Starting School Survival Guide.

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Today I’m delighted to have Sarah Ebner as my guest blogger today the author of The Starting School Survival Guide.

“It’s nearly time for parents to send in their application forms for primary schools in England, and I know how stressed many of them are.

How?

Because they tell me!

And because I write about education regularly and also tweet on the subject, I’m often asked for my advice.

Funnily enough, these questions come from both friends and people I’ve never actually met. And some of them are really panicking. What I’d really like to say is that parents should try not to worry too much.

Yes, your child’s education is important and of course the school which they attend is important too. I’m not disagreeing with that, or belittling anyone’s concerns. And once your child is at school, there will be so many new things to learn (for you and for them) and it will be new, exciting and a bit scary. But you should remember that YOU are hugely important in your child’s life and that you have a real influence over them.

 It’s not all down to the school.

In fact, all the research on this issue suggests that it is actually parents who are the most important factor in their child’s education in the primary years.

If you think about it, this makes perfect sense as you can do so much. As a parent, you can broaden your child’s world view, you can read to them, talk to them, play with them, take them to museums or to the library, and simply tell them stuff. You have an extremely important role to play.

So, fill in the application forms and cross your fingers that you get the school you’d like. But keep an open mind if you don’t. The best thing is to be positive and ready for the educational journey that will make up your child’s next seven years at primary school. It will be an adventure, wherever they end up.

Good luck!”

Sarah Ebner is the author of The Starting School Survival Guide: everything you need to know about starting school, published by White Ladder.

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