I recently took the decision to move my children to a nursery and pre-school within a local infant school. One of key differences I found as part of the registering process was that the school asked to visit us at home before my children started. My initial thoughts were, why?! I set about looking into why school’s do this and discovered it is actually a great idea and will no doubt help the school get to know us a family better.
Here are some of the reasons why school’s conduct home visits:
Building relationships
- Home visits help teachers get to know students in a casual setting.
- They also help students become familiar with their teacher before starting school.
- Home visits can help build trust and respect between parents and teachers.
Learning more about students
- Home visits can help teachers identify barriers to school attendance, such as cost of transportation.
- They can also help teachers identify unusual behaviors in children.
Addressing concerns
- Home visits can help schools address concerns about attendance, safeguarding or a lack of contact with parents.
Supporting family routines
- Home visits can help schools support family routines, rules and boundaries.
What are they not?
They are not meant to be intrusive or a form of surveillance, but rather a supportive way to check on a child’s well-being and offer assistance where necessary.
What’s your experience of home visits been like?