What is Transition to School?

Schools and prior to school services working together with families to help facilitate a smooth and seamless transition of young children into school.

A Transition to School program is a set of planned activities or a process established collaboratively by a range of players that make starting school as successful as possible for children, families and teachers. 

There is not a one size fits all Transition to School program, as all communities vary. The program should be developed according to the local context.

The duration of an effective Transition to School program may be for approximately 1-2 hours each week for up to several weeks, or in some communities several months.

Good practice Transition to School programs usually involve activities for the children as well as parent information sessions, workshops or getting to know you opportunities. Transition programs work most effectively when parents participate for short sessions in the program with their children. Prior-to-school staff may also be invited to participate in activities and this may be the beginning of a collaborative partnership between schools, parents, prior-to-school services and where relevant other community organisations.

Transition to School is a big deal for young children, their families, schools and communities.  Dockett & Perry, (2004) found:

• children are often eager to demonstrate that they are big kids going to big school while sometimes they can still feel a little anxious about what school might be like
• parents are excited about the move to school, while worried about their role at school
• staff in prior-to-school settings are both amazed at what children have achieved in their prior-to-school years and concerned about the change in structure and formality they expect children to meet at school
• teachers in schools are keen to meet their new students, but also realise that getting to know a new class of children and their families is a big task.

How is the school environment different from the prior-to-school setting?

• academic expectations of school
• the physical environment of school
• communication strategies between teachers and families
• social environments at school
• philosophical underpinnings of teaching and learning

When children start school they move from a play-based environment to a more formal learning environment.  There are many more people and relationships for children to navigate and the physical surroundings are often quite different.  Transition to School programs need to recognise the nature of these differences and build in experiences and understandings to accommodate them.