Pre-school into Primary Transitions

Challenges

Curriculum for Excellence provides an important opportunity to enhance transitions between nursery and primary. The Early Level spans pre-school to the end of Primary 1 (for most children) and naturally promotes collaborative working between the sectors.

The Early Years Framework identifies some of the challenges to be met in relation to transitions. One such challenge is to create effective dialogue between nurseries and primaries, including private and voluntary sector centres, about respective contributions to the Early Level. Communicating across the sectors is crucial to tackling these challenges and enabling continuity of learning, a key principle of Curriculum for Excellence.

National Transitions Advisory Group (TAG)

In response to these challenges, Learning and Teaching Scotland has convened a national Transitions Advisory Group (TAG) in order to focus on transition issues related to Curriculum for Excellence (Early Level). The Transitions Advisory Group includes representatives from the Scottish Government, HMIE, LTS, universities, private, voluntary and local authority early years settings, and primary schools.

The meetings to date have been successful in their aims of establishing a shared understanding of the current climate and the challenges and opportunities to be met. For example, the further promotion of active learning in the early years of primary was highlighted by the advisory group as a key aspect within the current climate. The members of TAG agreed that pre-school approaches, such as learning through play, being extended into the early years of primary will provide scope for continuity of learning through similar learning environments and learning styles.

The group has been particularly helpful in contributing to the development of the Early Level DVD Resource Pack, which will be launched later this year. The resource is intended to support practitioners across Scotland on Curriculum for Excellence. It will include information on areas such as the key messages, developing the four capacities, planning and assessment, working with the wider community and transitions.

Further information and suggested ways forward will be available through the Early Years National Glow Group, on Early Years Online and at the Scottish Learning Festival in September 2009.

Linda Lauchlan

Development Officer, LTS

Comments

Write a comment

Fields marked * are mandatory.

• Email this page
• Print friendly format
• Digg this
• Save to del.icio.us