Blackpool's Better Start is helping 1,600 school starters in the town

Blackpool Better Start, a 10-year lottery-funded programme to help children in the town get a better start in life, is offering some practical support to help families prepare for starting school.

Due to the recent school closures, four year olds in the town haven’t had the usual opportunities of visiting their classroom or meeting their teachers.

So from this week, 1,600 packs will be mailed to every school starter across the town, and will give vital advice on what children can practise at home to be better prepared for the big day.

The pack contains a specially written book ‘The Sandgrown Family Get Ready for School’ and a checklist with advice for families on how they can help their child be school-ready.

The 15 point advice list includes practise getting dressed and undressed, planning the journey to school and taking a practise run and sharing stories to encourage concentration and sitting still.

Better Start will also be posting the 15 tips daily on Facebook, throughout the month of August.

Merle Davies, programme director, said: “One of the Better Start objectives is to support families to help their children be ‘school ready’, and this initiative will hopefully help achieve this.”

Mum of two Cheryl Hole, who’s daughter Felicia will be starting school in September, said: “I think this pack is going to be really helpful as the book explains in a child-friendly way what we can practise before we start school and why.”

Blackpool Council is also providing advice and reassurance for local families through its ‘Back to School Safely’ campaign.

Further information can be found at: www.blackpool.gov.uk/backtoschoolsafely