It’s that time of year again when we start to ready ourselves to say goodbye to some existing children and welcome in some new ones. Moving children on from nursery to primary school is a big deal – for children, parents and professionals alike so we’ve put together some best practice advice to help you navigate this transition.
Managing the transition process in a positive and proactive way is important for a number of reasons, identified by research and in the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS):
- High quality transitions can support a child’s future resilience to change, helping with further transitions in later life such as moving from primary to secondary
- Positive transitions help young children feel safe and affect their ability to play and learn
- The way that transitions are handled can significantly affect a child’s capacity to cope with change in both the short- and long-term, even into adult life
- Children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) need tailored support and transitions to help them feel secure and receive the help they need
How Early Years Settings Can Support School Transitions
Plan School Transitions Well In Advance
It goes without saying that nurseries should plan well in advance for transitions. Transition to primary school is not a one-day, singular event, but a process that should be planned for and executed over time. Parents have to apply for places when their children are 3, turning 4 and this will be the start of the process for them. They may have visited lots of different school to make their choice and they will have taken lots of factors into consideration so it’s important to respect this.
Nurseries will need to then talk to children about the transition process to prepare the way for the actual move in weeks and months to come. Children will hopefully be settled in your nursery and will have got used to the people, the way things are done, and their daily routine. Transition to primary school will turn all that on its head – they will be with different teachers, may or may not have their closest friends joining the same setting, and the routines and protocols for everything will be different. This is a big deal for children, and as professional practitioners, we should not underestimate the impact of this on the children.
At the same time, there should be ongoing dialogue and meetings between the setting and the schools, which should involve visiting the schools and discussing the transitions and the children with the primary school teachers. Since this will usually involve more than one school, nurseries need to make provision for time out of the setting on several occasions. School teachers need to be aware of the children’s previous experiences and understand their needs. This will allow practitioners to build on the child’s previous experiences and help them to feel more comfortable in the new setting.
Think about the following ways in which you can make the process run smoothly:
Establish And Build Good Relationships And Communications
As mentioned, there are several relationships to consider here including:
- Parent/carer – nursery
- Parent/carer – child
- Nursery – school
- Child – school
- Child – child
Hopefully in the time since joining the nursery, you will have developed a good professional working relationship with your children and parents/carers and helped support their own relationships too. Maintaining good contact and giving parents/carers and children clear information is crucial during transitions. Schools often have booklets they give to parents/carers but you could create your own information pack or hold a meeting to explain the process. You could even schedule this for around the time that parents/carers need to apply for schools to help them with this process too.
Make sure that the information you give is up-to-date and accurate, and ensure that you are working within GDPR and consent parameters when sharing information with the school.
Effective communication and information sharing can include:
- Face-to-face conversations
- Regular meetings and visits
- Updates via newsletters, diaries and emails
- Social media or other group chats
It is very reassuring for children to see warm, professional relationships between their parent/carers and their trusted nursery teachers and new school teachers. Remember too that children may be concerned about what will happen to their own friendships, especially if their friends from nursery are not going to the same primary school, so remember to factor this into your conversations and reassurances for the children.
Maintain Enabling Environments
Since 2012, the term “enabling environment” has been one of four overarching principles described in the EYFS, which is generally recognised to be an environment that is safe, stimulating and rich in opportunities, enabling children to be themselves, play, learn and explore the world in physical, mental and experiential ways. As children move from a nursery setting to a school one, they need to feel that there will be some consistency between these environments.
Obviously, the school will be different from your setting, but there are ways that you can help continue your nurturing influence.
- Pairing children up with a ‘buddy’ who is going to the same new school will allow some consistency for the children
- Meet with the school teachers to discuss the children and their friendships, needs and preferences to help maintain continuity
- Move-up days or visits to the new school
- Visits to the nursery by the new school teachers
- Practicing some of the changes and expected new behaviours/routines with the children
The Importance Of The Key Person When Transitioning To School
The importance of the child’s key person cannot be underestimated in transitions. They will often be the main link between the established setting and the new school as they have a detailed and comprehensive understanding of the child already. They can also act as the mediator and emotional support in the run up to the change, and this should include the child’s mental and emotional well-being too.
The following activities can be used to support transitions:
- Role plays
- Storytime
- Visits
- Videos
- Songs and nursery rhymes
- Individual conversations
- Circle time
- Opportunistic chats
Special Educational Needs And Disability Support
Where children have special educational needs or a disability, it is vital to ensure that they receive the correct support during the transition process and that their needs continue to be met in the new setting. This will involve talking to the child and the parents/carers to establish preferences and they may need more specific help when visiting a new school, or more understanding that change can be very traumatic to some children with special needs. All transitions should be individualised to the children involved, but with special needs children, this is crucial.
