Most of the children who enter our school have attended a local pre-school playgroup, which helps to prepare them for starting school.

During the preceding term before a child starts school, the parents and the child are invited to the school to attend the first part of the morning session.  They are taken to the Reception class so that the children may meet their future teacher and other children, and are able to familiarise themselves with the classroom environment.

On given dates further visits are arranged in this term for the children to attend the afternoon storytime with the current Reception Class.  This ensures that the children will settle in happily to school having attended the class and got to know the teacher and some of the other children.  While the children are attending storytime the parents receive talks from the School Nurse, the Uniform shop.  This is a chance for the parents to meet and to find out more about what will happen when their child starts school.  We always have some existing parents on hand to talk to the parents too.

At The Highway we admit children to Reception on a staggered day basis for the first week.  It is our experience that the children settle quicker into the daily routine in this way.

When a child begins school it needs to be independent and self-reliant for it must share the attention of the teacher with others in the class. It is essential that your child should be able to dress him/herself and go to the toilet without assistance.

Help and encouragement are needed in all stages of learning, but particularly in the early years. It must not, though, be associated with anxiety or pressure on the part of the parents, or it will inevitably lead to tension and loss of confidence on the part of the child.