Transitions in the early years
During their early years journey, children and their families typically move through different environments, for example:
- from home to a childminder;
- from a childminder to a nursery or pre-school;
- from one room to another within a nursery;
- from a pre-school to a reception class at school.
Such transitions are not single events. They are processes that need mindful information exchanges and careful planning in order to support the emotional wellbeing, inclusion and learning of all children and their families.
The transitions templates and related guidance have been devised to facilitate transition processes in the early years. Completed from the child’s perspective, and involving all those who know them best, these documents provide a framework for sharing all relevant information, so as children move on, those who welcome them next have a clear picture of their interests and fascinations, their learning and development journey so far and any additional information to help planning any adjustments or support as required.
My first transition
Getting to know the children and their families is the first important step to understanding their needs and the best way for them to be supported at the setting. The my first transition document has been designed to be completed before the child starts at the early years setting by the SENCO and key person or the childminder, to facilitate the conversation with parents and carers to fully understand the needs of the child and the family and plan for any reasonable adjustments in advance.
The Equality Act 2010 places an anticipatory duty on early years settings to make reasonable adjustments, remove barriers to learning and be ready and prepared for all children. Reasonable adjustments could be as simple as providing additional visual strategies for children learning English as an Additional Language or allowing for flexible settling in sessions, to more involved adjustments such as changing the location of a room to accommodate a child with mobility needs. These adjustments must be made in an ‘anticipatory’ manner which means before the child starts at a setting.
The document should be completed alongside existing admissions paperwork to ensure a smooth and supportive transition from home to setting. Throughout the document, at the end of each section, there will be prompts for ‘anything I need to have in place before I start’ that may be additional to existing admissions paperwork but will support the creation of the my first transition action plan. The plan summarises any actions and reasonable adjustments that need to be addressed before the child starts at the setting.
It is important to ensure all parents and carers sign the agreement to engage form (DOCX, 41.1 KB) as part of the admission and first transition process into an EY provision.
My unique transition
To support children through important transitions such as moving from a setting or childminder to another one, moving to a different room within the same setting or moving from a setting or childminder to school, it is pivotal that the receiving setting, childminder, room or school has as much information as possible about the child to ensure a smooth transition.
The my unique transition document has been designed to be completed by the key person or childminder together with parents nd carers to provide a holistic view of the child and enable them to be uniquely supported in their new environment.
The My Unique Progress document (PDF, 159.5 KB) has been designed as a short assessment tool for key persons to use to support their understanding of each child’s stage of development. It can be used to inform developmental reviews with parents, identify areas where a child may require additional support, and support the transition process alongside the My Unique Transition document.
If you would like any support around transitions, please contact your EY Quality Adviser. If you are unsure of your EY Quality Adviser, please email EYCQuality@theeducationpeople.org.