Whether reviewing an existing transition program or developing a new one, the following ten-step process may be helpful.

  1. Liaise with local primary and secondary schools to raise awareness of the need for a comprehensive, integrated transition program. Enlist support and seek suggestions. Establish broad parameters for action.

  2. Form a working group from your own school or for the cluster of collaborating schools.

    It is important to have representatives from across the schools, including teachers, executive, students and parents, as well as other community members. It is also important to ensure representation for those students who have special needs or who are at risk due to their cultural, ethnic or socioeconomic background.

  3. Establish the goals and outcomes of your transition program.

  4. Conduct a transition audit of your needs and current provision and evaluate your existing transition activities. These two activities will then allow you to more clearly identify current initiatives that should be retained, those that need modification, and whether other activities should be included to make the program more effective and comprehensive.

  5. Identify the series of strategies and activities that will comprise your new or revised transition program.

    Check that the program is appropriately positioned across the four phases of transition:
    • preparation
    • transfer
    • induction
    • consolidation.

    Also ensure that the program reflects all of the five areas of action for transition:
    • administrative
    • social and personal
    • curriculum
    • pedagogy
    • management of learning.

  6. Now write up a transition plan to reflect the strategies and activities identified in Step 5. Ideally your plan will be in a format that clearly identifies, for example, your expected outcomes, targets, strategies and timeframe. Don't forget to specify in your plan how you will evaluate your program, so that this is an integrated part of the program's design and implementation.

  7. Flesh out the fine detail of each strategy and activity in your program. Discuss the plan and each of the individual activities with those people who will be involved in implementing them. This helps everyone to have a clear understanding of what has to be done, when it needs to be done and the roles they will play.

  8. Implement your transition program.

  9. Evaluate your transition program.

  10. Continue to revise and build your transition program, so that it increasingly meets the needs of your students and community.