Moving from preschool to primary school

Moving from preschool to primary school is a big milestone for your child. Learn more about how to prepare for this transition in your family's life.

These guidelines have been adapted from a video series from HSE Developmental and Autism Psychology Service for Carlow/Kilkenny. We share the video further down this page. 

When to start planning

Preparation for primary school begins at preschool age. It's important to identify your child's strengths and areas that they might find more difficult. It's helpful to get perspectives from preschool staff to support the transition. Preschool staff spend a lot of time with your child, in a mix of group and one-to-one situations. They know your child in a different environment to home. This understanding of your child will be helpful when it comes to sharing information with their new school.

National Council for Special Education

The NCSE's local service is delivered through Special Educational Needs Organisers (SENOs). All parents applying for a specialist school placement for their child, such as an autism class and/or a special school, should link in with their local SENO.

Contact information for all SENOs is shared here.

SENOs work in the following ways:

  • They plan, co-ordinate and review the provision of additional education supports to schools that enrol students with special educational needs in line with Department of Education policy.
  • They support parents and guardians by providing information about special classes, special schools and supports in school, and engaging with other professionals working with your child.
  • They process Transport and Assistive Technology applications and forward them to the Department of Education for sanction.
  • Click here for more information.

See here for information on the how to notify the NCSE that you are seeking a place for your child in a Special School or Special Class.

You will use a Parents Notify form which is an online form to let the NCSE know that you are seeking a place for your child in a Special School or Special Class. The NCSE will review your information. If the reports provided meet the criteria, you will receive an eligibility letter. This letter is required when applying for a Special Class or a Special School.

Choosing a school

Familiarise yourself with schools in your area. Check their eligibility criteria. Your SENO can help identify where might be appropriate for your child. Visit the schools to get a sense of how your child might get on in that environment.

See our page on Education Supports which gives a summary of the in-school support available for children with additional needs.

Speak with family and friends

Nobody knows your child better than you and your family. Your friends know them very well also. They can help with the decision to choose a school.

Learn from others’ experiences

Talk to other parents of children with additional needs who are in primary school. Their experiences may help you decide what might be best for your own child.

See our page which lists local parent-led groups.

Once your child's school place is confirmed

Visiting your child's new school with them will help them experience, in a relaxed way, the sights, sounds, and smells of the place. Take note of the features or spaces that they like. These are useful reference points when you discuss the school later with them.

If possible, take pictures of the places that they're going to be in the school, so that you can use that as a visual support for your child when preparing them for their first day at school.

Talk to your child over the summer about the different people that they might meet at school, and what their different roles are, for example, the caretaker, the secretary, the principal, the teacher, and special needs assistant.

Find out what the school rules are, what the PE (physical education) arrangements are, and the uniform requirements. If your child has sensory needs in relation to clothes, knowing what the uniform is in advance gives you time to make any adjustments to it.

Pick their school bag, lunch box, and beaker over the summer, so your child has plenty of time to practice opening and closing them. Giving your child lunch in their lunchbox over the summer break can really help to get them used to that.

In August, practice getting up at the time that you will get up for school. If they are in preschool or creche, they will be used to set times for their lunch. If they are at home with you, and you know the times their school breaks will be at, you can practice their small and big breaks at home with them.

Strategies to use

Typically, the school will ask you and the preschool to fill out information about your child in advance of the new school year.

You could consider creating a pupil passport for your child as well, to share information, like:

  • Their child's strengths and interests
  • The important people in their lives
  • Their communication skills both verbally and non-verbally, for example, are they using visual supports, are they using pecs, lámh, words and how are they using those things
  • Their social interaction skills with adults and with peers, and their strengths and needs in that area
  • Their play skills and their imagination skills
  • Their sensory preferences
  • Their preschool academic skills, what have they achieved and what they have yet to cover
  • What are motivators for your child? What might be helpful in terms of how they learn best and then what are the ways in which your child can be supported?
  • What triggers are there for your child?
  • If there is any medical information the school needs to be aware of, for example, is there a medical condition that needs monitoring at home.
    • You will have a separate medical plan if there is a medical condition that needs monitoring, like what you would have provided for your child’s preschool.

Always write this from your child's point of view, for example:

  • My name is X,
  • I like and don't like…
  • I'm good at these kinds of things…

Use very clear and very simple language. Give examples of scenarios. Include examples of visual supports that you're using as well. A picture of what you have at home can give an idea of what works best.

The night before school starts

Try and get a good night's sleep the night before. It's a big day for all the family. Make sure you've got their school bag packed the night before and lunch ready, and clothes organised. Show these to your child in advance so that they know that everything is ready.

Get up in time to have a good breakfast. If your child is feeling nervous it might be a good idea to let them bring a little security item in their bag, such as a favorite small toy, or a little photo of you that can give them that link with something familiar. The idea of this is to keep it in their bag and to let the teacher know that it's there in case it's needed.

Arrive in good time so that you're not stressed. Check where and when you need to pick up your child after school and tell them where you will be when they are ready to come out to meet you.

After drop-off

Go for a coffee with a friend or do something nice for yourself. Reward yourself and congratulate yourself for getting to that point.

Keep your mobile phone on you in case the school needs to contact you. Make sure you are on time and in the right place when you need to pick up your child at the end of the day.

Talk positively about the day and praise your child for going, that's important. Prepare for day two and keep that good routine going after school then.

How stress might build up for your child during the school day

Your child might be doing well in school, but it is a complex environment with lots of demands on a child – language, noise, smells, sensory needs. There can be a build-up of those small stressors throughout the day, and then when they come home something minor can trigger a big outburst.

Part or parts of the school day might need to be altered a little bit so that stress levels are reduced or things are a little bit more regulated throughout the day.

At home, delaying the start of school homework, using a visual schedule, and supporting your child to engage in something relaxing when they come home, can help with de-stressing from the day that they've had.

See our page on emotional regulation.

Introduce a social story about your child’s new school. You can incorporate reading or viewing the social story into your child’s daily routine.

See our page on Social stories and comic strip conversations.

Below are some suggested details you could include in the social story; you can adapt this to your own child's needs:

  • This is my new school, it is called ___________
  • I will start my new school in August/ September
  • I will go to school Monday to Friday
  • There is no school on Saturday or Sunday
  • I will go to school with _______________
  • I will go to school by car/ or by bus/ or by walking
  • I will wear a [insert colour] uniform. I will wear a trousers/skirt, shirt, and jumper.
  • My teacher is ___________ He/ she will help me with my work.
  • Here is my classroom. I will sit on a chair at my desk. There will be lots of children in my class.
  • I will learn about letters and numbers.
  • I will colour and draw. I will sometimes play.
  • At lunch time I might eat ________________ and drink ______________.
  • Mom or dad will make my lunch for me to bring to school.
  • I will usually go outside at break time. I might play __________ when it is wet or too cold. I might not go out at break time, instead I might stay in my classroom or go to the halla/ school hall.
  • When school finishes, _______ will pick me up and bring me home.

Many classrooms use visual schedules. Using these at home can familiarise your child with them. Schools can be very verbal environments where instructions are often given verbally, and visual schedules help to reduce those language demands.

See our page on Visual supports.

Follow-up

Keep open communication between home and school. Keep using visual schedules, social stories, make sure you monitor your child's adjustment and their progress in terms of their socialisation, their behavior, their engagement with others, and the relationship they have with their teacher, and how they're doing in their learning.

Video

The HSE Developmental and Autism Psychology Service for Carlow/Kilkenny created this video on this topic. 

To turn on closed captions (subtitles) or read the transcript: When the video starts playing, if you are on a desktop, click the "CC" icon at the bottom of the video.  If you are on a mobile device, then at the top of the video, tap "CC" to enable closed captions. To disable the closed captions, tap the "CC" icon again.  Watch the video on its YouTube channel to see the transcript.

 

Further resources and information

  • The NCSE have a video on starting primary school which is for children with additional needs
 

 

Page last reviewed: 11 September 2026

Next review due: 11 September 2027