Early Years transition toolkit

“Transition” can refer to a number of different things, although – for the purpose of this document – we are focusing on transition as a change in provider that a child may experience, in particular the transfer of children to school. Transition is the word given to explain the movement of children from one phase of the EYFS to the next.

This could be within the same setting, or from one setting to another.

Transition has a definite effect on a child’s development and can be a very positive experience, although it can sometimes have a negative effect, particularly if it is not well-planned.

“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 in order to put in place effective support to help those falling behind to catch up.” Education Endowment Foundation, “The Attainment Gap” 2018

Therefore, practitioners must consider what this will entail for children joining their setting and why it is important that these transitions are successful. When transitions in the early years are managed sensitively it lays the foundations for positive feelings towards the many other transitions children will face through life.

The SEND code of Practice (2015) states ‘To support transition, the school should share information with the school, college or other setting the child or young person is moving to. Schools should agree with parents and pupils the information to be shared as part of this planning process.’ (page 102)

Why is transition support so important?

High quality transitions recognise the importance of feeling “known”. Key to a high-quality experience for all children in the early years is ensuring continuity between home, key people and all the settings that make up children’s individual learning journeys. Children may have many different out-of-home experiences, through childcare, toddler groups, family day care and more than one nursery, and they may appear to straddle change with ease. But while transitions may occur with great frequency, not all children navigate these comfortably or happily.

Some children are particularly vulnerable at times of transition. Moving from a place or situation in which children feel “known” into one in which they feel “unknown” can raise insecurities about having their entitlements and needs met. While some children have the resilience to cope with change, others are more vulnerable to uncertainty.

Children who lack confidence or have low self-esteem, those who are summer-born or born prematurely, babies separated from parents for the first time, some children with disabilities or complex health needs, those for whom English is not their first language and those who have simply had to cope with too much change or loss in their young lives may be particularly vulnerable at times of transition.

Many children become particularly anxious about making new relationships, whether those are with other children or with the adults with whom they will spend their time. The support of their friends and friendship groups can help protect children from the potentially negative impact of transitions.

Transition for children who are more vulnerable is effectively supported when they are given additional times and opportunities to make the necessary readjustments to the changes ahead, and when their emotional development and wellbeing is prioritised. Practitioners help by being warm, responsive and by recognising challenging behaviour as a manifestation of feelings.

Transitions are opportunities for professional dialogue both within and between settings, as well as with the home. It is the responsibility of all Early Years practitioners to ensure that children feel welcomed, gain a sense of belonging and are helped to settle happily.

At points of transition, it is valuable to gather the perspectives of all those who have worked with the child such as other practitioners, speech therapists, health visitors, bilingual teaching assistants and educational psychologists. These perspectives enable all those involved with the child to plan for their individual needs more effectively.
 

Through consultation, professionals, families and young people have made clear that the following principles are central to a successful transition:

1. Person-Centred Approach: Giving the young person the opportunity to express what help they need through a holistic approach, taking account of their development, their situation and ensuring the young person has access to all relevant information
2. Partnership with Parents and Carers: Working effectively with parents/carers at all stages to ensure plans take account of all relevant Information
3. Building Resilience: A young person with good self-esteem and confidence will find transitions easier. Preparation and support should be ongoing to enable the child to undertake transitions with motivation and enjoy the challenges and new approaches this may bring. It is the responsibility of all professionals as well as family to support the on-going development of the child’s resilience through support, enablement and empowerment
4. Holistic Approach: The focus for the collection of information as well as discussions will consider the whole young person e.g. hobbies/interests, hopes for the future as well as routines, family circumstance, relevant medical information alongside any additional needs and not just child development or academic achievement
5. Appropriate and timely sharing of information with consent: Information sharing enables professionals to deliver safer, more efficient services that are responsive and coordinated around the needs and wants of the individual
6. Multi-Agency Approach: All relevant agencies should work together to put in place the support necessary to maintain the child’s well-being and progress
7. Transition Lead: Each setting or school should identify a transition lead who will have a clear role to ensure successful and positive outcomes. For each individual transition, the transition lead should agree the exact activities to be carried out by each party.
8. Evaluation of the process: In order to ensure every transition is as effective as possible an evaluation of the process should be undertaken. It is important that the child, parent and carer are included to ensure robust effective transitions are planned. Sending and receiving teachers should ensure this process is undertaken to identify successes and improve the process where necessary

Remember:

• transition is a process, not an event
• high quality transitions recognise the importance of feeling “known”
• some children are particularly vulnerable to at times of transition
• transitions are opportunities for professional dialogue
• the key person makes essential connections

Effective transition procedures require careful planning and should be rooted in a clear understanding of a child’s social, emotional and intellectual needs. All staff in both settings should be committed to the importance of transition for every child.

Below is a very broad overview of how transition planning may look across settings over a school year.

12 months preceding school entry

These boxes contain suggestions. Transition is a flexible process and should be adapted as needed. Do not feel constrained by the suggestions below. Joint activities (such as picnics), for example, are beneficial to run throughout the year.

To help settings plan for transition across the year, a Word version template of the school year with key dates and actions is included below for school nurseries, PVIs and receiving schools.

 It may be useful to personalise this calendar and have it easily available to track the transition activities across the year:

4.1 PVI Preschool Annual Transition Planner (Word)

4.2 school nursery class annual transition planner (Word)

4.3 reception class annual transition (Word)

Settings should:

• recognise that all children, can be vulnerable at times of change, particularly those with additional needs e.g. those with a Special Educational Need (SEN) or a child in care. Planning for these children will need additional, flexible support
• prepare the child for change. It is important that all children experience a positive transition. With appropriate preparation and understanding, children are more likely to feel secure and settle more easily into their new environment. It is here that the Early Years Summary/Transfer Form can act as a supportive tool within the transition process

A personalised transition plan includes all of the professionals currently working with, or who could support, the child and the family at the point of transition into school. An amended transition process must be put in place for those children who have been identified as having targeted or specialist needs at the point of transition to school.

Where there are several professionals working with the family, and it would be in the child’s best interest to support their needs as they move to school, a multi-agency transition meeting is recommended to support the transition process. This meeting will look different for individual children, as they will require varying levels of support.

5. plan an overview of transition support by need (Word)

When considering transition, each child is different and their individual personality, needs and context should be considered. This toolkit references 3 “category” of transition support that a child might need. Considering the “category” of each child will help to focus the level of support that will be needed, but the overriding rule is that the needs of the individual child are paramount.

5.1 categories of transition support (Word)

It is useful to review your transition cohort and categorise them so that you are able to highlight which children will need enhanced transition support. The templates below can help to visually plan for which children will need targeted or specialist transition support.

5.2 cohort planning sheet (Word)
5.3 cohort planning sheet key dates (Word)

Each child is unique, and their strengths and needs are their own. The “All About Me” document below is a useful tool to pull together key information about the child and should be used to provide important information between settings. Home and setting should be involved in creating this document, alongside the child where possible.

5. all about me transition information (Word)

Some children may have particular sensory sensitivities (under or over sensitive to certain inputs compared to the “average”). It is important to recognise this and accommodate. A personalised sensory audit can be used to review a particular child’s needs in this area.

5. sens individual sensory audit (Word)

Transition meetings with all settings and parents are crucial and an essential way of clarifying information. Transition meetings are an opportunity to work together to create an agreed approach that will help make transition success more likely.

With children who would be considered “targeted” or “specialist” support, additional transition meetings will likely be needed.

5. transition meeting agenda (Word)

A final transition plan, with lead identified (typically the receiving school), should be produced. Below is an example of a Transition plan with support ideas filled out. This is an example; it may be that you use some or all of the ideas included but each transition plan should be personalised to the child. 

It would be expected that children with targeted and specialist needs would have a more detailed plan with more individualised support strategies and resources.

5. universal transition ideas for children (Word)

In order to develop a shared understanding and an equal partnership, communication between setting, school and parents/carers is essential during the transition process.

Parents and carers are their child’s first and foremost educators. We need to listen to what they can tell us about their children and accept that as parents and carers, they have a wealth of knowledge that we would do well to heed. We need to be knowledgeable about a child's ethnicity, language and dialect, community and locality if we are to offer them familiar sights, sounds and experiences that will help them settle. Sending a child to a new setting or class can be a daunting experience for parents and carers as well as children! Many parents and carers bringing their children to a setting for the first time may have unhappy memories about education and institutions. It is vital that we put ourselves in their position and look closely at how we can make our settings and schools welcoming and less threatening to new parents so that they, in turn, can give positive messages to their children.

Parents and carers are keen for their children to be happy and successful at school.

They want to know that: 

• their child will be safe and nurtured
• the school/setting will value the learning from home
• the school/setting will respond to and value children's cultural background
• the school/setting will respond to the needs of their child – particularly if they have
• disabilities the school/setting will get to know their child and respond to their uniqueness

Involving a parent or carer fully in the transition process can reduce anxiety greatly for them and for their children.

• transitions can be eased by careful proactive planning, sharing of information and mutual visiting between parents, carers and professionals
• listen to and acknowledge the important role of parents and carers throughout this process
• work together. An essential element of an effective transition is for settings and schools to work together, to establish a clear understanding of one another’s aims, purpose and philosophy
• offer a range of opportunities for parents/carers to access information about the transition process, e.g. open days, information events, consultations, newsletters

Any meeting planned to support a child identified with a targeted or specialist level of need, should be as small as practically possible, so that the child and family do not feel overwhelmed. Check with the family for any barriers to communication and accessibility issues, and address ahead of the meeting.

If all professionals cannot attend the meeting, consider the use of video calling platforms, to enable their contribution.

• ensure that the needs of the child and parents/carers through this move to school are recognised
• ensure that all professionals supporting the child and family are aware of the transition processes and key dates and support the child and family to engage in the school transition activities

At the meeting, you should:

• share information about the child relating to the transition
• enable parent/carer to share any worries/concerns regarding their child starting school
• develop an individualised transition plan, to meet the child or family needs
• confirm any key dates from all professionals involving the family or child, to ensure coordination and no clashes

For many children, one meeting should be sufficient to share information with all professionals involved with the child or family; each service will then continue with their own specific support package.

The school will take the lead on ensuring the intensive or personalised transition plan is in place for the child, and that it is reviewed regularly, to ensure the child and family are making positive progress towards a smooth transition for the child.

5. transition meeting agenda (Word)

Parents/carers have shared their views (positive and negative) about their experience of transition for their child and provide a wealth of suggestions and advice. Some of this is captured in their responses in the document below.

6. a parents perspective (Word)

Planned transitional activities that address the differences children and families will experience are the central theme to a quality transition process (Margetts, K 2004). Transition activities give children and families opportunities to find out information about the new school and become familiar with new routines and people. 

A 2024 Worcestershire survey highlighted that parents identified the main barrier to a quality transition process as a lack of communication and information sharing. This can be rectified through thoughtful two-way liaison and the planning of transition activities.

If transition is to be effective for children and parents, it is essential to confirm that a registration has actually been made at the identified school and that there is a place reserved for that child. It can be a very distressing experience if children are visiting a school that they are not going to attend.

Orientation visits

If the child is unsure of the rules of the setting it can prevent them from accessing learning opportunities through lack of knowledge about the environment. This could be where they hang their coat or place their lunchbox. Orientation visits to the new school with either parents/carers or the key person help to address this. Pre-school practitioners can strengthen and embed information by discussing it with the children and using photograph books provided by the school.

New buildings also provide a challenge for small children. In some pre-school settings there may not have been the facilities for children to independently access the toilets. In the new building the toilets may be located away from the classroom and the expectation is that children will access them independently. There may also be larger outdoor spaces to contend with increased numbers of ‘bigger’ children that can be quiet daunting for a young child.

Lunchtimes and snack times may have been earlier than in school. If a child is hungry this will affect their concentration level and mood until the adjustment is made.

Shared events

A child visiting their new school is seen as vitally important by parents and early years practitioners (Brostrom, S 2004). Where good relationships have been established the pre-school and school could arrange a joint activity which includes the parents or carers, such as a picnic prior to the end of the term. These ‘getting together’ opportunities do not necessarily need to be a one-off special event involving considerable organisation as ‘getting together’ can happen as a matter of course throughout the year e.g. children being invited to a puppet show or a fire engine visit that is occurring in the school. This provides a more gradual approach to transition and assimilation of relationships.

Reviewing your setting’s transition approaches each year is an important part of excellent transition practice. Included below is an audit that allows you to review the experience of children, parents and school to celebrate successes and highlight areas of development.

9. transition audit (Word)