How do we support transition?

Here are some strategies on what to expect to establish an effective transition from Reception to Year 1 for your child/ren.

Year 1 adults visiting children in Reception

We ensure that adults working in Year 1 drop in to see children in Reception engaged in both child initiated learning (busy learning) and adult led sessions. We plan for this to happen throughout the whole year to build relationships and gain an understanding of what learning looks like in Reception.

Reception children visiting the Year 1 environment

We provide reception children the opportunity to visit the Year 1 classroom on our whole school transition day in the Summer term however also see it as beneficial for our Reception children to experience the environment weekly in the second half of the summer term on informal basis' such as our end of day read. 

Enhanced transition procedures

We reflect and refer to transition procedures that were effective when children started Reception; booklets featuring photos of the environment and meet the teacher posters. Vulnerable children benefit with these as they move into Year 1 by sharing them with their families during the summer holidays.

Transition information for parents/carers

Parents/carers can be anxious about their child moving to Year 1 and rely heavily on us for information so we ensure that we are hosting an informal welcome event to explain the changes. In the autumn term, we also host a  ‘meet the teacher’ that communicates how the transition has been for the children and outlines plans for the year ahead in Year 1. 

Thorough handover

Reception and Year 1 practitioners are provided sufficient time to conduct a thorough handover, not only to discuss attainment but to pass on holistic information about each child. The way in which children learn, their interests, friendships and home circumstances will impact how children settle in their new class and so we ensure that no detail is left unturned when handing over to new teachers. 

Making appropriate adjustments

The routine at the end of the reception year is also the routine for September in Year 1. Discussions between the Reception class practitioners around how our routines have been adjusted throughout the year support equipping Year 1 practitioners with how they will manage this successfully too. The curriculum implementation is reviewed to reflect the developmental stage of the children. Possibly the biggest and most daunting adjustment is to be made on the environment to incorporate aspects of continuous provision that reflects the experiences of being in reception.