When your child starts at Saint Patrick's Nursery or Reception (known as Early Years), they will benefit from the opportunity to take part many of our transition sessions to help them settle into school.

The main purpose of these sessions is to:

• To increase children’s confidence and to familiarise themselves with their new setting and staff.
• Ensure children settle more quickly within their first few weeks of starting.
• Parents to share concerns/worries and get to know staff.
• Staff to become familiar with the children and their families, gather information such as children’s interests and abilities so that environment can reflect this from day one.
• Organise home visits.

Transition to Nursery 

Once a place in the nursery has been confirmed, arrangements for transition are communicated to parents in writing. Families are invited to an evening at which they meet the nursery team and receive further information about the setting and the settling-in process. New intake children visit school for two play sessions during the term before they start to become familiar with their new school and the staff that will be working with and supporting them in September or January. In the first two weeks of the Autumn Term, prior to the child starting, families either receive a home visit or attend a registration meeting at the school. Home visits are offered to children who are new to the school. 

The information gathered during these meetings is used by teachers to plan activities that are relevant, interesting and reassuring to children. September intake children start nursery in the first week of the Autumn Term. All children are assigned a nursery Key Worker who will oversee each stage of their learning and update the necessary files.