What should children be able to do before starting school?

[Namesnamesnames13]

I’d love to know what peoples kids were able to do before going to school. 3 year old is potty trained, can wipe, blow nose, ask for help, follow instructions etc but outside of that, what should kids know first year a school. Writing name, etc, reading basic words and numbers? I was no wizz at school, but wish I had been a bit more ahead with stuff.

Has anyone had a home tutor for kids before school to get the basics? Or is this too much? i know I could do it (I can hear people typing that response!) but we aren’t all great teachers! 🤦‍♀️

Teachers don't automatically have access to this information. I did when I worked in the school Nursery as we usually collected the admission forms but not higher up, that would all be in the office. I'm not sure you'd be allowed to keep your own list.

Recognising their name
pouring from a jug without spilling
putting on coat and zipping it up.
putting shoes on correct feet
using kind hands
polite manners

there were a couple of times when I took my daughter and her friends out and their parents didn’t turn up on time to collect them, and the children had no idea of how to contact their parents.

Who takes out a young child without knowing themselves how to contact their parents?! I can't imagine having a child in my care without a parent phone number.

As a teacher of slightly older children…
Please start teaching them to use scissors! It is super helpful for strengthening their hands for writing and other small motor skills.

Read to them every day. Encourage them to ‘read’ to their toys.

This was many years ago, before most people had mobile phones and before people were as anxious about keeping a constant track of their children 24 hours a day. The parents had dropped their children off at the play centre, knowing that I was staying with my daughter and her friend, and just didn’t turn up to collect them on time. Even nowadays, I would still expect a five year old to know at least the first line of their address and a phone number.

Dress and undress ready for PE, shoes and coat on and off. Go to the toilet by themselves, eat with knife and fork. Write own name! Nothing else like recognition of number and letters will be expected.

The police are allowed to keep information others can't. They are exempt from certain parts of data protection law eg the PNC does not have to be accurate.

OP

Everything already said re toilet and flushing and hand washing. I know with free school meals fewer children have a packed lunch but just in case yours does make sure she / he can open the lunch box and things in it eg yoghurt.

Something worth considering is if there is another child with the same name what name eg say you have a daughter called Louise Smith and another child is Louise Jones would she want to be Louise S? Lou? Loulou? Use her middle name?

Use loo properly and always wash hands.
Get dressed, including coat/wellies, be ablt to do up buttons and zip.
We did lots of drawing and colouring - colouring in lines etc. And playing with bricks, especially lego.
Chatting about things we'd seen on walks and at the park and being able to tell Dad/grandparents later.
Could write and recognise name, knew colours and numbers to 20.
Use of cutlery, pouring drink, clearing their things off the table.
Listening to and following requests.
Lots of reading to them - this also helped with attention and chatting about what we'd read.
Spent time at playgroups to encourage making friends, learning to share etc, and childcare setting was great at building on this.

Good fine motor skills to help fully form their knuckles - Lego, play dough etc. how to hold a pencil. Hopping and skipping Etc in addition to the independence of dressing and undressing, toileting etc.

Oh yes, I remember both of mine really liking Duplo and Play-Doh at that age