5 years checkup
The 5-year checkup: what to expect and what to ask
Five is usually the school-entry visit, and the one where parents worry most about the wrong things.
Schools ask about whether a child can separate, listen in a group and manage the toilet — far less about letters and numbers than parents expect.
What this visit usually covers
- Vision and hearing.
- Blood pressure, growth and BMI.
- School-entry immunisations.
- Social and emotional readiness, plus sleep, which usually has to come entirely from the night by now.
Worth asking
Take this in with you. The appointment moves faster than you expect, and the specific question gets a specific answer.
- Is there anything here that would be worth flagging to the school?
- Sleep — is she getting enough now the nap has gone? Ten to thirteen hours per twenty-four still applies at this age.
- Any speech sounds still unclear that are worth addressing before school.
- Whatever is worrying you about starting school. This appointment is a reasonable place for that conversation.
Where this comes from
Schedules vary by practice and by country, and yours may cover more or less than this. It is a companion for the appointment, not a substitute for it — the person in the room can see your child, and this page can't.