Our ongoing work with children, families and teachers defines transition as a process involving both continuity and change, Professors Sue Dockett and Bob Perry, Charles Sturt University School of Education, write.
Transition to school involves more than a set of activities – it is a process of children becoming school students; parents becoming parents of a school student; where some teachers farewell a group of children and other teachers get to know those children and their families.
A critical element of the transition to school is the relationships that are formed and maintained to support all involved. Effective transitions are characterised by positive relationships between and among all involved – children, families, teachers and communities.
Transitions start well before the first day of school. For some children and families, transitions can also extend well into the school year. While they may start school as a group, children’s individual experiences, expectations and approaches will vary considerably – as will those of their family. Recognising and responding to this variation – rather than assuming that all children have the same experiences – is a critical if teachers are to develop and implement appropriate strategies to support transition.
In the next few months, many schools will be encouraging families to make decisions about enrolments for the following school year. This means that families may well be seeking information and talking with children about starting school; children will start to see and hear information about school; and teachers will be reflecting on the transition practices, people involved and the preparation required to implement these.
There is much that teachers can do to support children, families and their professional colleagues. Striking a balance between providing information and overwhelming parents and children is important – while starting school is a time of excitement and challenge, there will be other things happening for children and families as well.
In a recent project we talked with and visited early childhood settings and schools around the country to identify effective transition practices. Eight general practices were identified:
- connecting with children
- connecting with families
- connecting with professionals
- connecting with communities
- flexible and responsive transition programs
- recognising strengths, and
- reflective practice and building relationships.
Many teachers support the transition to school using strategies that reflect these practices. These strategies differ in different contexts and with different people involved. The core feature of having flexible and responsive transition programs is that these can be individualised – there is no sense that one set of practices will suit every context, every time.
These general practices reflect the involvement of a wide range of stakeholders in transition. In other words, transition is not something that only involves children. The transition to school involves transitions for families and teachers, and is important within both the school and broader communities. When considering strategies to support transition, it is important for teachers to consider how they engage with the broad range of stakeholders involved in, and affected by, the transition to school.
Some strategies that have been identified as effective across a range of settings include:
Connecting with children
Have conversations with children. Conversations can be promoted in many ways – including adding some topical books to the reading area, school uniforms to the family corner, school equipment – such as rulers, notebooks, lead pencils – to drawing/writing areas.
Develop a plan with children about how to find out about school – who might be asked; could a visit be planned; are there books to read, websites to access? Encourage new school students to return to visit their prior to school settings. These visits can help children retain connections with children and educators, but also locate the children as ‘experts’ able to give advice and answer questions from those who have not yet started school. In preparation, preschool children can think of some questions to ask, or school children can think of information other children would like to know.
Where these are easily accessible, visits to different parts of the school, or for different events, can help children become familiar with what schools look like, sound like and even smell like.
Connecting with families
Plan sessions for families to find out about local school options, including school age care. Some sites hold a ‘school expo’ where different schools are invited to share information; others invite individual schools to visit the setting at a specific time.
Provide opportunities for families whose children will attend the same school to get together. It may be possible to hold a morning tea for parents whose children will be attending the same school.
Invite school staff to visit prior to school settings and meet with families. Respond to the questions families have and planning to seek appropriate input to address those that require some additional information.
Connecting with professionals
Work collaboratively with other teachers. When teachers across prior to school and school settings work together they can provide professional support and recognition for each other, as well as promote educational continuity for the children. In some settings, shared professional development opportunities support collaboration.
Invite school staff to visit early childhood settings and develop an effective communication strategy.
Connecting with communities
Share information with communities. This might information about transition events for children as well as families, inviting community members to take part in events, or to share their expertise as part of these events. Work with communities to recognise the importance of the transition to school.
The transition to school can be both and exciting and challenging time for everyone. Strong, positive relationships among all involved – teachers in prior to school and school settings, families, children and communities – are the basis for effective transitions. When all feel a sense of belonging and connection with school, all kinds of positive educational outcomes are achievable.
Reference
A range of examples of practices to support positive transitions to school can be found in:
Dockett S & Perry B 2014 Continuity of learning: A resource to support effective transition to school and school age care. Canberra, ACT: Australian Government Department of Education. https://www.csu.edu.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0015/1101093/continuity.pdf