The Headstart Initiative aims to support families and their children who are starting primary school for the first time. Starting Junior Infants is an important milestone for a young child and Wexford Local Development provides information and resources that can help make this transition a positive experience.

Headstart previously consisted of a Resource Pack distributed to schools to pass on to their incoming Junior Infant children. After over ten years of operation Headstart was reviewed and updated in 2021 with a booklet for parents and families. Many of the activities suggested by the pack can still be done at home such as shared reading, drawing, painting, using child friendly scissors and jigsaws but most importantly making time for play and talking with your child.

Our new Headstart booklet for parents and families is called ‘Starting Big School‘ and copies may be ordered by emailing ddoolan@wld.ie

The Genesis Programme and Flying Start, based in Louth, have produced the following video for young children starting Junior Infants, it’s a nice look at what to expect inside a big school!

The National Council for Curriculum and Assessment also has helpful suggestions for young children at the link below:

Moving from Pre-School to Primary School