Transition to reception in COVID times

[ThirdElephant]

DD attends a playgroup which has links to the local primary school and usually does weekly sessions for the older kids at the local school throughout the year (there's no nursery attached to the primary school). I've been told that this year these aren't going ahead due to COVID.

I can't help but feel this is a little bit ridiculous, as:

1. COVID is going nowhere and there are no plans to vaccinate primary school kids
2. The kids will be indoors full time in the school next year anyway, when COVID will still be knocking around.
3. The kids still mix with those at the school anyway- most of them have siblings who attend.

I'm just feeling really upset for the kids that, having been already robbed of a year of proper socialisation through COVID, they're not going to be able to go inside the school to prepare them for transition.

What do you think? Is this the way of the world now? When will our kids be able to have normality resume? When will it be 'safe enough'?

I understand how you feel but the kids will be fine. Ds1 started school in august, his nursery had been closed for 6 months over the previous year, he got no transition to primary school and had to go in on his first day having never seen inside. He skipped in quite happily.
There were a couple of kids who were upset but their mums said they would have been upset even with a transition.
I was very annoyed about it all as huge crowds were gathering for the football but I was annoyed on principle rather than it actually causing ds any problems.

Most schools and nurseries do not have that system, and your DC will be absolutely fine without it.

I don’t know any nurseries & pre-schools that do such a thing where I am. Your kid will be fine.

We moved house last year & DD continued to attend nursery near our old house but obviously got into a school near our new house. All transition days were cancelled last summer. My DD hadn’t met a single child nor been in the building. Our school didn’t even do a transition week in September. She was in all day, full time from day one. She’s been 100% fine. Made lots of friends. Settled extremely quickly, loves school!

I did worry, it’s natural to do so as a parent but kids are far more adaptable & resilient than grown ups. She doesn’t know any different. You do but she doesn’t. She isn’t missing out on visiting the school because he’s never been & doesn’t know that would have been a thing pre-covid. Hopefully your child will be able to do transition days next summer & even if she doesn’t, it sounds like she’ll be going to school with kids she knows from pre-school. Already a significant advantage!

Things are much more normal in schools now but understandably, they are still being cautious. There’s just been a mass outbreak at DD’s school, it really does spread! And that’s fine within the school community but better to keep visitors to a minimum over winter while hospitals are very busy!

My twins didn’t get a transition to school either, it all got cancelled in July due to covid. They only saw it for the first time for ten minutes on the Friday before they started! However the school were fab at providing pictures to show them.I was worried but actually they were absolutely fine settling in!

Hopefully by next September things will be a bit more normal.

I have never heard of this arrangement its not common.

Be plenty time transition in summer term once places are allocated.

Most kids dont get any transition into school, they’ll be fine, OP