Warwickshire parents and carers are being reminded of some important things to do to help children be happy, healthy and ready to learn when school starts in a couple of weeks.
With everything the summer holidays entail, it can be easy to forget that a new term is looming. Whether children are starting school for the first time, moving up a year, or going to somewhere new, Warwickshire County Council’s back to school podcast and animated checklist reminds people what is needed to ensure children and young people are sorted for school in time.
Advice to be September-ready, including information about attendance, transport, school meals and post-16 options, is available on the Let’s Talk Warwickshire podcast: https://letstalkwarwickshire.podbean.com/e/back-to-school/
The animation covers all the things that parents should be thinking about ahead of their children returning to classrooms, such as:
Uniform, shoes, pencil cases and book bags – Children may have grown over the summer holidays, so it’s worth checking that both uniforms and shoes still fit.
Labels – Items being misplaced at school is a relatively common occurrence, particularly at primary schools, but the risk of this can be minimised by ensuring that all items of clothing, pencil cases are book bags are labelled with the child’s name.
Check school dates and start/finish times – General term dates can be found on the Warwickshire County Council website but parents and carers should also check school-specific start and end times on their school’s websites.
Club sign-ups – Parents and carers should check with school’s websites to see if clubs can be signed up to before the start of term.
Healthy lunchboxes – There is useful guidance here from the NHS on ideas for putting together healthy lunchboxes for your children: NHS Healthier Lunchboxes
Plenty of sleep – as important as all the other elements, parents and carers should ensure that their children get plenty of sleep over the coming week to ensure that they are happy, healthy and ready to learn!
Cllr Wayne Briggs, Warwickshire County Council’s Portfolio Holder for Children and Families, Education and SEND, said: “We hope this information will help families be prepared for school or further learning in a couple of weeks.
"We are committed to supporting children and young people to be the best they can be. Education is central to this, and we want all youngsters to be prepared and have access to good education opportunities. Our dedicated team of professionals at the county council does so much that underpins the amazing work taking place in our schools and with other learning providers."
Find out more about education in Warwickshire at the Sorted for School website: https://www.warwickshire.gov.uk/sortedforschool