What is smooth transition in learning?
Izabella Gulgowski
2025-07-24 12:55:41
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Transitions are ‘big steps for small children’. Transitional periods can be emotionally intense for children. Being in a new environment and interacting with new, different, or larger groups of educators and children can be both exciting and challenging. In my experience, preparing for transitions included thinking carefully about our key person approach, taking time to build relationships with children and their families, creating a welcoming environment and having predictable routines in place. This poster is a helpful starting point when thinking about how to handle transitions in your setting. It is important to consider the evidence in the PSED theme at the approach level as you consider whether to make any changes to your practice.
Arlene Kub
2025-07-24 11:51:38
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Creating a smooth transition into school is vital to ensuring the child gets the best possible start in their new setting. A successful transition means children settle quickly into school, learning and developing from day one. The key thing to remember with transition is that it is not an event, it is ongoing and will require personalisation for individual needs to be met effectively which will allow children, and adults, to settle into their new surroundings and routines. Transition procedures need to be robust and everyone involved should have sight over events/activities that are planned. To ensure a smooth transition is facilitated, the Transition Level of Need Tool has been used successfully to support practitioners and teachers to meet the needs of new cohorts. Information gathered prior to children starting will provide an insight into where adaptation may be required and will enable schools to be fully prepared for their new starters. When small changes are supported by responsive, knowledgeable adults, children will gradually discover that their world is a safe and predictable place. Developing a smooth transition into school requires reviewing and planning procedures in place to support smooth transitions for every child.
Mikayla Streich
2025-07-24 09:45:19
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In writing, the best transitions are the most seamless ones, where students don’t even fully realize that transition is occurring. Transitioning from a fun activity to one that is less energetic but just as important is a common dilemma for most teachers. The best transitions act as hooks, connecting one idea to another. This is why thinking through how to articulate the connection between the energetic activity and the calmer one is so important. Even if it’s a loose connection, highlight the relevance and value of what students were doing in the first activity to help them see the bigger picture and stay engaged in the learning process. A quick discussion is a great example of this, where students don’t even fully realize that transition is occurring. Incorporating movement into the transition can help students transition both physically and mentally. Build on the fun activity, thinking through how to articulate the connection between the energetic activity and the calmer one, to help them see the bigger picture and stay engaged in the learning process. Structuring the time of an energetic activity and making that time known can help ease the transition.
Amira Willms
2025-07-24 09:40:10
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A smooth transition out of education is essential for preparing students for the demands of the professional world and coping with the many new experiences and expectations they will be faced with. Macro changes happen at various stages in education. This type of transition can include moves between year groups, phases, settings, and finally into the world beyond the school gates, and the focus of this article: school / college to work transitions. They can be infinitely more stressful than micro changes, and while all learners benefit from having a positive experience of transition, learners with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) often find macro changes more challenging than their peers, and require extra support.
Fortunately, there are plenty of general strategies proven to help prepare learners for employment. Preparation for Adulthood (PfA) from the Earliest Years – At every stage of the education journey, educators should be aiming to give learners the opportunity to develop the skills essential for the next stage, and establishing comprehensive programmes that encourage consideration and conversation about work from the earliest years is essential. Effective PfA needs to be embedded into the curriculum well before it becomes a requirement in Year 9 if it is to be a success.
Chelsea Hansen
2025-07-24 08:24:58
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Teachers have an important role to play in smoothing the transition to secondary school for their students. By thinking about their transition plan, school staff can enhance the wellbeing of their students, ensuring the start of secondary school will be a positive one. A smooth transition into secondary school can be assisted by preparing a range of initiatives and working with other staff to maximise the student experience. Relationships are central to the success of any student transition, especially into secondary school. Students’ transition from focusing on surviving in an unfamiliar environment to thriving at school is related to how quickly they develop a sense of belonging there. Plan a transition program that continues until Term 2 of the new school year, this transition plan could include afternoons of shared activities, social opportunities, and other orientation programs such as peer support in which the transitioning students have further exposure to their new school and peers. Provide opportunities for the cohort to bond and get to know each other better, a camp or a special ‘day’ early in Term 1 can lay a strong foundation in creating a sense of shared identity and experience for the year group. Find ways to help students see their new school as a place of comfort and security, ensure that students know where to go if they need help or support, and where key staff can be located.
Kiley Paucek
2025-07-24 08:24:41
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A smooth transition between year groups with the support of teachers and parents, is critical to how a child will feel about a new teacher and a new school year. The teacher’s role in ensuring a smooth transition between year groups is vital. Effective communication between staff plays a vital role in a smooth transition for children. Teachers will collaborate with colleagues to share information about students’ strengths, challenges, and individual needs, enabling an effective handover. Current teachers can support students by familiarising them with the expectations, routines and curriculum of their new year group. Preparing children for transitions can start as early as the beginning of Term 3, often before new class teachers have been decided. Encouraging children’s independence and responsibility, such as carrying their own lunchbox home or looking after an iPad, will begin to prepare them for the responsibilities when they move into the new year. Ending the school year by meeting the new teacher and spending time in their new classroom can help alleviate some of these worries for young children. It is important for them to feel familiar with their new setting before having a long end of year break.
Thurman McLaughlin
2025-07-24 07:19:55
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Some children may need particular help, including from other agencies, to ensure that their transition is as smooth as possible. Research suggests that transitions are central to young children’s development and emotional wellbeing. How the first transitions are handled can have a significant impact on a child’s capacity to cope with change in the short and long term and impact on the progress they make from their starting points. The Supporting smooth transitions toolkit supports practitioners, children and their families with the transition process, from pre-school into the nursery/reception setting.
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