Working Together
Starting school for the first time can be a bit daunting for a child and even more so for a parent. It is also an important time for the school because it gives staff an opportunity to begin to build the relationship with the home that will be so crucial in years to
come.
In a number of schools in South Edinburgh we are now in the second year of our Pre-School to Primary Transition Project.
The main aim of the project is to give parents and carers, children and staff an opportunity to get to know one another and to find out a little about what is going to happen when the children start school in
August.
The project is part of the council’s Working Together policy which encourages a more integrated approach to services for children and families.
The delivery of the programme is very much a team effort and has active involvement of health visitors, the community dietician, school nurses, staff from Children 1st, Primary 1 and nursery teachers and our local play development project
worker.
The programme is flexible and consists of a number of sessions that schools and parents or carers can choose from. These include: puppet making, healthy food for school, literacy box making, tour of the school and a talk with the teachers.
Some schools have chosen a specific session, such as one which looks at different ways to play with children. As a bonus, at the end of the programme, every child receives a starter pack for school with lots of useful bits of
equipment.
Eight primary schools and one nursery school from south east Edinburgh are taking part in the programme this year, and many other schools around the city are
beginning to set their own transition programmes. We have had a tremendous response from parents and without exception schools find it a very valuable way of getting to know the children and
parents.
This programme is an excellent example of what can be achieved by a range of agencies working in close collaboration.
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