School Readiness
Ensure your child gets the best possible start to their school career
Proudly working in conjunction with...
What We Do
We are able to offer consultations to help you navigate the school application process and to help you understand catchment areas and waiting lists. We can also advise you what to do if you are planning to move house during this process.
The start of school can be an anxious time for parents and children alike. Our school readiness sessions offer an interactive practical session for you and your child. Our sessions include specific activities which, as practitioners, we feel best prepare your child for school. There will be the opportunity to explore a variety of role play areas and you and your child will have time for investigative play, exploring skills which exercise both fine and gross motor skills. There will be early writing and number tasks, structured music time to focus on social and group working skills and also an opportunity for you, as parents, to ask questions and take away some tips to make the transition to school in September as smooth as possible.
Who We Are
Christina Lydon
Christina Lydon is a Music Therapist and has worked in mainstream & special education for the past 10 years. She has worked in various Early Years settings, including as a senior Paediatric Music Therapist in the Child Development Service at Chelsea & Westminster Hospital, London. Christina is also currently working in schools & nurseries in Hampshire & Surrey.
Previously, Christina worked for six years in London for an NHS Child and Adolescent Mental Health team, with her post embedded within a school. It was here that she developed her passion for supporting and engaging children along with their parents, with the aim of enhancing positive mental wellbeing and emotional intelligence in daily life.
Christina will be running a Music Therapy group as part of the school readiness session, focussing on the core emotional and developmental skills needed by children as they enter the learning environment. She will then run a parent-based session to offer advice around emotional support for your child during the transition to school, providing useful articles and ideas to try at home.
Lucia Felgate (née Hasslacher)
Lucia has been teaching in both state and private education for the past 15 years. She formerly taught at the highly regarded Honeywell School in Battersea, London for a number of years, before heading up the Early Years department at the Dolphin School, Battersea.
Lucia is passionate about Early Years education and has twice been awarded “Outstanding” by Ofsted during her career.
Inspired by the value of play in childhood, Lucia is now studying and practising Play Therapy in Hampshire schools, which both complements and enhances her teaching experience.
Lucia will be on hand to answer any questions you might have during the interactive play sessions. She will also be able to explore with you what reception teachers are looking for in your child, in those early days and months ahead
I'm a Parent...
Due to COVID-19 currently all of our parent workshop sessions will be held remotely, online via Zoom or FaceTime. We are still on hand to deliver bespoke workshops to make sure all your questions and concerns are answered. This year more than ever, due to schools and nurseries shutting, our sessions are in high demand. We will be filling this gap whilst your child is not at nursery. We offer advice around developmental, educational and emotional themes to ensure your child is prepared for the start of school, as well as tried and tested tips to support the transition for the whole family.
After the workshop we will email you useful resources, key products that we as, Paediatric professionals, think make a significant difference, and activities to try at home.
Book in one of our 1:1 consultations or gather nursery / NCT friends to organise a group zoom workshop (up to 8 people). For specific troubleshooting or advice around moving house in relation to school places or waiting lists, please contact us for a shorter consultation session.
I'm an Early Years Provider...
Due to COVID-19 all of our sessions will currently be held remotely, online via Zoom. Contact us for more information about our Zoom consultations for parents of 2020 school. We frequently work to support schools and nurseries.