Starting “big school” is a major life event for most children and they will need lot of support during the adjustment period. Many aspects can be quite frightening for young children; hurdles may include bigger buildings, bigger children, longer days and new rules and routines. All these factors can be very stressful for little children and some children who may have been looking forward to starting school will feel a little confused and unhappy.

 

There are ways of minimising the stress and achieving a smoother transition with a happier outcome. Good preparation helps and all state and territory and many independent primary schools conduct orientation days towards the end of the previous year. Some schools have transition programs over several weeks in the second part of the year.

 

There are also other ways of familiarising the child with the school such as after-hours visits to the school grounds and driving past the school in the weeks immediately prior to commencement. State and territory government education departments and the non-government education sector all have websites with good information on preparing children for school.

 

When considering a school, there are a few things a parent or carer should ask such as: