Early Years Transition

Transition is a time of change. There are a lot of possible transitions that your child may experience during their early years. Transition happens when:

  • your child first attends any setting outside of the home, for childcare or early education
  • children move from one key group to another
  • children move from one early education provider to another
  • children start school in reception class

Transition for all children requires careful planning and your child should be at the centre of this process. You should also be involved at all stages in the process.

Who can help?

Parents can ask for advice from any supporting professionals already involved with your child. These might include:

You will want to meet and plan with some or all of the following professionals in the setting your child will attend.

  • Key person/class teacher
  • Special Educational Needs Coordinator (SENCo)
  • Early years setting leader/school head teacher

Everyone involved will work in partnership with you to plan for your child’s transition. Best practice might include the following types of activities:

  • A transition meeting with the receiving setting attended by the family and professionals
  • Visits by the receiving setting staff to the home or child’s current setting
  • Opportunities for you to share the information you would like the key person and staff to know about your child
  • Transition resources to help your child prepare for the changes ahead, such as a transition book with photographs of their new environment and key staff
  • Record sharing between settings which outline your child’s strengths, needs and next steps, including how they have been supported to make progress so far
  • A transition document outlining agreed steps to settle your child into the setting
  • Additional ‘getting to know you’ taster sessions
  • A flexible settling in period