Key Players

Parents and sometimes extended family members are a child’s first teacher or teachers and Transition to School is an opportune time to establish positive partnerships between a child’s first teacher and the school.

Families are keen for their children to be happy and successful at school.  They identify the following factors as important for them as their children start school.

• Their children will be safe and nurtured while at school
• Teachers who recognise that families know their children well
• Teachers who talk with families
• Teachers who value the learning from home
• Teachers who will respond to and value children’s cultural background
• Teachers who respond to the needs of young children, including those with disabilities
• Teachers who will get to know all children and respond to each child's uniqueness.

In term 4 2006 the Department launched the resource – Time to Start School.

This guide includes practical tips to make a young child's first days at school an enjoyable experience.

Clay (1993) writes that before starting school children do a wonderful job learning to communicate, making sense of the world, asking questions, solving problems, negotiating help and engaging with print, stories and other forms of literacy. 

As they move into school children are required to translate existing competencies into new kinds of learning. Success in doing so will be fostered by a Transition to School program that responds to children individually and has teachers who recognise individual differences as assets.

All children will have learned a great deal in their prior-to-school years. While it is easy to focus on the differences among children, and sometimes the things children cannot do when they start school, it is important to focus on their strengths, abilities and achievements.

Sensitive early childhood practice requires acceptance of individual differences in children and a commitment to support the uniqueness of each child. (Stonehouse & Duffie, 2002)

• They need to feel valued, respected and competent – a psychological sense of safety is just as important as a sense of physical safety.
• They need to fit in - children who engage with school have an image of themselves succeeding academically and socially.
• They need to feel that their cultural background is acknowledged and valued – children need to feel a sense of belonging, a sense of identity and respect for their culture.

Communities can contribute to a child's success at school.  There needs to be recognition within the community that starting school is a significant time in the lives of children and their families. When children and their families engage positively with school, and regard school as an important and worthwhile place to be, communities benefit. 

• The community librarian may hold some aspects of a Transition to School program, for example in the Book Week parade include children who will start school in the following year
• Children's representations of school (paintings, photos and/or artwork etc) may be displayed in the library or other civic building
• Local councils may hold a picnic in a park to celebrate the children who are starting school in the area
• Neighbours can support children and families by talking with children who are about to or who have just started school, for example asking questions such as What did you do when you went to visit school today?

Prior-to-school staff generally know the children well and have extensive information on children's development.

Teachers in schools are able to work on building on the positive supportive relationships that prior-to-school staff developed with children and families.

• Exchanging relevant information
• Developing relationships and networks between stakeholders
• Listening to the views of children
• Acknowledging the role of the family and
• Ensuring the program is responsive to current community needs and context.

• Visit prior-to-school and/or school settings in the year before children start school and promote connections that will facilitate continuity
• Develop relationships with colleagues in both settings
• Liaise with each other, parents and community representatives in planning and implementing transition programs
• Share relevant information with parental permission
• Respect the learning from both settings and talk to children about the differences and similarities between prior-to-school and school
• Work closely with and welcome families
• Share responsibility for Transition to School
• Include Transition to School activities in prior-to-school and school planning
• Train older students as buddies or mentors who can support young children starting school
• Link with Families NSW initiatives such as regional Transition to School projects
• Conduct Transition to School sessions for parents and young children.

The communication between staff in prior-to-school and school settings may be strengthened to facilitate connections and continuity as children start school.

Formal children's services (such as long day care and preschools) are guided in their practice by the principles set out in the NSW Department of Community Services Curriculum Framework for Children's Services – The Practice of Relationships (Stonehouse & Duffie, 2002).

The framework has this to say about transition:

Transitions are about movement, change, continuity or discontinuity. Transitions are points of vulnerability and possibility.  They can be stressful or calming, points for positive growths or for setbacks. If children, if people of any age in fact are to feel secure, it is essential that transitions be given careful consideration in order for them to be positive.

The Transition to School is one of the most significant transition points in a person's life.  Effective Transition to School can provide continuity for young children and assist them to develop resilience as they move from one learning environment to another. 

For more information on the principles by which children’s services operate go to: http://www.community.nsw.gov.au/index_a.htm.

First impressions are important.  As the first point of contact for most enquiries at the school is the office, the school office staff has an important role to play.

Others who may be critical players in the Transition to School program include:

• Aboriginal Education Assistants
• Community Liaison Officers
• Community Languages Teachers
• Road Crossing Supervisor
• Teachers Aides
• Support or specialist teachers

They can:

• provide a welcoming and reassuring environment to new children and their families
• support ongoing interaction between families and school
• participate actively where relevant, in the Transition to School program
• contribute to the planning for the educational needs of children with special learning needs where relevant
• assist the school in implementing culturally appropriate activities and strategies.