Pilot questionnaire for parents of preschool children

In April 2017, a two-year ‘Ready for School?’ pilot project was launched in the north of Warwickshire to test an online health needs assessment questionnaire for 3-3.5 yr olds.

This is an adapted version of the Health Needs Assessment (HAPI) - currently used within school health. The aim of the project is to help support school readiness by identifying local public health priorities and appropriate interventions.

The online questionnaire, which was launched in July, is being tested in 3 areas of north Warwickshire, within the following Children’s Centre clusters: Stockingford Children’s Centre (Nuneaton district) St Michael’s Children’s Centre (Bedworth district) and Coleshill Children’s Centre (Rural North Warwickshire district).

Parents and carers will be asked to complete the questionnaire on behalf of their children with the aim of identifying any health support that their child may need in order to help them get ready for school. Children who are identified as requiring extra support will receive this from the Health Visiting Service or their Early Years setting. The questionnaire will remain open until October.

The Early Years settings will be given public health data and information relevant to their local and regional geographical areas, to inform them of their public health priorities.

To date the ‘Ready for School?’ project team have worked with 22 Early Years settings - as ‘early implementers’. Focus groups have been held with staff to understand the challenges in the delivery of the pilot, and to explore how best to achieve the project’s goals.

It is expected, during 2018, that the pilot will be rolled out across the whole of the north of Warwickshire, for the cohort of children starting school in September 2019.

For more information contact:
Hayley Norman, Project Lead School Readiness, Warwickshire School Health & Wellbeing Service, Tel: 03300 245 204, Email: Hayley.Norman@compass-uk.org