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.

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.

Transition toolkit of resources 

A range of resources is being developed to support the transition process. As the resources are developed they will be made available for you to access here.

Transition planner 

Most of the research on transition in the early years highlights the need to see the transition as a process, not a one-off event.

The annual transition planner helps practitioners plan for transition across 12 months. This includes booking in advance time for home and setting/school visits, planning for training needs of the staff team to support children’s school readiness, ensuring paperwork is prepared for information sharing. The planner includes suggestions for activities to be considered each month. 

Each planner includes details of the activities that will be offered to schools as part of the transition project. 

• School reception class transition planner 
• School nursery class transition planner 
• PVI setting transition planner 

For further information please send your query to eytransition@hertsforlearning.co.uk