A Suggested Induction Strategy - Primary

Family comes to register:

Given basic information about the school
Given appointment for admission interview
What languages do they speak? (can also help indicate that the family may be refugees)
Is an interpreter necessary?

Admission interview:

Who? SMT/EMA teacher/Home-school liaison? Is an interpreter needed? Can the family bring a friend?

When? Regular time/day in the week?

Where? Is there a quiet, welcoming and confidential space?

Points to cover:

admission form completed
information gathered, including: name the child is commonly known by, previous educational experience in England and abroad, strengths and weaknesses, functioning level of English, and other languages, parental expectations of school
information given: school routines and procedures, entitlements, school expectations, e.g. attendance/parental involvement, extra curricular activities (a welcome photo album/video is a clear way of presenting much of this information [1])
tour of the school
information given about local amenities. Find out more »
organise start date
'friendly adult' in school identified (often EMAG Co-ordinator or leading TA)
explain about the school nurse and arrange a health assessment if needed
book parent/teacher review meeting in 4 - 8 weeks.

Information Handover:

Critical information given to class teacher (suggested format), EMA team/SENCo (if appropriate), kitchen staff, SMAs etc.

Start day:

At least 2 days should elapse between admission interview and start day to allow time for information handover and for the teacher to prepare the class for the new arrival. Find out more »
Desk and tray named, buddy [2] chosen and waiting to meet new child etc.
It is helpful if the child starts in the afternoon of the first day as this time is usually more relaxed, it avoids any difficulties around lunch time, and for young children the separation time is shorter.

After 3 days:

Designated 'friendly adult' meets with new child and buddy to discuss settling in.

After 4 - 8 weeks:

Initial assessment of child's learning [3]. Find out more »
Meeting with parent/class teacher discuss any issues and plan ahead.

[1] See also 'The Welcome Booklet CD Rom' published by Mantra Lingua, which can produce welcome booklets, with photos in a variety of languages.

[2] For more information about a formal buddy system see 'Home from Home'.

[3] At this stage it is appropriate to test the child's level of English, using the QCA guidelines, and also levels in other subjects e.g. maths, using tests that are not language based.