Highbury Infant School and Nursery

Transition

At Highbury, we place great importance on settling the children into school, whether as a new entrant or as a child starting in a new year group.

This year things have been rather different and we have had to change some of the things that we would usually do as part of our transition process, including our new entrants meetings for parents and class visits for children to their new classes. We hope that in the absence of these, you will find the information below useful.

New starters

Nursery and Reception new starters will be informed in July about a visit time and some shortened sessions to attend in September as part of their settling in period. Please click here to see the  arrangements that are in place for September 2020 during this pandemic period.

Please click the relevant presentation below for parents: 

Please click below for the relevant presentation for children starting in nursery or reception with photographs of the staff, classrooms and key areas:

Details of our school uniform are included in the parent presentation, but click here for details:

Highbury school uniform

A copy of our transition booklet appears below. If your child is going to be in Reception, Year 1 or Year 2 in Highbury in September, we are asking you to complete this with your child at home and return it at the beginning of the new school year. In the first few weeks of the new term, they will get a chance to share it with the adults in their class and we hope that this will establish a deeper, fun and more personal link to the child outside school.

Anything the child wants to draw or write in the booklet is fine; photographs are also a great idea!  You can of course scribe for them, add extra things, or write things yourself but be aware that the booklets will be read together in school and so we ask that you write in clear, child friendly speak about things that you have already discussed with your child, particularly around any worries they may have.

We hope this booklet will prompt some gentle conversations with the children at home that might allow you to both reflect and give us better insight to what makes them happy and we thank you as ever for your support with this approach.  We repeat the process at the start of each new academic year, as things are likely to change as children mature and move to different adults and situations. 

Click below for a copy of the booklet to complete:

Transition booklet

Please also see www.hertfordshire.gov.uk/startingschool for more useful information about supporting your child as they start school.

Children returning to Highbury

Children who are returning to Highbury in September 2020 and who have been in a class or key worker bubble in school, will have been given the opportunity to meet some of the staff who will be in their new class and will also have been given a brief tour of their new classroom.

Please click below for the relevant presentation  for children going into the various classes. These include photographs of the staff, classrooms and key areas:

A copy of our transition booklet appears below. If your child is going to be in Reception, Year 1 or Year 2 in Highbury in September, we are asking you to complete with your child at home and return it at the beginning of the new school year. In the first few weeks of the new term, they will get a chance to share it with the adults in their class and we hope that this will establish a deeper, fun and more personal link to the child outside school.

Anything the child wants to draw or write in the booklet is fine; photographs are also a great idea!  You can of course scribe for them, add extra things, or write things yourself but be aware that the booklets will be read together in school and so we ask that you write in clear, child friendly speak about things that you have already discussed with your child, particularly around any worries they may have.

We hope this booklet will prompt some gentle conversations with the children at home that might allow you to both reflect and give us better insight to what makes them happy and we thank you as ever for your support with this approach.  We repeat the process at the start of each new academic year, as things are likely to change as children mature and move to different adults and situations. 

Click below for a copy of the booklet to complete:

Transition booklet

Useful Resources

Using a visual day planner may help ease your child back into school. We think that more children than ever will need these gentle visual reminders shared with them before they return to school, as many have been away for some time or attending under very different circumstances. 

Please click here for a Day Planner

Please click here for some symbols to help children in the Foundation Stage

Please click here for some symbols to help children in Key Stage 1

 Please click here for a visual letter to the children

Please try to reassure your child that they do not need to feel anxious about the return to Highbury. We will all have a gentle start to the term and help everyone to feel as happy and settled as we can.

Please click here for a story about Sammy Sloth going back to school