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Preview
  • The Starting School Book

  • How to Choose, Prepare for and Settle Your Child at School
  • By: Sarah Ockwell-Smith
  • Narrated by: Katy Sobey
  • Length: 5 hrs and 50 mins
  • 4.6 out of 5 stars (18 ratings)

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The Starting School Book

By: Sarah Ockwell-Smith
Narrated by: Katy Sobey
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Summary

There are so many issues surrounding starting school that parents struggle with: selecting the best school for their child (and knowing the right things to look for and questions to ask), preparing their child emotionally and practically for starting, knowing what must-haves to buy (and what not to buy!), navigating school settling-in procedures, coping with behaviour regressions at home, friendship issues, anxiety, tricky behaviour at school, school refusal and homework.

Despite these many concerns, there is little advice available for parents in this position. Most starting school books are aimed at the children themselves. Parents are left to turn to internet discussion forums and social media to ask their many questions. The Starting School Book fills this gap.

Contents will include:

  • Approaches to education around the world; different options available to parents (including Home-Schooling, Radical Unschooling, Forest School, Private School, Montessori and Steiner Schools, Democratic Schools, Free Schools, church schools and state schools).
  • What to look for when choosing a school and what questions to ask when you visit.
  • Preparing your child emotionally for starting school.
  • Preparing your child practically for starting school (e.g., toileting, dressing and eating independence).
  • Coping with school anxiety and refusal.
  • Restraint collapse (explosive behaviour at home at the end of the school day) and other behaviour regressions.
  • Helping your child to navigate new friendships (and fallings out).
  • How to connect with your child at the end of the school day.
©2020 Sarah Ockwell-Smith (P)2020 Hachette Audio UK
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What listeners say about The Starting School Book

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All you need to know

I wish I’d read this sooner!

It helped me chill out a little about the process - I moved just before school started so that created a lot of anxiety about my son being ready and prepared to start at a school he’d never seen.

It also helped me make my decision at a tome we were unable to do visits due to covid restrictions.

Sarah Ockwell-Smith has been a welcome friend through my whole parenting journey and I’m so thankful this boom came out in time for me and my sons starting school experience!


A must read!

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BEYOND helpful

I’ve listened to this whilst preparing to send my child to school in September, and been able to put lots of the tips and ideas into practice already. The book is practical, realistic and also touching. I’ll be buying a copy to refer to through the first year, and no doubt the remainder of primary school.
Highly recommend .

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How everything my child was going through was covered in this book.

I wish I’d read it sooner and I wish this was taught in school as future life preparation instead of trigonometry and Pythagoras theorems!

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helpful and useful book

I liked it very much. Explains little ones word very well and in great details.

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Solid advice

Insightful for parents of school starters and above, would highly recommend to anyone irrespective of parenting style

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