LD: Many times parents want to know about your assessment process. What does it involve?
ZD: We see all the children that apply, and they can apply anytime until the year that they want to start school. That helps take the pressure off of parents and they can just apply online, it’s nice and simple. Once they’ve done that and we have all of their information, we contact them around the January time before the child wants to start in September and they will come and visit in very small groups.
It’s a very nurturing and enjoyable experience for the children and we do find that a lot of them don’t actually want to leave. They with about six or seven children and they come roughly in their birth month, so if they are a summer child we don’t tend to put them with September children. They will come and explore the grounds and the classrooms and they will be with a few teachers and adults who are very well trained to make sure they settle nicely, and then they will play. We are looking to see who they are, what their personalities are like, how they like to learn and how they like to engage. It really isn’t something you can prepare your child for; it's a way for them to show us who they are and what they like doing.
How will they show you their personality?
We talk to them, we encourage them, we play with them and we try to settle them really quickly and I think that is what we are quite skilled at doing. We manage to get them to relax and become a bit more natural. We find that the children who have more preparation have a harder time relaxing because they feel that they are being tested, but naturally all children eventually, over things like Lego, manage to relax and we get to see the inter-relationships they develop with the staff, even if it’s for a very short time. We see them once and then we see them again later on. Not all of the children come back, but a good majority do and we get to see them for a longer period of time on the second visit.
Do you find that the parents are more stressed than their children?
Yes, 100%. I always give parents a top tip when they’re coming for any assessment for a school, and that is to inform the child beforehand that they’re going to come and play and that also you, as the parent or the adult, are going to leave them, but that you will come back and collect them. We understand that parents often like to bribe with lots of treats and that’s totally normal. If we ever do anything as adults that is quite stressful we also reward ourselves, however, what we do say is make sure that you bring your child in the usual manner and keep the routine exactly the same, so if it’s a nanny or a grandmother who drops off then ensure that stays the same. If you bring everybody or you change the routine, then the child will sense that immediately and that naturally makes them feel a little more uneasy.
Some children will only be 3 when they go for their assessments. What tips would you give to parents of these children? For example, do they need to be potty trained? Do they need to be able to recognise and write their name?
We would always say that 100% for the confidence of the child, they need to be potty trained. They need to be familiar with undoing the buttons of their new trousers, so if you’ve got a new uniform, the best thing to do is check it a couple of weeks before that they can undo any buttons. Most schools tend to use tracksuits and easier things.
Also, make sure that they know their own clothing and their own bag; all of those things are really important. If they can recognise their name that is obviously a great thing because it helps them to have that familiarity when they’re looking for their coat. It's also important to name things in a way that the child can recognise, so if you’ve got a label that’s the same as everyone else it becomes a bit of a ridiculous objective. So, maybe have their name tag a particular colour or let them design a picture on the back, so that they know that their bag.
Do you like the child to have a basic grasp on phonics or numbers?
At the pre-prep we will teach them everything and they don’t have to have any prior knowledge. Sometimes, it is actually harder when you’re trying to un-train things that a child’s been taught that are not necessarily helping them with phonics. Obviously, children will arrive at different levels, but the key for a child is to be happy and engaged. A child who wants to learn is the most important thing; everything else we can teach them.
Obviously once children come to school they need to be able to communicate what they want, what they don't want, and what's upsetting them. So bearing that in mind, how would you suggest that parents start preparing their child for that?
There are many amazing books you can buy to talk about emotions. One of the most important things at this age is identifying emotions and being able to understand when they feel upset or cross. So, having that conversation with your child is really important; if they come to you, do reflect back what they’re feeling. You might say, “I can see that you’re feeling a bit nervous. Well, I get a bit nervous too and this is how my body feels and this is what I do when I feel that way…”
My staff are also incredibly adept at picking up on emotional cues and we use that language all the time with children; it’s one of the most important skills, I think, a young child can have. And being able to talk about that as a parent is really important. Sometimes characters in books help to deflect, but other times just being able to name that they feel a bit nervous or happy really helps a child to use that inner vocabulary and be able to talk to others about it as well.
What if English is not the child's first language? How do you compensate?
Obviously, we do asses children in English, so they have to have some competency, but we can also understand a lot of non-verbal cues for children too and children who often have two or three languages spoken at home are incredibly bright and able, they just sometimes need a little bit more guidance in the English language and we’re quite able at identifying that. We’ve got people in school that help children with EAL and parents as well.
Prior to starting school in September is it useful to have a routine such as implementing a bedtime or having your child read for a certain period of time to improve their concentration?
The most important thing for children at this age is routine. Having a bedtime is essential; having good rest is really important, so if your child is an early riser, it is important to give them a bed time that allows for them to that key 10+ hours. Obviously, every child is different, but giving them a routine where they are able to get up in the morning and get to school without being very, very tired is really important. In the first half term of starting in any reception class, they will be extremely tired, even if they’ve been in nursery full time, because starting at school is a different experience and it demands different things for them.
We would always say that having a relaxing routine, whether that's having a bath or getting dressed for bed and then sharing a story, is absolutely wonderful. It’s the best thing I think you can do with children of this age, to develop that love of learning and to get them in a nice calm state ready for bedtime.
How important is it that a child know how to share? If they're a first child, they won't necessarily have siblings to share with, so is that something you teach them here or would you expect them to already understand it?
Absolutely. Sharing is a skill that I think you can teach before and after school, and it’s a skill that we all need in life, whether you’re sharing a turn in conversation or in games. We would say even if you’re an only child, you can definitely learn sharing before you come to school. It will really help with socialisation and it will help with their ability to control emotion. So, I think even if you have a child without any siblings, being able to play a game together, even if it’s snap, being able to lose and win is a really important skill as well as having a turn and taking turn. It’s something that we teach, but it’s always useful for parents to think about at home.
How do you differentiate between what you teach children who like to lead and children who like to follow?
It’s important to recognise individual skills. Those who want to lead will always lead innately even in the playground. But it is also important to give children who aren't natural leaders the opportunity to shine at a leadership role, so we do that a lot throughout the whole of their time in the pre-prep.
They will have times when they need to work as a group collaboratively. At UCS, collaborative learning is certainly one of our values. So, a child will be the leader, they will also be the second person or third person; all people in a group are valid and all of their opinions are valid, and we constantly reinforce that in our curriculum.
I think it’s also to do with recognising within a child, if they are wanting to be a leader all the time, how that feels to have to sit back a bit and what they can gain from listening and how that can then help them to move on and be the leader later on.
What is your advice to the parents of the child that you don't choose to join in September?
It is incredibly difficult for a parent who doesn’t get the school of their first choice, but I think they have to remember that it really is not a reflection on their child’s personality nor is it a statement that their child is not able or gifted or talented; it’s just saying that maybe at that time the school isn’t right for their child. Its about finding the right fit and you want a child to be at a school where they can get the very best out of it.
How many schools would you recommend a child apply for?
I think two or three schools is a good number. I know parents will want their child to sit for five or six, but these children are quite young. I think the key is to be calm and relaxed and approach things with the attitude that there is a school out there for your child. One child might be able to sit six, one child will only want to do one, and only you as the parent knows what your child is like.
I think it’s also key how you discuss it with your child; I would say to them that you’re going to have a look at lots of different schools and that you’re going for a play as opposed to putting any parental pressure on them. I think sometimes parents don’t realise that children pick up, very easily, on slight shifts or changes in parents moods and they are very good in being able to sense worry and stress and that’s something that we, obviously, want to keep completely away from them.
What should parents do with their children the summer prior to starting school to make the transition easier?
My number one tip for parents is to enjoy your time with your children, as it's such a precious time before starting school, and to have that complete summer with them.
Make sure that you love and enjoy reading together, share books; stories feed the imagination, and I think reading is a wonderful experience for any child.
Whatever you’re doing with children, stimulating their curiosity is one of the best things you can do, whether you are counting different house numbers on a bus or different colours on doors or different cars. Wherever you are, engaging them in thinking about the environment, but also just have a lot of fun with them, play games with them, share with them, talk to them about all difficult things. Any of that feeds a child’s ability to deal with conflict in the classroom or the playground and to think more about being a part of a community rather than being a party of one. Children at this age are very egocentric and if you can talk a lot around what it is to join a community like a school then that really helps them to make the transition and also to share the absolute excitement of being a part of a new community and the new opportunities they will have and the activities that they can do.
留言