Montessori Senior Class
Preparation for the move to primary school begins, at Saints and scholars Childcare, as soon as a young child comes through our doors for the first time. It is important to remember that transformative transitions are not a one-off event, they are something that is prepared for over several months and even years.
Every time the child develops another aspect of independence, sitting comfortably on a chair, using a spoon, holding a crayon, being confident enough to express an opinion, – he or she is getting ready for the next stage – getting ready to move on to Primary School.
The Voice of the Child
In mid-April preceding children’s entry into Primary School the following September, a more structured programme of preparation is initiated- we begin to compile information . This includes the children themselves, as they are the most important people in the process, personnel from the Primary schools, the parents and families of the child and the Educators at the Crèche. The child is the starting point, the centre, and the end of what we do. We value their voice and actively work on supporting them to fully understand the transition that will be taking place. We work with the children and engage them in a range of activities
under the transition programme.
The following is list of activities that may be used by us to support the transition:
- A visit to the school by the Early Years team
- Children preparing artwork that they might show their new Primary School teacher, photos of them in preschool playing with their favourite toy.
- Children/ families visiting the Primary School.
- Stories about going to school.
- Use of a Transition Resource Box with school related items- uniforms/ books/ equipment’s/ photos of the school
- Role-play (at ‘big School’)
- Use of a HOPE TREE – where the leaves represent the hopes of both parents and children for their new school.
- Room displays of photographs of the different schools with children attending below each one.
- Dolls dressed in uniforms at the entrance to the crèche.
- Display of picture maps showing where the schools are located.
- Social Stories that can have a focus on children getting ready to go to Primary School.
End of year graduation , a celebration of time spent in Saints and scholars and looking forward to a new learning journey , which has been prepared for