Whinstone Primary School.
Transition Policy.
Written: September 2013
Reviewed: December 2014
At Whinstone Primary School we are committed:
 To ensure a smooth transition between settings, year groups and key stages for parents, children and practitioners
 To ensure information is shared between different settings in terms of children’s development, learning records and any other information
 To ensure parents, children and practitioners have adequate information relating to transition
 To ensure the children begin their new setting or year group enthusiastic and ready for learning
Transition into Nursery
 The Nursery teacher holds a ‘New Starters’ meeting to meet the children who are due to start Nursery and share information with their parents. Parents are given information about the Nursery during this session and will meet their child’s Key Person.
 The Key persons will build a relationship with parents to share information that will help to establish a more accurate baseline assessment of their child when they enter Nursery.
 The Nursery teacher reads admission forms for children entering Nursery and if necessary speaks to the child’s previous setting to obtain further information about any special needs children.
 Previous settings are contacted to ask if any learning records can be shared.
 Children are welcome into Nursery for a play session during the term before they are due to start
 Local playgroups are invited to play sessions in the Nursery setting
 Children attend Nursery in smaller groups, so that practitioners are able to support children’s transition if necessary.
Transition into Reception
 Children in Nursery work with the Reception classes for the Christmas play, Harvest celebration, Christmas party and singing at various times throughout the year.
 Children in Nursery share the outside learning environment with children and staff in
Reception.
 During the child’s last term in Nursery, the children visit their new classroom on regular occasions to become familiar with the setting.
 Nursery practitioners complete development matters sheets and pass to Reception staff prior to the children starting in Reception.
 Learning Journals from Nursery are passed to Reception.
 All children have a session with their new class teacher, teaching assistant and in their new classroom prior to entering Reception.
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 Parents have the opportunity to attend an information evening with the Early Years Team
Leader prior to their child starting in Reception. This will give them the opportunity to meet with their child’s new class teacher in Reception.
 Children start the term by staying until lunch time and then going home for the first week.
Followed by staying for lunch but not for the afternoon session the second week, and then staying all day by their third week.
 As far as possible Reception classes follow the same routine as the Nursery during the first few weeks of term and often for the first term.
 The Key Persons in Nursery advise the Reception teachers on appropriate groups for the children.
Transition into Key Stage One
 Key stage one staff incorporate some of the principles of the EYFS curriculum into the routine for the first term. For instance they encourage the children to plan their own learning during some of the literacy and maths lessons
 Children continue to be assessed on the EYFS profile if appropriate
 The Reception children will be familiar with playing in the Key Stage One playground at lunch time and in afternoon break.
 During the spring and summer term reception children start to attend a KS1 assembly.
Previous to this they learn the routine of assembly through an EYFS assembly.
 Children will begin a mini topic in the last half of the summer term in Reception. This will be continued when the children start in Year 1. Their work will be passed up and displayed in their new classroom.
 All children have a session with their new class teacher, teaching assistant and in their new classroom prior to entering Year One.
 EYFS Profiles, learning journals, phonics assessments, examples of writing, parent consultation records, end of EYFS reports and suggested groupings for the children are passed to the new teacher.
Transition into After School Club
 An outline of curriculum plans for the children are shared with the manager of the After
School Club
 The class teacher can pass on any personal, emotional or social information to the person who collects the child from the classroom (For Example: bumped head notes, unusual emotional state)
Transition to Child minders
 Class teachers aim to develop links with child minders by sharing some of the achievements that the children have made
 Child minders are encouraged to add to the learning journals for the child
 Child minders are invited into termly meetings with EYFS staff to share information enabling effective partnerships to be built which support the child’s learning and development
 Childminders are invited to all ‘play days’ and outside agency events as parents would be.
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