School Readiness Group Program

Starting school is an exciting time for both children and parents. It is a time of huge transition and often involves months of conversations and preparation...

Getting ready for school means more than just practising just pre-literacy and writing skills. School readiness involves looking at the child's social, emotional, physical, cognitive and linguistic development... and preparing them as best we can for Day 1 in the classroom!

We will be running this group towards the end of 2024 for a 2025 school start.

New Client Enquiry Form

Enquiry Form

School Readiness groups will aim to support

  • Attention and listening (whole body listening)
  • Social skills development
  • Early phonics skills and sound awareness
  • Fine motor skills
  • Language skills (understanding information and expression)
  • Confidence and self-esteem
  • Responding to school routines
  • Executive functioning skills (planning and organising)

Attention and listening

Attention and listening

The group will incorporate whole body listening concepts and structured support to encourage attentiveness in a classroom setting.
Language skills

Language skills

The group will work on classroom language skills such as following directions, communicating needs and wants, listening to and responding to stories, and answering a range of questions.

Early phonics

Early phonics

The group will incorporate sound-letter knowledge through highly engaging phonological awareness activities. The group will introduce rhyme, syllable counting, sounds in words, and sound-to-letter matching… all prerequisites to success for early literacy!
Executive functioning skills

Executive functioning skills

The group will build on higher level thinking and reasoning skills, including organisation, time awareness and self-planning (e.g. “what will I eat for recess so that I still have food for lunch?”).

Confidence and self-esteem

Confidence and self-esteem

The group will encourage children to feel confident and happy as they venture into school! Children will finish this group knowing what their talents are and what makes them unique.
Social skills

Social skills

This group aims to enhance a wide range of social skills that support friendship development, such as learning about empathy, showing interest in others, sharing ideas/thoughts and demonstrating expected mannerisms. We can teach these skills using child-led activities and group play.

Frequently Asked Questions

1Where is the group held?
All group sessions are held at our clinic in Lane Cove. We have a variety of purpose-built therapy rooms that are spacious, colourful and engaging for learning. Families are encouraged to congregate in the clinic waiting area approximately 10 minutes prior to the start of the session. The speech pathologist facilitating the group will meet families there, and accompany them to the appropriate room. The address of the clinic is: Ground Floor, 1 Pottery Lane, Lane Cove, 2066, NSW.
2What qualifications do the staff have?
All group programs are facilitated by certified practising speech pathologists.
3What do I need to bring?
Nothing. All resources for the group program will be provided by Sydney Speech Clinic. Children are welcome to bring a water bottle in to the therapy room.
4How do I pay?
All group sessions are paid for in advance. Payment can be made via bank transfer, credit card over the phone, or an EFTPOS transaction at the clinic. Once enrolment in the group sessions has been confirmed, an invoice will be sent out via email. We ask that payment is made within 7 days of the invoice being received.
5Do parents need to stay?
No. Parents are welcome to stay for the first few minutes of the session, however we generally find that children are more involved in group activities when parents are not present. There are plenty of shops and cafes in the local area that we encourage parents to explore while they wait. Families are also welcome to pass the time in our clinic waiting area, offering a small selection of magazines, books and toys.
6What happens if I miss one of the sessions?
All group programs are designed so that a session can be missed without hindering future sessions. However, if you are unable to attend, we do appreciate 24 hours notice so that the facilitator can plan accordingly. Unfortunately we cannot provide a refund for missed group sessions.
7Do groups replace one-on-one sessions?
No. One-on-one sessions are intensive, individualised, and tailored specifically to the needs of the client. Group sessions are seen as ‘boosters’ or supplementation to one-on-one therapy, and should not be used as a replacement.