年長 (nenchō), the year before school

The 年長 year: the bridge to grade 1, the ward's dates, and what the nursery hands over

年長の一年：幼保小の架け橋期、就学までの手続きと要録の引き継ぎ

The kindergarten or daycare and the elementary school work on the bridge between them, 幼保小の架け橋プログラム (the preschool-to-school bridge programme), the school plans a gentle start to grade 1, and a record of your child, the 要録 (preschool record), goes to the school.

Ask the teacher: What will you tell the elementary school about my child, and what should I tell them myself?

The ten things Japanese kindergartens and daycares aim for by age six

幼児期の終わりまでに育ってほしい姿（10の姿）

In 年長 the national picture of 幼児期の終わりまでに育ってほしい姿 (what a child should be growing into by school age) is the language the kindergarten uses when it describes your child to the school, and it is a direction to grow in, not a test to pass.

Special-needs routes in Tokyo: the support room, the class, and who decides

東京都の特別支援教室と就学相談

The 就学相談 (school-entry consultation) at the board of education is this year: the place to ask about the support room, a special class or help in an ordinary class before grade 1.

At home: Changes of routine, noise or waiting upset your child far more than other children, and the kindergarten has mentioned it too.

Ask the teacher: Would you recommend we book the 就学相談, and would you share what you see with the school?

In a Japanese school the grade follows the child's age, not the old school's grade

学年は4月1日の年齢で決まる

The grade is set by birth date, so a 早生まれ (born after New Year, before the school year starts) child starts school among the youngest in the class, and Japanese schools do not skip a grade.

At home: Your child tires sooner than classmates, or is upset by tasks the older children in the class manage easily.

Ask the teacher: Is my child keeping up with the older children in the class, and where might they need more time?

Japanese-language lessons at a public school: the special curriculum and how to ask for it

日本語指導が必要な児童生徒の「特別の教育課程」

If your child's Japanese is still thin, ask the school now about 特別の教育課程 (Japanese lessons inside the timetable), so support can start with grade 1.

Ask the teacher: In your view, is my child's Japanese ready for a grade-1 class, and what would help most before school starts?

The public elementary school follows your address, unless your ward runs a choice round

通学区域・指定校と、学校選択・指定校変更

The public elementary school follows your address unless your ward runs a choice round, and where it does, the window is short and falls in this year.

After-school care: the registered club, the open room, and what a full club does next

放課後児童クラブ・放課後子供教室と、新宿区の学童・ひろばプラス

Places at 学童 are applied for in the months before grade 1, and a full club is where the 小1の壁 (the grade-1 wall, when school ends long before work does) begins.

What a private elementary entrance round asks of a five-year-old and the parents: two Tokyo schools' April 2027 guides

私立小学校の入学試験で何を見るか（2027年度 新渡戸文化小学校・立教小学校の募集要項から）

This is the お受験 (private and national elementary entrance) season: applications and exams in the autumn, and the entrance fee due soon after a yes.

A foreign child starts at a public elementary school by applying to the municipal board

外国人の子供の公立小学校への就学手続き

A child of foreign nationality starts public elementary school through an application to the municipal board of education, not automatically, and the article lists what to file and in what order.

Minato ward: the preschool-entry health check is at your address's school

港区 令和9年度就学時健康診断

The 就学時健康診断 (school-entry health check) comes in the autumn; in Minato, the article's example, it is at the elementary school for your address even if you hope to choose another.

The new-parents' briefing is where the school hands you the list and the bank form

新入学の保護者説明会と、用意する物・口座振替

In the winter before entry, the school holds an 入学説明会 (new-parents' briefing) where it hands out the list of things to buy and the bank form for school money.