Dear Parents and Carers,
As we are already in our fourth week of school, this would be a great time to explore routines. Expert educators often discuss a routine’s significance and importance in many books, podcasts and videos. In a book titled ‘Running the Classroom’ by Tom Bennett, he discusses how every child comes to the classroom with different skills, habits, values, and expectations of what to do; a teacher’s role is to unite them and create a strong classroom culture.
How do they do this? Explicit routines allow students to know and predict what they need to do and how to do it. It prevents confusion from arising and helps create the class culture and norms. Classrooms have routines for starting a lesson, ending a lesson, entering different classrooms, transitioning between activities, working with other staff, and so on.
Establishing routines might seem like an added challenge in the whirlwind of parenthood, but their importance cannot be overstated. Routines provide a comforting structure that supports children’s development and overall well-being.
Over the following newsletters, we will explore how you can establish solid routines for bedtime, morning rituals and the journey to school. By prioritising routines, parents not only create a sense of predictability and order but also equip their children with essential life skills that will serve them well into adulthood.
Kind regards,
Mrs Gillian Coote
Deputy Principal Primary
