Starting school is a big milestone \u2013 for everyone involved \u2013 children, parents and their teachers. And while the idea of gaining independence, making friends and learning new skills might be daunting for youngsters, helping them to achieve these goals can also be challenging for teachers, particularly if children are unprepared for the journey ahead. <\/p>\n
So, long before they don their first uniform, parents will have been preparing them for the big event of beginning primary school, both emotionally and practically, to help make the transition easier for the young students and their educators. <\/p>\n
However, according to a recent study in the United Kingdom, many children <\/a>are shockingly ill-prepared for school, with one in four who started last year not even toilet-trained. <\/p>\n The annual survey of primary school staff by early years UK charity Kindred Squared, earlier this year, claimed that 26 per cent (36 per cent in the northeast of England) of children in reception class (junior infants) were having \u201cfrequent toilet mishaps\u201d. The report also showed that 28 per cent of school starters were unable to eat and drink independently, while 25 per cent struggled with basic life skills, such as being able to dress themselves, sit, play and listen \u2013 and 28 per cent were unable to use books correctly, with many trying to swipe or tap them rather than turning over a page. <\/p>\n Irish psychologist Peadar Maxwell says that although parents might assume that helping their child to be school-ready involves having them read and write before they start junior infants<\/a>, this is not the case. It is about arming them with the skills necessary to be a little bit independent for their first foray into the world.<\/p>\n \u201cTeaching preparedness is a life skill,\u201d he says. \u201cI would advise parents to think about what their child needs to be able to feel confident, happy and relaxed in school … This is important as they will be there for many years, so set them up from the beginning to have a positive outlook for the next, at least, 13 years.\u201d<\/p>\n Wexford-based Maxwell says that children are more likely to be school-ready <\/a>when they are toilet-trained and can also attend to basic needs. \u201cThis means that taking the time to be patient and teach your child the skill <\/a>of opening their clothes, using the toilet, cleaning and dressing \u2013 with minimal prompting at first and moving day by day to no prompting.<\/p>\n \u201cIt means being able to dress themselves and fix their clothes and also the basics of washing their hands and keeping their nose clean. Never assume that a child should know these so-called basic skills. Every child needs to learn these tasks one at a time and don\u2019t expect perfection as you teach a skill. <\/p>\n \u201cSo help your child to express their feelings and opinions. Model positive observations and say please and thanks to people in your child\u2019s company … But when your child needs to express negative feelings, allow that too.\u201d<\/p>\n Once they start school, children will be expected to \u201cgo with the flow\u201d of the class and the senior psychologist says that parents can help to prepare for this by having a routine at home, for mealtimes, bedtime and even activities or days out. <\/p>\n \u201cA child who has been introduced to education and learning as a joy, rather than a chore, will be more ready for classroom work and more likely to see the point of school<\/a>,\u201d he says. \u201cThis can be encouraged by modelling curiosity about the world, nature, and fun facts. Make learning fun by encouraging drawing, colouring, board games, or puzzles. Also, encourage your child to be physically active to whatever degree they are comfortable with, as this will prepare them for PE [physical education], yard play and activities they may encounter. You might also try using even a few words of Irish, such as madra, rothar or scoil, just to introduce Gaeilge as a new facet of your child\u2019s world.<\/p>\n \u201cIf your child seems reticent about school, visit the building in advance and try your best to be positive without being suspiciously overly enthusiastic. See if you can introduce them to a prospective classmate to share the walk or commute so they feel they have an ally.\u201d<\/p>\n \u00c1ine O\u2019Rourke says that she made sure to prepare her children for school as she was \u201ca late starter\u201d herself and knows how being behind can make children feel self-conscious. \u201cI was probably a little bit spoilt when I was young, as I was an only child and my mother did everything for me,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n \u201cI really wasn\u2019t able to do much when I started school<\/a>, aside from going to the bathroom, and even then, I didn\u2019t like to go alone and often had accidents. I was used to being fed, having my coat zipped up and generally getting everything done for me. <\/p>\n \u201cSo when my own children (now aged 7 and 9) started, I was determined that they would be better prepared, as I remember feeling quite foolish when the other kids would be doing things themselves and I would have to wait for the teacher. Because of that, when my two started school, they were able to put their coats on or take them off, button them up, use the toilet, wash their hands and eat their lunch unaided.<\/p>\n \u201cIt is so important, not only for the children, but also for the teachers who, let\u2019s face it, are not childminders; their job is to give our kids an education, not spend their days wiping bottoms.\u201d <\/p>\n Indeed, according to that Kindred Squared report, school staff in the UK estimated they are spending almost 1\u00bd hours a day changing nappies or helping children <\/a>who are not toilet-trained, and about 2\u00bd hours of teaching time a day is lost due to pupils lacking basic skills.<\/p>\n Thankfully, that situation doesn\u2019t seem to be mirrored in the Republic.<\/p>\n Colm Byrne, principal at the Holy Family National School in Rathcoole, Co Dublin, says that this could be attributed to the Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) scheme. \u201cPrior to the introduction of the scheme, we could easily identify the children who had been to a private preschool service in comparison to those who had not received a formal preschool programme of learning and development, such as now enjoyed through the ECCE scheme,\u201d he says. <\/p>\n