Children aged between three and five will also have the option to wear uniforms and will be given book bags, which the Co-operative says is intended to make them feel more comfortable with the transition between nursery and primary school.
The group’s 44 nurseries have invested in balance Islabikes, so that children will have the chance to take dedicated cycling lessons alongside the regular EYFS curriculum.
The nursery group has introduced bikes for pre-school children after a survey it carried out with 1,000 parents of children in this age group found that just under half of them wanted their child to learn this skill.
Mike Abbott, group general manager at the Co-operative Childcare, said, ‘It’s interesting to see that 49 per cent of parents want their child to learn to ride a bike at pre-school, which was almost as highly rated as academic development. This is why we’ve worked with parents to launch our pre-school programme, which will see children benefit from extra activities in familiar nursery surroundings, giving them the opportunity to develop their confidence and social skills before they head to school.’
The nursery group also offers a range of resources to support children’s transition into primary school, including a ‘school-readiness month’ with a timetable of school-related activities, PE lessons, photographs of all the local schools that children may attend, and of the people likely to teach them, as well as visits from children who have already started school to talk about their experiences.
Mr Abbott added, ‘The move from nursery to primary school is a big one for young people and the impact on them shouldn’t be under estimated. Our pre-school programme aims to provide children with the skills they’ll need at school, while still in the familiar surroundings of their nursery, with colleagues they know and trust.’
