There is plenty of ‘starting school’ advice for parents around, (see below for links), focusing on how to prepare your children for their very first school-day, moving to a new school, or simply for return to school after the long summer break.
Our Tip Sheet on this subject has a slightly different focus; establishing and maintaining a good relationship with your child’s school. If you’re going to work in partnership with your school to provide the best possible education for your child, it’s vital to set up good communication channels with the school, and understand how the school works. Among the tips are:
- Have agreed methods of communication with the school, at the outset.
- Provide additional information to the school on any specific needs of your child
- Be familiar with the school environment and surroundings and navigating transport
- Set up a support network amongst your family and school friends in case of emergencies.
More ‘starting school’ advice
- Tips for starting school – from the Victorian Department of Education
- Settling into a new class – 6 tips from Sharon Baker, Principal in Residence at the Victorian Academy of Teaching and Leadership
- This article in The Educator focuses on the stress that students may feel in the lead-up to starting school, especially if they are starting their first year of secondary school. (Though the heading of this article in the Educator refers to ‘teachers’, most of the advice is for parents.)
- Transition to secondary school – this article on our website has links to several excellent resources on moving up to secondary school.
