This is a public service announcement for parents of 2016 Reception starters

[kippersyllabub]

1. Whatever "settling in" arrangements your school tells you they have, you, the parent are entitled to send your child to school full time from the very start of the Autumn term, or part time until they reach compulsory school age. This is up to you. It is not up to the school. If you need to quote legislation at the headteacher, it's the school admissions code (this is secondary legislation) and this has been clarified in the 2015 report of the Office of the Schools' adjudicator.
   

1. It really helps if they can take themselves to the loo, get changed for PE and put their coat on. Counting, reading and writing early don't make a huge difference compared to the above.
   

1. label everything
   

Have I forgotten anything?

[MinnieLatte]

^^ yes to all of quarkandmarmite post.

As Reception teachers, we try so hard to look after all 30 as well as we'd look after our own children– but there are usually only 2 adults in the classroom & sometimes we just haven't got time to look for jumpers otherwise we'd never teach anything!

Yes to loads of plain uniform, Reception children are wild creatures that can dirty a jumper in under 5 minutes!
Yes to going to the loo as independently as possible
Yes to labelling EVERYTHING

Practise putting coats on independently, again we've got 30 to get in coats at the same time, it's like herding cats! We do put your hood on first, then find the sleeves (as obv they're in the right position then) Done. We then work on zips once they've mastered that.

Honestly, the academic stuff is a breeze- it's stuff like this that takes the whole Autumn term to sort!

[drspouse]

My DS was taught the Nursery School Flip by his nursery, which my mum taught me when I was three!

Nursery School Flip

[caitlinohara]

Is that true about starting full time fr sept?? I hadn't heard that. Our school allows it but you have to pay for it and basically the kids have to be in the pre school for the other half of the day.

[bluespiral]

Stickins labels are amazing. I was a bit sceptical but they can be washed over and over.

Put a distinctive key ring on their book bag so they can find it easily at school. I didn't know everybody did this at first!

Tea tree oil from the body shop dabbed on the nape of the neck and around the ears to repel head lice. It's worked for us so far!

[drspouse]

caitlinohara Yes it is true (England at least) and they should not be making you pay!

[BeyondTellsEveryoneRealFacts]

Any idea where i would find out if it applies to wales too?

[Andbabymakesthree]

I'm teaching my daughter patience.

Shes more than capable of doing most of the tasks needed independence wise. However I know she will get frustrated by others not being able too and seems to have inherited a tut and eyes roll

Kipper. I'm waiting to see what transition arrangements are offered but if long and drawn out I'll be asking for full time from start!

[Andbabymakesthree]

Caitlin it's true and that's quite shocking they charge parents!

[caitlinohara]

Wow, I am ! I had no idea. The faff working parents have to go through for half a term is ridiculous, especially when plenty of children have been in nursery for more hours a week than they will be doing at school! Where can I look this up?

[Andbabymakesthree]

Also keep a sharpie laundry marker in car.

[Yokohamajojo]

Try and be relaxed about the Golden Book or whatever reward system your school has, it'll come to your child eventually

[sirfredfredgeorge]

The freedom of getting the class bear first before others have filled in his behaviour, is also an obligation to do nothing exotic with it.

[mrsmortis]

sirfredfredgeorge - I'm with you on than. We felt really guilty because the class bear came home before October half term and on the weekend of both mine and my husbands birthdays. So our entry was full of all sorts of exciting things. I made sure that the first thing in the book was 'Bear chose a very exciting weekend to come and visit missmortis. Both Mummy and Daddy had their birthdays while he was staying'. But even so I worried I was going to be a hate figure for all following parents because we ate out twice (once with each set of Grandparents) and had two special days out, all of which DD insisted on documenting.

[kippersyllabub]

Caitlin: Wales has a different admissions code. I've just googled it and it's not the same but I don't have enough expertise here to advise you on whether the same rules apply.

[Mner]

Thanks so much for the tips. I have started making a list!

[Mumoftwoyoungkids]

Go on holiday in June - make the most of the cheap while you still can!

[drspouse]

Slightly sneaky but we have booked a last term time skiing holiday for Jan 2017 (our DS has a spring term birthday so not compulsory school age till April) - so we may get a disapproving look but it's good therapy for his balance issues, is our argument!

We may also skip a couple of days at the end of the Spring term but that depends on the timing of the end of term and another thing.

We'll be good after that, promise!

[Cedar03]

I'd like to add that if you have a girl then - if uniform rules allow - buy pinafore dresses because these cover up most of the top and are darker so the dirt doesn't show quite as much.

If your child has school dinners they will probably use their sleeve to wipe their face on and then throw all their food straight down their front. Either be prepared to wash a lot, buy extra sets of clothes or just get used to your child going to school in grubby clothes.

Oh, and they will also get pen on everything that is white/pale coloured. This will be on all new tops and will never come out ever as washable pens apparently don't exist in schools. (Or not in my child's school anyway).

[BrightandEarly]

Can any of you wise ladies recommend a book that helps DC to prepare for starting school? I don't mean a book that teaches them letters or anything like that, but a nice reassuring story about starting school?

[MashesToPashes]

Keep a note of what you've paid (trips, clubs etc) and when you've paid it and wherever possible pay by cheque or direct to school's bank account if that is an option, especially once your kids hit KS2 and you may be paying for lunches.

[MashesToPashes]

Also, put all payments in a sealed envelope and write every bit of relevant information on it and on the back of your cheque.

[GreenMarkerPen]

bright there is a nice biff chip kipper one about starting school.

[PerspicaciaTick]

Shirley Hughes' "Lucy & Tom go to school" and Allan Ahlberg' "Starting school" are both lovely books for children. Or pop into your library, at this time of year they often put together collections of books looking at starting school.

[almostthirty]

Only put 1 keyring onto book bags. They become a nightmare to store when a child has 20!