“Practitioners know that starting school, and all the other transitions in the early years, are big steps for small children.” Development matters (2023: p.9)

Transitions must happen in life, but according to Nutbrown and Page (2013: p.180):

“We must also consider not just how many physical transitions there are from home to nursery, but also how many emotional transitions a young child will experience in the course of the day… Once again this suggests to us the need for close attachments and respectful sharing of information as an essential ingredient in the nurturing of a young child to ensure both consistency and constancy.”

Nutbrown, C. and Page, J. Working with babies and children from birth to three (2013:p.180).

Transitions can be exciting but for some children, this can be a time of insecurity, moving from the familiar to the unknown. Moving from one setting to another, or from one room in a nursery to another can have an obvious effect on young children’s learning, development and care. It is therefore vital, that we make the transitional process as smooth as possible for everyone, as children who are nurtured through the transitions process, learn positive ways of coping with change.

This can be achieved by having a planned approach which recognises the time needed to communicate and shape relationships with the parents / carers and the children, so that they feel supported and safe.

“SEN support should include planning and preparing for transition, before a child moves into another setting or school. This can also include a review of the SEN support being provided or the EHC plan. To support the transition, information should be shared by the current setting with the receiving setting or school. The current setting should agree with parents the information to be shared as part of this planning process.”

Special educational needs and disability code of practice: 0 to 25 years (2015:p.88)

The importance of attachment during transitions

Babies and children become attached to the people who are there for them – who tune into their signals, their needs and help them to interact with and understand the world. The key person plays a vital role in supporting the child and their family in making the transition from home into their new setting or moving from one room to another.

As adults this transition could be likened to walking into a completely new and unknown situation. For example, starting a new job, attending a meeting or taking a driving test. Although you will have prepared yourself for this as much as you can, the ‘butterflies in your tummy’ would still be there. This is our body preparing us for ‘flight’ or ‘fight’ which is the same for young children.

Having a key person or a close relationship will help us to cope with these powerful emotions, giving us the security and confidence to face new situations. This security will lead to confidence and independence and trust, helping us to believe that the world is a good place to be.

Top tips for supporting children and their families with transitions

1. Arrange a meeting with the child’s parents or carers to discuss the proposed transition, sharing your setting’s ‘Transition’ or ‘Settling In’ Policy with them. Introduce the child’s key person and his or her ‘buddy’, should they be away from the setting.
2. Arrange a number of ‘stay and play’ sessions for the child and their parent / carer to attend, introducing them to the child’s key person. If the child is moving from one room to another within the setting, arrange for the child’s key person to accompany them on these visits.
3. During these visits, take photographs of the child playing with the children. These can be made into a book to remind the child of the activities he / she can undertake, when they go back to the setting / room.
4. Give parents / carers a booklet describing the types of activities provided within the room / setting along with the daily routines. Encourage the parents / carers to talk to their child about the routine and the types of activities that will be available.
5. Encourage parents / carers to read stories to their child about starting pre-school or moving rooms. A selection of books on can be borrowed from your local library, for example, the ‘Let’s Get Ready’ bookbags.
6. Suggest the parents / carers leave their child for a short period of time with a trusted friend or member of the family, to prepare them for this period of separation, especially if they have not been away from their parents / carers before.
7. Ask the parents / carers to bring in photographs of their family and pets. This will help the staff get to know the family as well as the child feeling in contact with them and more settled.
8. Encourage the child to bring in a comforter from home, for example, a soft toy or blanket. Having a special place to put this will give the child a sense of belonging within the setting / room. A key fob with a photograph of the child’s key person and his / her ‘buddy’ will also help the child and their family to become familiar to them.
9. Arrange for the child’s key person to greet their children, at the start of each session. Discuss with the parents / carers the importance of telling their child when they are going to go and leave them and when they will be coming back.
10. Ask the parents / carers to complete an ‘All About Me’ booklet, identifying the child’s currents likes and dislikes, their interests and fascinations. This will help the staff in the child’s new setting / room to get to know them and be able to offer and plan activities and resources to challenge and further their learning, development and care.

Effective transition into school and into year 1

Transition into school

It is important that transition isn’t seen as an event but rather a process. It is only then that the necessary time can be given to ensure that the transition is a smooth one. It is best when children don’t feel the process is being done to them but that they are part of it. This can only be done by developing a strong relationship with the children and parents and the pre-schools they attend.

Regular weekly attendance to the school’s story time or child-initiated session means that the relationship between child and adult can develop naturally over time. There is then the opportunity to introduce other activities such as play time and dinner time and to discuss with children what they like about reception and what they will miss from their pre-school or nursery. Strong attachments are important and must continue into Reception, feeling safe and secure fosters resilience to help children cope with change and the challenges ahead. It is important that children feel they continue to be with familiar people as they go through the transition process.

Top tips for supporting children and their families with transitions

• Listen to parents and children - what are they telling you?
• Consult with children - find out what is important to them.
• Ask parents about their views of the transition process - what works well and what can be improved? Honest, open and frank discussion are beneficial in improving a school's transition arrangements and strengthening partnerships with parents.
• Acknowledge and respond - as far as realistically possible to benefit the children, parents and staff.

Transition within school

Imagine that you are driving to a well-loved holiday destination that you have not been to for some time; somewhere where you and your close family have been happy; somewhere where you have made friends; somewhere where you know the checking-in process, where all the amenities are located, what the rules are and you know how it all works. As you approach your destination, you notice signs that say ‘Under New Management’. Immediately you start to feel anxious.

This is a good scenario to describe how children may feel when changing classes.

It is important that this transition isn’t overlooked or diminished because it is within school. A lot of the same principles for transition into school are still relevant here.

Children need to feel part of the process, they need to feel that where they are going is familiar and that their new teacher knows them. It is good practise to make sure that there are familiar resources or activities at least for the first term, eg phonic games they are familiar with, story books that are common across both classes, and resources such as maths resources and art storage that are the same in both classes.