Reception visit nursery already

[patriciafernandes]

Hello wondering if anyone here already having their child visited by new school reception at their nursery please thank you

The won't be visiting nurseries until much later in the summer term.

I am a business manager in a school and we have already visited some nurseries and the rest are booked in next week. We do it very early to help decide which class they will be going into as we are a two form intake school.

Just checked they are also 2 form intake school... maybe that's why...

We tend not to start visiting the children until June. It's quite early to be starting transition. However, we do start contacting nurseries at this stage to arrange a meeting to discuss individual needs (especially for SEN children) so we can start to plan and prepare an appropriate transition programme for them all. This can help with organising class lists too, in schools with more than one form entry.

A lot will be school dependent though in terms of how early they actually start to meet the children themselves. When I worked at a small village school with a PAN of 25, where all bar a few came from the village pre-school next door, it was very easy for me to arrange lots of informal drop ins, even before allocation day, and get to know them all really well before September. For larger schools, or schools who take from many different settings, it can be harder to arrange and therefore becomes more formal with scheduled meetings in order to meet and start to get to know all the different children.

It's very early days. Most schools with 2 or more Reception classes won't have even organised class lists yet to work out who will be teaching who next year, so it would be pointless a teacher going to visit a child yet when they might not even end up in their class. The lists will change a lot over the next couple of months, with some potentially rejecting the place and others appealing or moving in to the area. Most schools tend to wait until second round allocations before they start to seriously look at the individual names on the list and make plans to visit them, as it's so common for things to change.

Honestly even in the largest schools I've worked in which were 5 form entry the visits didn't happen until at least June. It feels incredibly early for visits. It's 5 months until September.

How can I know if it's normal or no? They said they will visit my daughter tomorrow and 5 other children Monday and that they had someone else to visit at a different nursery... if something was off do you think they would even let me know about the visit? I am freaking out honestly because everyone is telling me is to early

Why does it matter? It’s how this school organises things

It is early but that's not a problem. It'll just be something to do with school logistics. I work in a school and don't really understand why you're concerned?

Why would something be off? It’s unusual, but it’s a bit paranoid to assume ulterior motive.

I really don't understand your concerns. Yes it is considered early by many but, as I said, it really is school dependent. If your child's school are visiting now, clearly that is normal for them. IF there are any concerns regarding your child's ability to transfer smoothly, nursery would have raised them with you if they were concerned to the point of asking school to arrange an extra early visit. Even if that was the case, that she'd been singled out for an early visit, surely that's a good thing that they're so on the ball in terms of wanting to help her with the coming change? You're overthinking it.

It’s a perfectly normal timeframe. Summer term.
what are you worried about?

Not worried just asking is my first little one so I am learning how things work...

Ok well don’t worry at all. It’s normal for stuff to visit in the summer term when they can get cover. This summer term is particularly short so it will be any time from now on.

You just said you're "freaking out". What about? That phrase usually indicates a high level of worry. Now you're saying you're not worried. Am I missing something? 🤷🏼‍♀️

Don't take a few comments on Mumsnet as gospel for what transition 'should' look like. There are thousands of primary and infant schools across the country. All will run transition in their own unique way. Whatever experience you get is 'normal' because that's how your school does it. Don't expect it to be the same for everyone though. There is no usual, expected or right way to do it. It's simply down to the individual school how they do it.

Obviously is my first child and if everyone is telling me that's not normal even google said is too early my friends and family say the same so that's why...

Just because Doctor Google says it's "too early", doesn't mean the school are doing anything wrong. Just accept their way of doing things and go with the flow. You're in for a seriously long and stressful 7 years if you panic every time your child's school does something in a different way to how MumsNet or Google suggests they should be doing it.

Ok thank you

Freaking out about what? I don't understand what is causing so much panic. What do you think is going to happen?

@BoleynMemories13offers some great advice op.

As others have said, schools will have different arrangements for making visits and I think what you have described appears perfectly normal to me. I would turn it on its head and see it as beneficial in preparing your child for the transition. Do you have any doubts about your child attending that particular school - or are you worried about her going into reception? I remember that when my dd was at nursery, they started to prepare her for the transition early in the summer term - and it was very helpful to her,

How does it inform the class list? What do you look for to decide. I'm just interested, I assumed classes would be mostly random in reception, with a balancing of children with known additional needs of course.

What difference does it make to you?

Could be any number of things - It’s just how they do it. The teacher who does it has to take time off later this term for health reasons. Your nursery volunteers to be first in the area for visits.

They are seeing many kids and not just your one - nothing to worry about

Ok thank you

Yes we balance known SEN but lots more as well. Things like a balance of quiet, shy children and a balance of more out going children. Making sure each child that has attended a nursery or preschool has someone in their class that also went to that nursery (provided more than one come from that nursery and the nursery don’t say to split them up) Some SEN we know about now as parents have already been in touch but some we don’t find out until we visit the nursery so it also helps to get all the facts.
for those saying it is a long time until Sept, this isn’t the only time we see the children. We do nursery visits this half term then in the last half term we have ‘stay and play’ sessions at the school for children to come to so they can start getting familiar with the staff and school and like wise staff can get to know them better before the new school year starts. We are also in Leicestershire, so break earlier in July than most and also go back to school in August so summer term is quite short.