Promoting Independence

Although the children will not be required to get changed for PE, they do have to remove their shoes, socks and jumpers when taking part in physical movement sessions in the gym and when in the Nursery unit for some activities. They will also need to be able to put on, fasten and remove their coats a number of times across the school day to be able to access the outside area, and they will need to manage their clothing when using the toilet.

Independence is a key skill that is taught in the nursery unit and to help with this we suggest that all families begin to encourage their children to dress and undress independently in preparation for starting school. Buttons, laces and zips can often cause difficulties, so we recommend avoiding them in the clothes you select for your children or giving them plenty of practice fastening and unfastening these at home.

To ease your child’s transition and promote their independence, we would also suggest that they do not wear multiple layers under their school uniform. The classrooms are warm and a simple vest under their T-shirt, along with a school jumper, is sufficient in the winter months. We also discourage the wearing of shorts on top of underwear, underneath dresses for hygiene reasons.