Starting Primary School: Induction Day

E has barely been able to contain her excitement about starting primary school. She wants to wear her school clothes just like her big brother, and to go there every day and play with her new friends. Of course I fully expect the novelty to wear off eventually, but right now I'm delighted that she's so eager to start school & I really hope she will flourish in her new environment.

Her first induction day took place on Tuesday afternoon on the official "going up day" - which meant that all of the pupils at school would be moving up to have a taster day in their new classes. Sort of like a very stressful musical chairs. The Mister & I dropped off L at the senior school that morning for year 7 induction day with J who is moving up to year 9, & then we went on to take H - who's very excited to be going in to year 4 - and E to their school.

She was a bit apprehensive at first and so the Mister & I 'hovered' nearby in the classroom while she wandered around and eventually settled at an activity. She was happily sitting at the table threading laces when her good friend A arrived, along with the other children from the nursery who will be in E's class in September. A announced to their teacher that E was her friend who she "always talks about!" and sat herself down next to E to join in with the activity. E was delighted to see A, and distracted, so the Mister and I took the opportunity to make our exit - we said goodbye, and promised her we would see her in a couple of hours.

She didn't even turn around!

We popped into town to pick up a couple of bits that Mister needed for work, and then we stopped off to have a coffee together as we whiled away the hours waiting for our youngest to finish her morning at school. We wondered if she was having a good time, and what she was doing, and thought how it seemed like she had just had her induction for preschool and now here she is starting big school! We also reflected on the realisation that all of this was probably much harder on us than it is on her...

We picked her up around 11:45am, and were delighted to hear that she had had a great time! She didn't want to leave, and was most put out when we told her she wasn't coming back for a whole week. She's now counting down the sleeps until her next induction session and is willing the Summer away so that she can go there every day. Meanwhile, we are busy preparing her at home by doing lots of letter and number practice, labelling every day things and remembering to use numbers in an every day way, like asking her to tell me what numbers she sees on our walk home from preschool.

Be aware that this can backfire, and cover your PIN if they're with you at the cashpoint as E very helpfully and loudly recited the numbers I was pressing when I was getting money out the other week. You have been warned...