Advice for starting school

Who to talk to

If your child already goes to a pre school or nursery, you can discuss it with setting. They will have knowledge and information about your child, including:

• How your child has progressed with their learning and development.
• How independent your child is.
• Their friendships and relationships with other children and adults.
• How any additional needs have affected them.

You can also talk to the school your child is going to attend. They will be able to discuss what will happen when your child starts at the school.

Your child's learning

Every school, nursery and preschool follows the Early Years Foundation Framework. This sets principles which every setting follows to make sure your child receives quality early education and childcare no matter which setting they attend or when they start school.

Children with additional needs

You can find out what support each school provides for children with additional needs by visiting our Local Offer pages.

Childcare

If you need childcare before or after school, you can find out if your school has a before and after school club in our families directory.

You can also use a childminder. You can use our families directory to find out which childminders drop off and pick up from which school.