Supporting smooth transitions
Every child in Hertfordshire deserves the very best start possible.
Herts for Learning has been commissioned by Hertfordshire County Council to undertake a Transition Project to review and develop transition processes for children aged between 3 and 5 years across Hertfordshire.
The vast majority of children look forward to moving on in learning and in life, but for some children, transitions can be challenging. When transitions work well, children are assisted to develop confidence and acquire skills needed to manage future changes in their lives. Support from parents and staff at school can help transitions to be more successful.
The transition between phases of education – notably early years to primary, and primary to secondary – is a risk-point for vulnerable learners. Schools need to diagnose pupils’ needs as soon as possible, to put in place effective support to help those falling behind to catch up.
Education Endowment Foundation - The Attainment Gap 2018
Some children may need particular help, including from other agencies, to ensure that their transition is as smooth as possible. Research suggests that transitions are central to young children’s development and emotional wellbeing. How the first transitions are handled can have a significant impact on a child’s capacity to cope with change in the short and long term and impact on the progress they make from their starting points.
The transition project aims to:
- build on current good practice and encourage consistency across Hertfordshire
- develop a pathway which will help schools receive pertinent information about a child’s level of need
- identify schools with cohorts that have high levels of need
- provide advisory and, where relevant, specialist support for schools that have cohorts with high levels of need
- provide professional development opportunities and contact with specialist professionals that can offer advice with cohort needs.
The project is designed to further improve the early identification and support for all children, particularly those with potential barriers to learning.
For further information please send your query to eytransition@hertsforlearning.co.uk
Supporting smooth transitions briefing presentation
Herts for Learning's Early Years team presents a briefing presentation to share details of the transition project, the transition toolkit and the transition level of need pathway.
The briefing is for early years practitioners working in group settings including school nursery and reception classes, nursery schools, preschools and day nurseries in the PVI sector. Childminders may also find this useful to support information sharing with schools.
Before accessing the briefing it is recommended you access the transition toolkit (links below) and become familiar with some of the resources contained within it as these will be referred to in the presentation.
It is recommended you first review:
Section 2. Unique child transition level of need criteria
Section 3. Transition level of need pathway
Section 5. Transition level of need tool
Section 7. How to use the unique child transition level of need criteria tool
Using the transition level of need tool
Access a webinar to provide you with further information on how to complete the transition level of need tool. The webinar provides easy to follow guidance on how to input children’s information, to send the information to schools, and for schools to collate and send the information to HfL. This includes guidance on how to password protect the spreadsheet tool and how to collate information to provide an overview of the whole cohort.
Supporting smooth transitions toolkit
This toolkit will support practitioners, children and their families with the transition process, from pre-school into the nursery/reception setting. The toolkit provides advice and strategies, to ensure best practice is established, and should be used alongside the ‘Transition Level of Need Pathway’, to help early identification of all barriers to learning that children may have.
- Introduction to the toolkit (pdf)
- Contents page (pdf)
Ready schools
A toolkit of resources for practitioners to support transition processes and practice. This includes a transition policy, transition parent induction meeting presentation, guidance on previous setting and home visits, children’s voice activities and a transition audit.
Unique child transition level of need tool
A spreadsheet which has been developed to collate information of barriers to learning, at the point of transition into school, for individual children.
Transition record (digital copy)
Current providers complete a transition record for every child moving to a new provider or class. On this version, practitioners are required to fill in details of attainment against the Early Years Outcomes, to be sent directly to the receiving provider, electronically through a secure email system.
Ready families
Information and age-appropriate materials for schools, to share with parents to help them support their child’s learning at home. This includes a book list from the libraries service, guide to home visits, a leaflet about the first day at school and information on school readiness in Hertfordshire.
Ready child
Materials to support learning at home and help children get off to a good start in their education. This includes activities for the child to complete on their first visit to school and summer holiday activities to help children get ready for school.
Further resources will be added to the toolkit as they are developed.
For further information please send your query to eytransition@hertsforlearning.co.uk
Blogs
Supporting smooth transitions in the Early Years
Top tips to embed processes that support smooth transitions into school environments.
Contact details
Early Years
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