Pre Visits

[Guest]

Hi I am new to nursery as from sept 08 and cant wait. we have been given some funding to allow me and my ta to visit three of the settings some of our children are currently at. just wondering if anyone could suggest some questions to ask as we will only be at each setting for about 45 mins and want it to be time well spent. Thanks xx

[Guest]

We are on the other side - the feeder setting. It seems to work best when teachers visit us if we give them a quick explanation of the routine of our morning, where we are up to in that as they arrive and what will be happening during their time with us. We then point out the child(ren) who will be moving to them and let them just join in as part of the group. We encourage the teachers to speak to any of the children and pop back over every so often to make sure they aren't swamped by strange children.

 

This allows the teacher to see for themselves what the child(ren) are like and they then ask any questions at the end of the visit. These are usually "Is there anything I need to know?", but by doing it this way the teacher has got some ideas of their own without us prejudicing them. Often we find children who behave in a certain way at our setting are different with their teacher and at school because they are told from home that nursery and reception is "big school" while we are "playing" (pre-school).

[Guest]

we have a visit from the 2 reception teachers from our local school, they usually have a list of the children that will be attending their school and will ask if any of the children in our care could do with pairing up with others or seperating from a pair!! it doesn't always mean that the pair in question should't be together because of behaviour it is usually that 1 child is too dominant and the other needs to spread thier wings a little bit more! they also can get an idea of children who may need a little extra care in the tranistion and parents that may struggle! we have a family that are just about to go through the transition with their son who will need 1:1 help, mum is really struggling and we have been able to reassure her with the help of the teacher that he will be having, that we will do everything in our power together to help. i believe the more communication that can be developed through the setting and school can only help children and parents to find this a positive experience.

[dublinbay]

I agree with the last 2 posters and think its important for the reception teachers to speak to the childrens keyperson if possiblle, especially if there are known problems. The pre-school staff usually know these children very well and can give advice on whether to separate or pair up certain children.

We are careful, however, not to label children as they may well act in a completely different manner to what they do at pre-school as holly says.

We are on the same grounds as the primary school and know the teachers quite well so have a pretty good relationship. The teachers on a recent visit read the group story, one of them played football with the children while the other blew bubbles and joined in the fun of catching them.

Having a good relationship between school and pre-school is important for both children and parents to see - anything that makes transition easier for all is very welcome.

[Guest]

thanks so much for your replies. we have a list of children who will be attending and only have about half an hour in each setting so will only be a fleeting visit but at least should help us find out things to make transition easier I may be able to pop back at another time possibly. Where we have one or two children coming from a setting we will probably have to contact them by telephone instead of actually visiting