Tools for Schools
It is important to prepare children and young people who are more likely to struggle with moving to a new school. These include children and young people with:
- Special educational needs and disability (SEND)
- Mental health difficulties
- Social and emotional challenges
- Limited parental support
- Experience of transient living, such as being in care
- Anxiety
- Experience of being bullied
- Children who don’t feel that they belong in their school; who struggle to develop good relationships with school staff and peers; and who struggle with changes to a routine may also find this transition challenging.
Why:
- Two in five pupils fail to reach expected academic progress after transitioning to secondary school.
- Feeling like you belong has an impact on achievement and how well a CYP transitions.
- Children with SEND are more likely to feel isolated and vulnerable if they don’t have a smooth transition.
Useful Websites:
The mentallyhealthyschools.org.uk website has some useful tips for school staff to help children settle when starting primary school or to support those who change school regularly.
Autism Transitions: An autism transitions project. This project is a collaboration between The University of Southampton and Aviary Nursery in Eastleigh.
- Making a digital story – What is a digital story?
- Making a digital story to support transitions
Autism Education Trust, funded by the Department for Education (DfE): Supporting learners with autism during transition: Practical strategies, resources and case-studies to support transition from early years to primary school and from primary to secondary school – with examples and templates.
PAC-UK Education Service
- Example Transition Plan and Strategies for Care Experienced Children, PAC-UK
- Thinking about Goodbyes and Transitions for Care Experienced Children, PAC-UK
Bridging the Word Gap
Bridging the Word Gap at transition: The Oxford Language Report 2020: This new report, Bridging the Word Gap at Transition, builds on the previous report from 3 years ago, Why Closing the Word Gap Matters. The latest research reveals that all of the consequences of the word gap identified in the first survey still remain.
Last updated 3 August 2021