Successful transition from early childhood to primary school

Written by Frances Adlam

Introduction

Every day, many thousands of children all over the world (especially the western world) are experiencing their first day of school. As with so many rites of passage, we can downplay the enormity of this transition. In doing so, we may underestimate the level of care, knowledge, skills and all-round support both the child and their family require at this time.

So it is reassuring to see the growing number of resources available to support a successful transition from early childhood settings to primary school. My book The Bridge to Transition explores the features of a successful transition programme. Many features are important but in this article I focus on two that are critical: communication and a deep awareness of pedagogy.

Communication

The key to a successful transition from the early childhood setting is: communication. Lots of it!

Generally, the world of the early childhood setting is completely different from the world of primary school. Pedagogies are different. Routines are different. The rhythm of the day is different. Expectations are different. The list goes on.

So, for a successful transition, there needs to be clear communication between:

• ECE teachers and primary teachers
• all adults involved in the transition process – teachers, parents, other adults in the family and any professional support staff
• teachers, parents and the child.

This communication is so important to achieving a positive transition for the child and family that teachers need to create time for it to happen.

Time is needed to discuss and share:

• the learning experiences and dispositions of the child in the early years environment
• the routines and rhythms of the day that will be the same and those that will be different for the child transitioning from ECE to primary school
• the knowledge and skills the child will bring and may need to bring to primary school (the school needs to be transparent about its expectations such as that a child should come to school with certain fine-motor, gross-motor, social and behavioural skills)
• any parts of the routines a child may find tricky when starting primary school. For example, if a child comes from an early learning environment that emphasised free play and individual choice, it will probably take time, patience and explicit teaching for that child to learn the social and behavioural skills required for the new entrants classroom, such as: quietly sitting with a group of other children when listening to the teacher; following routines and rhythms that involve small-group collaboration; and following routines that the teacher and school have predetermined.

ECE and Primary pedagogies are different

ECE and primary school environments are often embedded in completely different pedagogies. It is helpful for all teachers to learn – with an open mind, not judgement – about the other pedagogies and the world view they represent. In this way, we can bring intention and compassion to teaching young children the skills they need for school.

We cannot assume young learners will automatically learn or know the skills they need to successfully transition to primary school. For example, many young children need to be explicitly taught how to listen to other children in their class, how to take turns and share (eg, only one child takes home the class teddy bear for the weekend) and how to process complex emotions.

Deep awareness of pedagogy

The Bridge to Transition offers a friendly guide, or framework if you like, that we can use as teachers to consider, with insight and intention:

• what we are already doing that supports a child to make a positive transition to school
• what else we could offer to support this significant transition process.

The first question for ECE and primary school teachers to ask themselves is:

What is our pedagogy?

Pedagogy is the foundation for all learning and teaching.

Pedagogy is the art of teaching plus the scientific theory that teachers follow.

Teachers may follow any of a great number of teaching pedagogies. Which pedagogy they choose will impact everything that happens in the learning environment, including:

• what is taught
• how learning happens
• relationships between teachers, children and families
• the learning that is prioritised
• the language used in the learning environment
• the resources used in the environment
• how the learning space is designed …

And much more!

For example, an ECE setting following a Montessori pedagogy will look and feel very different from an ECE setting following a Steiner pedagogy, which will look very different from an ECE setting following an inquiry-based pedagogy.

When teachers have a deep understanding of the pedagogy they follow in their learning environment, it is much easier for them to share the related values, skills and expectations with families in the primary school (or vice versa).

In conclusion

At the heart of a positive transition to school lies the highly significant, but often underestimated, process of communication. Teachers can be clear and straightforward about expectations. Parents and the wider family will have a framework that they can use to ask questions. Through such communication, backed up by a strong awareness of pedagogy, teachers can support the child to make a smooth transition from ECE to primary school.