Enrolment takes place each year in January.  Notification of times and dates of enrolment will appear in the local press, here on the website and on posters in the school and local community.

For pupils attending Orchard Nursery the transition process is very straight forward, as the children are already familiar with the school building, staff and some school routines.

When we have children coming from a range of nurseries, school staff will try to visit all new entrants in their local nursery setting, establishing relationships before their first visit to Orchard Primary.

In May and June of the pre-school session, all new entrants will be invited to visit the school with their parents and carers for a series of induction days.  On these occasions you will meet your child’s teacher, meet the Senior Leadership Team, have the opportunity to find out about early learning techniques, have a tour of the school building, purchase school uniforms and have your questions answered.  Your child will meet his or her teacher and classmates, have the opportunity to play and work in their new classroom environment, meet their ‘P.7 Buddy’ and have a school lunch with you.

All new Primary 1 pupils have a designated Primary 7 Buddy.  This Buddy will help your child settle into primary school in August.  For the first few weeks of term Buddies will meet your child in the playground each morning, show them how to behave when playing at break times, eat lunch with them and be a valuable support when pupils are not in class.  As the term progresses Buddies start to step back, allowing our Primary 1 learners to become more and more independent.