Voices from the field on Transition to School

Lyn Doppler is the principal at Rozelle Public School, a Preschool to Year 6 school in the Sydney Region.  In 2006 Lyn was awarded a Churchill Fellowship.  The preschool is an integral part of the whole school.  Lyn initially conducted a Transition to School program for the new Kindergarten children and parents but now the whole school participates in the transition to the next grade including the Year 6 who visit their relevant high schools.

The NSW Federation of Parents and Citizen's Association Journal Term 4 2006 included an article detailing the school's Transition to School program.

The full article may be found at:

Smoother Transition to School: Rozelle's pre-school to school transition program - Parents get involved, too!  by Lyn Doppler Principal Rozelle Public School

Dr Paul Brock is a parent of two girls, a professional educator for more than four decades and highly respected academic. He is currently working for the NSW Department of Education and Training as Director of Learning and Development Research. 

In 2006 Paul was made a Member of the Order of Australia and he was also awarded the Meritorious Service to Public Education and Training Award.

During Paul's acceptance speech he detailed what he wants all teachers of his Sophie and Millie to abide by. It is a moving response that captures what perhaps all parents want for their children.

I want all future teachers of my Sophie and Millie to abide by three fundamental principles that I believe should underpin teaching and learning in every public school.

First, to nurture and challenge my daughters' intellectual and imaginative capacities way out to horizons unsullied by self-fulfilling minimalist expectations. Don't patronise them with lowest-common-denominator blancmange masquerading as knowledge and learning; nor crush their love for learning through boring pedagogy.  Don't bludgeon them with mindless 'busy work' and limit the exploration of the world of evolving knowledge merely to the tyranny of repetitively churned-out recycled worksheets. Ensure that there is legitimate progression of learning from one day, week, month, term and year to the next.

Second, to care for Sophie and Millie with humanity and sensitivity, as developing human beings worthy of being taught with genuine respect, enlightened discipline and imaginative flair.

And third, please strive to maximise their potential for later schooling, post-school education, training and employment, and for the quality of life itself so that they can contribute to and enjoy the fruits of living within an Australian society that is fair, just, tolerant, honourable, knowledgeable, prosperous and happy.

When all is said and done, surely this is what every parent and every student should be able to expect of school education: not only as delivered within every public school in NSW, but within every school not only in Australia but throughout the entire world.

Paul Brock, A Passion for Life, ABC Books, Sydney, 2004, pp 250-251

Rebecca Wong has had a visual impairment since birth and is currently a student at Baulkham Hills High School.

Rebecca attended West Pennant Hills Public School and Beecroft Public Schools. Her independence and ability to adjust to the demands of her world is inspirational.

In 2006 at a forum Rebecca focussed on Transition to School and reflected on her early childhood years and what assisted her transition into Kindergarten.

The transition from preschool to school was a very big step in my life. Of course, it didn't seem so then, because I was so excited to be starting school.  It was only later that I realized how fundamental it actually was.

When I was in preschool, I remember we did many things. We sang quite a lot, and there were always lots of toys. There was the regular afternoon nap, and I also learnt Braille.

Every morning, I would sit down at a table with my Braille teacher.  I remember she always brought me books to read, and I learnt to write a lot of Braille in preschool.  It was always really fun, because we'd often wander off the topic while I was learning, and talk about other things as well. In this way, Braille was introduced to me in a fun and friendly manner, making the move into school not quite as hard.

My parents wanted me to go to a mainstream school.  The deputy principal was very supportive, and actually came to my preschool to talk to me beforehand.  I didn't have too much input into the matter at the time, being the oblivious 5 year old I was, but I remember I was very excited to be starting school.  I don’t ever remember being scared or worried.

When I started kindergarten, I remember it was a thrilling and stimulating experience for me.  I learned quite a few things in my first year at school, one of which was how to draw, (something which I have always loved doing).  I made a lot of friends, and I had a wonderful teacher.  She was very understanding, and always knew just how to look after us all, as well as being lots of fun.  There were many other highlights, such as meeting new people, having older buddies and learning how to write in Braille.  I had many laughs and memorable moments.

I was never lonely in Kindy.  There was always someone who was willing to play with me and guide me around, and the teachers were delightful.  All my friends knew just how to look out for me and I had two wonderful itinerant teachers. The role of an itinerant teacher is to do the Braille work and tactile pictures for the student, and to teach them cane skills, as well as explaining to the class how to treat and help them.  My two teachers did all these things, being there for me when I needed them, but not being too invasive.  I also had an aide sometimes, who didn't specialize in Braille, but who helped with things like art and sport.

As for my parents, they also handled the change splendidly.  They looked out for me until I had settled in well, making sure I was happy and safe.  They were not overprotective, but let me discover things for myself.  In this way, I was never excluded from my classmates, but always felt secure.  They always asked me how school was, so they knew nothing was wrong, and they made sure most of the teachers at my school were well informed of me.  This, I believe, was the right way to go about it. They always made sure I was enjoying a safe and friendly school environment, but were never too defensive.

Overall, my first experiences of primary school were great. There may have been a few awkward situations here and there, but my reminiscences of kindergarten are happy ones.  I adapted to working well within a normal school system, found ways to do virtually everything my friends did, and learnt to simply enjoy learning.