What is School Readiness Programme (P1 Preparatory Classes)?
School Readiness Programme is an individualized intervention programme to assist children with unique learning challenges transit smoothly and confidently into mainstream schools. Not only that, Physical, Cognitive, Social, and Emotional Development are all essential ingredients of school readiness. Our programme provides opportunities for your child to develop to their full potential whilst having fun through our specially designed activities, learning resources and facilities.
We work with a team of qualified Educational Specialists, Speech and Occupational Therapists to support the child. We offer a 3- or 5-day intensive programme that taps on all areas of learning and development.
We provide a schedule of activities that lays the foundation for the demands of formal schooling and its curriculum. This programme includes subjects such as:
- Reading & Phonics
- English Language & Grammar
- Mathematics
- Social Thinking
More importantly, we focus on the following:
- Independence Skills generalised at home and in school
- Social and Emotional Self to helping the child to socialise and cooperate with their peers and adults and being able to identify and communicate their feelings
- Routines to give children the emotional stability they need and are essential to good behaviour and attention span
- Teaching respect for themselves and others
Our School Readiness Program promotes interests and assists your child in becoming an active learner. Most children can learn effectively through hands-on experiences, and it helps them boost their confidence together with their growing ability. Most importantly, our programme will help instil a good understanding of appropriate classroom behavior and discipline in your child that would help them finish on-hand tasks within the given time. All of these are fundamental to success in primary school.
Bridging the Gap School Readiness Programme:
What is the Difference?
In Bridging the Gap, we promote the following:
1. Mind and Body
We want our children to live an active and healthy life and this programme also includes Brain Gym and Sensory Integrated Gym classes which develops a child’s gross motor skills, fine motor skills and self-help skills.
2. Thinking Skills
This part of the programme covers all the areas of academic skills including literacy, numeracy, language, colour and shape recognition. Literacy skills are an extremely important part of development for your child. We believe that literacy skills include a variety of aspects, not just reading and writing. This also include the usage of words in conversations and words to communicate, Reading, Writing, Listening, and using Digital technologies.
3. Self-Awareness
This is all about your child becoming familiar with themselves as an individual, learning how to express themselves and share their feelings and emotions. It is important that your child feels welcome and has a strong sense of belonging to the school, to their friend and teachers. This also includes having care, empathy, and respect for diversity, understanding oneself, being confident and being part of a community.
What is the P1 Preparatory Class & School Readiness Programme Process? What Steps are Involved?
1. Registration / Parent Interview
Before the assessment you will be asked to fill up a form to provide information of your child’s developmental history and your concerns about your child. The therapist will also ask you for further information.
2. Initial Consultation / Assessment
Our special educator combines the use of standardised assessment tools with clinical observations to determine the strengths and weaknesses of your child. The assessment is then summarized in which is used as a baseline the intervention goals. With accurate information on hand, they can then proceed to develop an individually customized intervention plan with concrete goals.
3. Goal Setting
Based on the assessments, the educational therapist will plan tailor-made goals for your child’s therapy sessions. As mentioned, the strategies used are play-based especially for younger children. However, there will be specific exercises targeted for focus and specific areas in school and at home. These targeted goals will be explained to the parents and will be followed up by weekly homework and updates from the therapist.
How Can Our Programme Help Your Child? What are the Benefits?
School Readiness Programme builds a solid foundation for later learning which will help your child to succeed not just academically but holistically. Beyond that, it develops confidence, independence skills and the emotional stability children need through the promotion of healthy behaviour. Without these basic skills already established upon entry to school, children can very quickly find themselves playing ‘catch up’ compared to their peers that are advancing more quickly.
It teaches children to respect themselves as well as those around them and encourages them to socialise with their peers and adults. It helps set the foundations that will allow your child to make friends and build positive relationships throughout their school years and into adulthood.
A school readiness program allows children to build on the skills they need to distinguish and communicate their feelings in a positive and effective way, which will become vital throughout their life.
What are the Signs to Look Out for in a Child That May Require Joining Our Preparatory Classes & Programme?
- Get easily frustrated on difficult tasks
- Struggle to follow instructions in daily activities.
- Needed maximum supports to do self-help tasks, such as dressing up, eating, etc
- Not yet be toilet trained
- Struggle to attend to tasks as compared to their peers
- Unable to share, take turns and shift with changing rules of a game in play
- Have poor receptive and/or expressive language skills
- Have difficulty understanding consequences of their behaviours
- Not be interested in looking at books and/or doing sit down activities
- Not interact well with their peers either in or out of the classroom
- Have limited play skills and can’t change their play to incorporate new play items or people
- Resistant to new activities and/or being guided about how to develop new skills.
- Processing different sensory inputs from the environment (e.g., noise, touch)
- Managing stress, emotional regulation with family
- Difficulty coping with lessons in school
Parent Testimonials
My family is thankful to the team at Bridging the Gap for supporting my son in adjusting to the primary school environment. He was initially discouraged in Primary 1 because he could not cope with the difference in expectations as well as his own sensory and communication issues. We are glad to see our son transitioning to independence and much happier in his school environment.
Ryan’s Parents
My daughter is coping with mainstream schoolwork and is able to understand the social demands on her, thanks to the Bridging the Gap team. Their dedication is evident as they went the extra mile to meet with my child’s teachers and sat in during lessons to try and fully understand how my daughter was fairing in class. We hope to see many years more of collaboration with this team.
Arya’s Parents
I am delighted to see Bridging the Gap team always giving more than we expect. The school’s School Readiness Programme is truly beneficial to my daughter and to her mainstream school Teachers.
T. K. X.’s Parents