocolate buttons, cutting an apple and saying, “I’ll share an apple with you, we can have half each and then I’ll cut the half into quarters”. It’s what we do, but an external monologue enables that mathematical language to be used and heard outside of ‘formal’ learning.  

The ABC song is the bane of many Early Years educators. Please don’t bother with this one. This song teaches children the name of the capital letters, when it’s the sound of these letters that they need to learn. The ‘unlearning’ this requires when teaching children to read is often extensive.  

Reading: support without pressure 

Again, reading isn’t an essential skill before your child starts school. They will be taught to read for meaning. Some children are hyperlexic and will ‘read’ through many books, but without comprehension, which causes its own difficulties with expectations and frustration. Use picture books and encourage your child to tell the story using the pictures. When learning to read at school, your child will be looking at the pictures first and then the words. Picture clues are an important part of learning to read. Using an app such as Audible is also an excellent way of supporting reading by listening, and the Nessy App is also a fun way to introduce letters and numbers, whilst supporting how this is taught at school. 

Self-help and functional skills 

Many children find it very tricky to undertake self-help functional skills, and children with additional needs especially so. There are lots of things we can do to support them with this, with the expectation that this will be ongoing learning.  

Dirty faces and using a mirror 

Does your child recognise when they have a dirty face? This is often seen as a need in Section B of an EHC Plan and is a way not just to explain that a child may not have wiped their mouth after eating – but to also say that they may have a runny nose and not wipe it, which can result in other children having responses to how a child looks that are not kind. Encourage and show your child how to look in the mirror – this is something that children just don’t do because they have no reason to do so. We check that they are clean and tidy, but at school we can’t do this and the staff are busy. Showing, and teaching how to clean up is more important than telling a child to be clean and tidy.  

Toileting and continence 

How is toileting going? This can be a huge step for our children and many with SEND struggle significantly with this. There’s a media storm over children starting school in nappies, with huge parent blame attached, and this is unfair. Continence difficulties aren’t new, in my long career in Early Years (stretching back to the mid to late 1980s) children have been starting school who still have toileting accidents or are yet to achieve full continence. I’ve seen children who haven’t had a drink since the previous afternoon, just to ensure they are dry at school, this isn’t bladder control – it’s dehydration. If you are struggling to achieve bowel and bladder control for your child, seek support. Do not rule out a physical or health-based reason, and it’s reassuring to know that achieving full continence takes time, and with support this will happen for most children. The following link for the ERIC charity will be invaluable Eric website 

Lunch: practical skills and preparation 

Lunch, this can be another tricky time for those with restrictive medical diets, those with sensory needs, physical difficulties, social, interaction and communication difficulties. This can start with opening the lunch box/bag/packets, carrying a tray of food, cutting food, managing a spoon, and drinking from an open cup, before any eating takes place. Make sure your child’s lunch box/bag/water bottle is easy to identify as being theirs, and is named. Have packed lunch picnics at home to practice opening and closing, adding extras like a paper napkin or sheet of kitchen roll for fingers and face. Look realistically at how much your child actually eats, this will enable you to cater accordingly, and not have a lunch box returning each day full of uneaten mush.  

Drinking from an open cup 

Drinking from an open cup can be extremely challenging, notwithstanding knocking over a plastic beaker before drinking even starts! It seems counterintuitive but try a sturdy China teacup and saucer at home and you may be surprised. The added weight provides sensory feedback, and the saucer has indentations that help with placement and keeping in place. The same can apply with a solid China plate. Charity shops are a good place to find something that won’t break the bank should an accident happen. I once kitted out a whole day nursery with crockery from IKEA which worked far better for little ones than flimsy plastic. Ikea link here 

Cutlery support 

For support with cutlery look here   

Naps and sleep routines 

Are naps still a feature of your child’s day? It can be hard to stop a tired child from having a daytime nap. Unfortunately, it will make it even harder for your child to cope with a full day at school if they are used to that mid afternoon nap. Try to start a sleep hygiene routine a good month before school starts especially for those who nap in the day. Tiredness at school can result in dysregulated responses to requests and demands, and impacts upon the ability to engage. Add to this additional SEND needs and the combination is very difficult for your child and those supporting them.  

After school: reduce demands 

Lower all expectations and demands after a day at school, your child will be tired mentally and physically. They are often reluctant to say what they did at school that day, because of overload. Let home be home, a safe place to just ‘be’. Those after school activities may have to wait until your child has settled into their routine. It’s not every adult's choice to go to the gym or learn additional skills after a long day at work – and school is your child’s work. Free play, and relaxing is not detrimental after a long day at school.  

If you think your child may need extra support 

Children with additional needs often manage fairly well in the first term in mainstream primary reception class. The curriculum is still kinaesthetic, the expectation to sit still is lower than in future years, and all the children are here to learn new skills. If your child is yet to have an Education Health and Care Plan Needs Assessment, but you believe that they need, or will need additional support at school now is the time to put in for an EHC NA. Click to read about Education Health Care Plan Needs Assessments – the application for an EHC Plan. 

Undertake this as a parent and you will drive this forward with more dedication and perseverance than any school. Schools have many administrative responsibilities, and yours will not be the only EHC NA they are asked to do. Empowering Families of Children with SEND Ltd has all the resources you need to undertake this. Our webinar provides SEND law over LA policy on the legal test for assessment. We talk you through the process, with scenarios that match many children’s presentation. Our resource pack includes template application letters, backed by appropriate case law, with worked examples for you to follow. Click here for our EHCNA Webinar. 

Our YouTube channel has extensive support videos including the legal test YouTube and a video just for children to explain about EHC Plans here and one for parents here.  

If you have any questions come and find us on our Facebook Group, we are always available to provide professional support there.

For more information about how Empowering Families can help you email admin@empoweringSENDfamilies.co.uk

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