Local NewsPreparing children for transitionAs we all know, 'change is the only constant in life'! Put simply, transition means a change which may have an impact on a child. This might be a big shift in their life like going to pre-school for the first time, or maybe a small daily change like moving from a childminder to a playgroup. Transition can be a stressful time for children and can have a far-reaching impact on their emotional wellbeing and academic achievements. The ability to manage transition effectively is a crucial life skill.
So how can we better support children to successfully manage transitions? On our website, you will find lots of ideas to support children and families in our
Mind the Gap materials - why not take a look at the '
top tips' and see which aspects could work for your setting? If you have any children in care (CIC) within your setting, did you know there is a booklet dedicated to
supporting CIC during transitions?
Ideally, we should try to minimise the amount of changes a child and their family experience during transitions. By taking account of children's previous experiences, experiences can be adapted to minimise changes and discontinuities. In finding out/sharing the seemingly small but very important details, we can be better informed to plan transition which reduces the discontinuities which might arise.
Transition is a big responsibility for practitioners, families and carers and should be made a priority. Starting school is one of the biggest transitions young children will experience. There is a new
school readiness section on our website. Have you seen our
school readiness booklet a shared understanding across Leicestershire? Why not take a look and see how the ethos of your setting reflects the ready school statements?
A key recommendation from the Ofsted survey
Unknown children destined for disadvantage (July 2016) was that schools, settings and childminders should
- Ensure that key information, including early assessments, is shared promptly at points of transition so that the needs of the most disadvantaged children are known quickly
Some early years providers will be using Leicestershire's Progress from the Start to track children's progress and therefore the Transition to School Progress Summary will be the key document that is used to share assessment information and transition advice as children transfer to school. If you are using a different system how will you ensure that key information, including early assessments are shared with receiving schools?
Examples and guidance has been put together to support providers when writing Transition to School Progress Summaries for children claiming EYPP. These can be found on our
website in the Tracking Progress section.
Consider if there is an opportunity for the key person from the setting who really knows the child (claiming EYPP) to have a transition conversation with the receiving teacher and share the Transition Progress Summary. EYPP funding could be used to support this.
Remember to ensure that all permissions, policies and procedures are in place around sharing information.Early HelpEarly Help offers a range of universal and targeted support to help tackle problems for children, young people and their families as soon as possible.
Help may be offered at any point in a child or young person's life. This includes both:
- help early in life (including pre-natal interventions), and
- help early in the development of a problem.
All referrals into Early Help are first taken by social workers in our First Response Children's Duty team. This is to check that children are safe and don't need a social worker.
Sometimes, calls are made to parents and professionals involved such as teachers or nurses to get more information before they are passed onto the most appropriate
service area.
Use our Request for Services online form to request some help. Requests for help can be made by a young person themselves, their family, friends or by professionals supporting them. Referrals need the consent and engagement of families.
Look on the
website for more information