Pre-school to Reception

School readiness

Starting school is a huge moment for children, especially those who are looked-after (CLA), previously looked-after (PLA) and those who may have a social worker. These children have often experienced multiple adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) or trauma, and may need more support with this important transition.

Why do we need to consider this cohort of children?

These children are likely to be behind their peers during their early years and this gap may widen over time.
ACEs can affect attendance, learning, behaviour and wellbeing
In 2018, 50% of children who had a social worker (CWSW) in the last six years were able to achieve GLD compared to 72% who never had a Social Worker
CWSW more than 3x more likely to be persistently absent from school, and 2-4 times more likely to be permanently excluded.

Support in early years settings

Here are some ideas to support different areas of development:

Considerations	Tips
Child is worried about what is coming next or unpredictability.	Have a visual timetable Maintain a regular routine Pre-warn children of change - support them. Keep children close in unfamiliar scenarios - talk them through what is happening. Consistency in everything you do is crucial.
Child finds it hard to interact with peers	Create a small "nurture" group. They can play and learn with the same small group or 1:1 for an hour several times a week - timetabled.
Child struggles with certain scenarios/situations	Use comic book conversations to talk through different situations. Use role play to act out different scenarios. Using stories is a powerful tool to explore different social situations and talk them through.
Child has low self-esteem or low confidence	Provide them with classroom responsibilities.
Child may appear to wish to be in control	Give the child choices to tackle power imbalances.
Attachment difficulties e.g forming a trusting relationship.	Provide consistent adult(s) who will respond to their needs. Plan in 1-2-1 time each day.
Child struggles with their behaviour	Provide activities to tap into the different senses as this can help them to regulate. Provide regular breaks e.g 15:5 principle. Ensure the environment is safe and calm. Provide a "safe space" that they can go to. Use positive reinforcement – "catch them being good". Change your thinking about behaviour. Rather than "What is wrong with you?" Think,: "what has happened to you?" "What are you trying to say?" Use of PACE - Playfulness, Acceptance, Curiosity and Empathy

Considerations	Tips
Child struggles to internalise what is being said to them	Specific listening activities timetabled throughout the week. Play games e.g roll the ball; seek it out; wait for it; guess who (with a blanket and a real child!); traffic lights, barrier games etc.
Child struggles to hold their concentration for any period of time	Focus on activities which involve concentration and build this time up. Work on reducing distractions and background noise. Fidget toys If possible, create a cosy and quiet space for book sharing and for quiet time (regulate)
Child doesn't notice/internalise various sounds	Listening walks
The child has a delay in their response	Wait at least 10 seconds. It can often take some children longer to process information.

Further great ideas available from the PACEY website.

Considerations	Tips
Child gives one word/short responses	All staff to have high expectations - e.g must be a full sentence answer. If a child says a word, help them to expand this into a sentence
Child's speech is not pronounced correctly or is grammatically incorrect	Repeat the sentence back to the child correctly.
How to bring a variety of language into the setting	Think about and plan the language you can use at each area of the setting e.g the different role play areas.
Encourage children to speak more	Encourage children to tell stories using photos, picture books, toys. The power of "why" encouraging children to expand, reason and justify. Children could bring in objects they are attached to from home, to encourage talk. Barrier games - great for description and positional language -e.g guess who. Feely bags -describing what you can feel. Give choices to the child: "Would you like and apple or a banana?" Teach children rhymes and songs then start to leave words out, take it in turns to say the lines.
Constant modelling from all staff	Talk whilst doing ordinary activities - focus more on comments rather than too many questions. "I'm going to help you put your shoes on." Try not to ask too many questions: Try to set yourself a rule of 4 comments to 1 question. Rhyming and commenting on how words can sound similar and words which start with the same sound - the sillier the better sometimes. Try and use lots of "real" words - avoid words like "this" one and "doing" (use precise verbs) Use lots of word classes-especially verbs
Child takes longer than usual to respond	Give children time -at least 10 seconds to process it-don't repeat too soon or they start from the beginning of the communication chain.

Some more fantastic ideas can be found in this Leicestershire Partnership NHS Trust document Early Interventions - Speech, Language and Communication (PDF 798KB)

Considerations	Tips
What does the child like? – child's voice	Encourage children to engage and talk about the things they enjoy - Gross and fine motor activities.
Build in communication and language	Use words in context-which allow children to consider their physical moments.
What should the child be able to do at this age?	Absolutely key to think of the developmental stages and which areas they may have missed-experienced trauma/toxic stress. This may mean planning activities which may seem too young initially, but the child may need to develop that skill. Re-arrange outdoor space to meet where the children are.
What should be their next step?	Focus on their strengths and identify next steps- must be actioning planning for this area.
Support from the adults in the setting	Staff modelling. Close partnership working with parents/carers to mirror work in setting. Support with routines, lending equipment e.g toilet seat adapter.
Other ideas to promote physical development	Opportunities for free-flow between indoor/outdoor -reduce sedentary behaviour. Provide activities that develop stability

You can find some further ideas to aid this area on the Education Endowment Foundation website.

Some further ideas to support transition and working together:

Considerations	Tips
When to start the transition process	Vulnerable children or who may have attachment difficulties will often find this change much more difficult. It needs to be thought of as a whole year approach - not just the summer term -a process not an event. Set up a calendar/timetable from September before they start. See the PACEY school transitions timeline (PDF 653 KB) for some ideas.
If the child is coping find and working at age-appropriate levels	Even if a child is seemingly developing well - these cohorts should get extra support and focus as their needs may not be as externally visible at this stage.
Think about attachment	Strong consideration needs to be paid to attachment and the supportive change from Key person in pre-school to reception. - Relationships are key! The child could bring in a special item into school – maybe a link to home?
Preparing for school and changes in routine	Create role play experiences e.g getting ready for school in the morning, dressing up in school uniform. Visit school during lunchtimes/dinner hall – these are often very loud and can be a trigger for trauma affected children. Focus your language on similarities instead of differences – i.e how is nursery and school similar. You could develop a different timetable in nursery which builds up to mirror a school timetable.
Other considerations	It is important to involve the social workers who will provide a continuous and consistent link between the settings.

Working closely with parents and carers through this process is vital.

You can direct parents to our web page: Getting ready to start school for top tips and where to find more help.

You can also download the top tips leaflet (PDF 404 KB) and other transition documents in the early years support and training section.

The NHS Better Health Start for Life website contains fantastic ideas for activities at home for parents to support their child's language and communication development.

Considerations	Tips
Children may stop learning over the summer	Summer activities sessions could be planned. Summer learning booklet/challenge sheet provided to support parents and carers with providing meaningful experiences.
Parents/carers may have had bad educational experiences themselves and pass on these anxieties to their children	Engage closely with the parents/carers with regular communication. Invite them in to take part in activities with the children.
Parents/carers may not know what the expectations are of a school-ready child.	Ensure they know what school readiness means and support them with activities/routines at home. Run transition events - including workshops.
Other fantastic ways to include parents and carers in this process	Home visits are crucial. A clear program throughout the year including formal and informal meetings. It is important to follow up parents/carers who do not attend these. Parents/carers to visit the school with the child and key person from nursery. Include a formal settling-in period and review once they've started in school.

Considerations	Tips
What are the expectations?	Create a mutually agreed understanding of readiness.
How can we ensure some continuity for the children?	Visit each other's settings - discuss learning materials and assessment approaches-aim for continuity. Agree developmental next steps for the child and ensure you attend any PEP meetings.
Sharing of information between settings and schools.	You can use the transition form (PDF 489 KB). Accurate information sharing is vital so the child's past experiences are not lost - especially if PLA or previously with a SW.
Can the children visit the school?	Schools to invite children to events throughout the year e.g harvest festival, carol concerts, sports days, etc Regular lessons could take place in the school e.g PE. Have lunch at the school. Summer activities could be planned allowing the pre-school children to mix with their peers.
How staff can best support the children?	School practitioners to visit children in their early years setting. Nursery staff to work alongside reception teacher for the first 6 weeks to carry out joint observations and assessments.