Reception induction

[Bumper18]

I'm interested to hear other people's experiences of this. We had ours recently (prep school) and I was really unimpressed! Since then I've been hearing of other people's inductions and they sounded so much better, from an information and reassurance point of view.
Our experience: we arrived at the school. There was no sign of anything being on and no one giving directions. We found the classroom as we just about remembered from the open day. Most of the other children are already at the preschool and there were only a few other newcomers. We tried to settle DD as we'd to go over to the hall for the parents' meeting. She was peeled off me screaming which didn't put me in a great frame of mind. The pack we were given was really brief and the presentation itself was similar. There was no opportunity for parents to chat at the end. The whole thing lasted one hour.
I was so underwhelmed but it's worried me so much because it going to be the same once she starts isn't it?
How have others found their inductions?

We've got ours coming up - we have three altogether. The first one is for an hour where DS and I (and the other new children and parents) get to spend an hour in the classroom that he will be in with the other reception starters. A week later we are back for an hour and a half where I leave him in the new classroom while I go to a presentation by the head teacher and get the school information. Lastly, a week later he has another hour and a half in the classroom again with the other new reception children. We've also been invited to their sports day and summer fayre. Quite a comprehensive induction really! Oh, it's also a state school.

We have an evening information meeting for adults only, where school dinners are served with a glass of wine to encourage uptake. Meet the classroom staff, office staff, PTA committee and ASC staff. Casual wander round the classroom. Ton of paperwork inc new starters handbook given out.

An hour or so where the new starters visit the classroom with their parents for a bit of a play.

An hour or so where the new starters visit the classroom without parents for a bit of a play.

BUT

Those at the preschool on site have been doing casual mixed play with and in Reception and with the school teachers in preschool once a week since April. They hit the ground running.

Home visit early July. Followed by an hour in reception for parent and dc. Then a second visit starts off for parent and dc in reception or outside classroom but then parents go to a meeting with headteacher and children mix together. The headteacher was also available at the first school visit for a meet and greet and informal chat.

Children who attend the attached nursery have other opportunities to mix with the Recption class and apparantly it is about a 50/50 split of new childen vs children who attended nursery.

The DC had an afternoon in reception with their teacher doing activities and had a snack (we brought in the snack as that's what happens in reception). We had a separate parents evening where there was a speech by the headmistress (mainly just platitudes can't remember what she said) then all the parents went to their respective children's classes (there's an annual evening to meet the teacher your child will have next year). Lasted about an hour, they told us about the structure of the day, when they will start bring books home etc. then there was an opportunity for questions.

DS has his next week. 2hrs on Monday morning and 2hrs on Tuesday morning with half the children staying for school lunch accompanied by a parent each day. Then an evening session for the parents on Tuesday evening. He's very stoked about it. Though tbh the most handy tips we've had to date have been from friends with kids in Y1 & Y2 who's siblings will be in the same intake as DS

Our school had a look round, meet the teachers and play type session on a Saturday when the school was empty apart from new starters. Then on another day we had a meeting in the hall and children got to go to spend some time with their new teacher in the classroom. No pressure was put on the children and if they didn’t want to go they didn’t have to. All the parents joined the children after so those children who didn’t want to go with the teacher still spent some time in the classroom at the end. I wouldn’t be impressed at a child being forced to go when upset at an induction, not exactly helping to get them ready and excited for school!

I can’t fault ours last year. From half term they had an (optional) session each week until the end of term. These increased in duration, so the first one was an hour with parents staying, then an hour with parents leaving after 15 min, then the parents dropping and leaving them at the door, building to four hours, in their classroom group with their form teacher. Then come September they were straight in, one half day leaving after lunch and then full time thereafter. My DD has no qualms, was really excited all summer holidays and breezed in saying hello to everyone on her first proper day!

My youngest is starting reception in September. We have a meeting at preschool with his keyworker and his new teacher next week. At some point the teacher will visit him at preschool. Then we have an art workshop and introduction meeting the week after. Then 3 stay and play sessions for an hour each time, 2 with parents and one without.