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TRANSITION & EDUCATION
At Stebbing green day Nursery we understand that starting nursery, moving from one room to another, changing settings or starting school is an exciting time for children, but can also be a challenging and anxious time for both children and their parent/carers. We are committed to putting the needs of the child first whilst working with each other, parents/carers and other professionals to support the individual child and make transitions as smooth as possible for all concerned.
“Transition should be seen as a process, not an event and should be planned for and discussed with children and parents” (EYFS)
When your child starts:
A key person will be allocated to your child upon registration. This may change if the child shows a bond with another key person during the child’s time within the room. Parents/carers are invited to meet the new key person before play sessions commence.
Before their first day, we will invite you and your child along to nursery for some settling in visits. During the first ‘stay and play’ session, children will meet nursery practitioners, become acquainted with their nursery room and have the reassurance of a parent/carer present. Settling in sessions will usually be between the key person and parents/carers. This is also an opportunity for carers/parents and practitioners to share information, and the key person will complete an ‘all about me’ document. The starting point document allows us to learn about your child’s current interests, stage of development and gives you an opportunity to share their likes, dislikes, their level of communication and how they currently respond to new experiences.
There will be a second visit, where we encourage parents/carers to allow the child some time in their new room without a parent/carer being present. This helps the child to get used to their new environment and build a bond with their key person who will be present for the duration. Following the second visit, the key person will discuss with parents/carers whether any additional settling sessions will benefit the child to aid a smooth transition.
If the child has previously attended another setting, or attends another setting at the same time as us, we will request to share information about their development with the other setting in order to continue progression and learn about their individual interests.
Transition between base rooms:
Although children moving from room to room have usually been with us at nursery for some time, we still see this as an important transition for them and is important that this is planned and carried out in a way that meets the needs of each individual child.
When it is felt by practitioners and parents/carers that a child would benefit from moving to the next room, (this can be dependent on both the age of the child and their stage of development) We support the child and parent/carer in the following ways:
Before any transition is planned, we are committed to ensuring that parents/carers are informed in advance and that adequate information relating to the transition is shared. Parents will be invited to an open evening where they can see the new nursery room, meet staff members who are based there, and see activities and resources provided for the next stage of development. Nursery Staff use a transition form as well as verbally communicating to ensure that all knowledge about the child’s development and interests are passed on between rooms. Room Transitions usually take place in September or January and will have a series of transitional visits leading up to this.
Following Parent communication and around 8 weeks before move-up day, a new key person will be introduced to the child in their current room and will find opportunities to spend time with them, e.g. at singing time. Short play sessions will then be arranged for your child within their nursery day to explore the new nursery environment, accompanied by a familiar adult and some existing friends. The child’s previous key person will be there to help them settle for the first few sessions. Once we feel the child is settled and confident in their new room and has formed lovely strong relationships, we will arrange a parent meeting to formerly introduce the parents to the new key person and share information about development.
NEXT STEP: Transition to school
The move from nursery/pre-school to primary school is a massive step for children and their parent/carers.
On finding out from parents’ which school their child will be attending, either the room leader or individual key practitioners will have contact with the schools to arrange a meeting. This would involve the child’s new teacher being invited into the setting, meeting the children in their nursery environment and getting to know them. If this is not possible, then representatives from nursery may visit the school instead.
We prepare children for their school transition using the following principals-
· Introduction of stage 1 phonics through our daily planned routines and activities.
· Introduce S.T.E.M themed activities, to inspire children’s curiosity, and enhance passion for learning and exploring.
· Including structure in daily routines to encourage children to engage in group activities/stories, following instructions, contributing and learning to listen to others.
· Encouraging independence and self-awareness through offering small responsibilities.
· Building resilience and self-esteem by offering achievable challenges and self-chosen challenge, to inspire children to adventure.
· Encouraging children to empathise, share their views and listen to others, by providing opportunities to collaborate, share resources and work together. We also help children understand their feelings and emotions through co-regulation, and then self-regulation.
· Enjoying Mealtimes as a social occasion, with the understanding of boundaries, importance of a healthy balanced diet and appreciation of wholesome tasty food that will stay with children for life.
· Building confidence and treating Learning as a passion by encouraging curiosity, being active and inquisitive about the world by finding out and exploring.
· Preparing children for school and the journey beyond, by encouraging them to keep trying, and learn to bounce back. There is a specific learning focus for our circle time each day, such as phonics sounds, shapes and colours, and stem themes. We help children to choose their own challenges by identifying their interests and fascinations.
We also include discussions of moving to primary school within our daily circle time and get the children involved in a variety of school related activities.