School Readiness

What is school readiness?

School readiness means that your child has a range of knowledge and skills that will enable them to make progress through school and life. We know that every child is different and will require varying levels of support to ensure they are physically and emotionally ready for school. Your child being school ready is very important. Children who do not achieve a good level of development at age five are more likely to struggle with social skills, reading, maths and physical skills.

What does a school ready child look like?

A school ready child can communicate their needs to an adult. This is because if your child is sad or hurt or unwell during the school day you want them to be able to tell someone.

School ready children will enjoy playing and making friends. Social education is just as important as academic education. You want your child to be able to develop their social skills by playing with their peers.

School ready children will be able to dress themselves independently including putting on their own shoes. Your child should wear shoes they can do up themselves eg Velcro fastening if they cannot do laces.

School ready children should be able to drink from a cup and be able to brush their teeth independently. Dental Health is very important whilst children are growing and it is important to ensure they are in healthy habits for adulthood. Children should also not be using a dummy or bottle which will help their teeth to stay straight and strong.

School ready children will know when they need to use the toilet and how to use the toilet independently and be able to clean themselves after using the toilet. Your Child should also know how to wash their hands effectively.

School ready children should be up to date with their childhood immunisations. Now is a good time to check that your child has had their pre school boosters.

School ready children will have a good bedtime routine. This will allow them to be awake and ready to learn during the day. A good bedtime routine is a habit which can take a long time to build so it is a good idea to start this early.

Click here for more information on applying for schools