A NEW initiative from Bradford Libraries will help young children get ready to start primary school.

Packs have been put together to help families prepare their children to start reception class this September. The ‘Great Start’ bags contain a range of books to engage, enthuse and excite children about starting ‘big’ school along with a musical toy and rhyme sheet plus a finger puppet for retelling stories. They also include a survival guide for parents and carers to help make their child’s move to primary school stress-free and fun.

The bags are available to borrow from Ilkley Library from Friday, September 3. They can be borrowed for three weeks on an adult ticket. Libraries Connected Yorkshire and Humberside provided funding for the bags which were developed by Bradford Libraries so families can be encouraged to read together with their children and support their transition to primary school.

Cllr Sarah Ferriby, Bradford Council’s executive member for Healthy People and Places said: “Bradford Libraries’ new Great Start bags are a fantastic way to introduce children and families to the ideas around school readiness.

“The books inside are amazing and the survival guide will be really useful for parents at this time of transition.”