Striding through transition

Creative collaboration between nursery, primary and secondary schools makes first day nerves a thing of the past. Kerry Thomson reports.

The scratchy feel of a brand new uniform, how we spent lunchtime or everyone resembling giants – even as adults memories of our first day at school are some of the most enduring. Across Scotland, nursery, primary and secondary schools are working together to make sure the transition from one familiar environment to somewhere new is not only seamless, but fun and filled with opportunity.

'The word transition is interesting,' says Liz Mercer who heads up Cathkin Community Nursery in South Lanarkshire. 'How we define it is important because it sums up our approach to allowing children to fulfil their potential. A transition shouldn't be a sudden change – it should be a flow from one situation to another. That word 'transition' suggests a connection is already in place. And that's definitely the case with the way our children at the nursery prepare for starting primary school.'

Professor Aline-Wendy Dunlop, Chair of Childhood and Primary Studies at the University of Strathclyde, sits on the Transitions Advisory Group for pre-school to primary school and has been researching transitions in education for 14 years. She agrees that transition should be an ongoing process. 'The fact that what we now call 'transition' used to be called 'transfer' is very telling. We now recognise we're dealing with people with personalities, and that everyone's experience is different.' But Professor Dunlop says the process offers many opportunities: 'It's a mistake to see transition as filled with dread – it's a very dynamic period and, if properly acknowledged, offers huge potential.'

More than child's play

At Cathkin Community Nursery the notion of starting primary school is introduced early on. In consultation with parents, carers and teachers from eight local schools, Liz and her team help familiarise children with their future primary school. Liz explains: 'We focus on very practical steps. As early as six months before children are ready to leave nursery, we organise visits and invite parents into the nursery to meet the P1 teachers.' The nursery also liaises with local primary schools in appointing P7 'buddies' 
who visit the nursery and meet the children. 

Liz believes that familiarity is the key to success. The nursery has had particular success with two innovative transitional tools – persona dolls and learning books. Together, these two children-led ideas are not only helping build confidence, but making  children feel like an integral part of primary school long before they cross the school gates. Liz explains: 'Reece has only been  at primary school a few months, but he has already been lending a hand!' Reece hasn't said much since he left nursery and started  P1 last August, but his classmates say the five-year-old has a great personality. But at just under one foot tall, he's no ordinary classmate. Reece is a persona doll and just one of the many examples of the creative ways teachers, parents and children are working in sync to create a seamless transition.

The idea of allowing 'Reece' to make the transition from Cathkin Nursery to one of its feeder primary schools was sparked by a conversation with one of the nursery children. 'We use persona dolls as part of the children's active learning. They create names and personalities for them,' explains Liz. 'We encourage children to use their imagination. One little girl noticed that Reece had the same date of birth as her. This meant, in theory, they would be ready to start school together. And so an idea grew.'

It was decided to allow Reece to graduate from nursery to primary school with the children. He was given a scroll and mortar board and it became a real talking point for the children. 'Feedback from the primary school has been really positive and the P1 teacher there has remarked on how this simple idea has helped some of the more anxious children settle in. The pupils even send Reece a postcard when they're on holiday!' says Liz. 

Karen Bruce is depute headteacher at Reece's new home, Cathkin Primary School. 'Reece is a familiar face for the new P1s and a really important transitional tool. As well as helping children feel more emotionally secure, he has played a very practical role in helping develop their literacy. The overall result is that the children feel more secure, more confident and more relaxed.'

Professor Dunlop's research confirms how vital it is to take into account what a child 'brings with them'. 'I'm convinced we need to build the children's own capacity to cope with transition and accommodate new experiences. There’s a real opportunity for change, but first we have to recognise the emotions and identity changes children are going through at this time. They go from being the oldest, biggest child in the nursery, with responsibility and status, to being the youngest, smallest children in a new, 'big' school,' she says.

Painting a picture

Transition often means allowing children and families to paint a picture of what their new learning environment will be like. At Cathkin Nursery the picture analogy was taken quite literally. In another example of hands-on creativity in practice, the nursery works with local schools to create a personal photo book for each child, known as a 'Learning Book', which showcases the look and  feel of their new school.

A key worker from the nursery visits the feeder primary schools a few months after the latest intake of P1 pupils has settled in. They take photos of the primary school, the staff, the front door and even the school sign. 'It's these sorts of seemingly small details which are really interesting to young children and a key part of building up a mental picture,' says Liz. With the children's help, photos are chosen for each Learning Book, giving them the chance to discuss the stories behind each image. 'We encourage parents to talk through the Learning Books at home and build familiarity with the new school,' adds Liz.

Learning Books are as much a tool for the primary school teachers as for the children. When P1 teachers visit the nursery, the books act as a talking point and, alongside more formal nursery records, help teachers gauge where a child has reached in literacy and numeracy. As Professor Dunlop points out, these informal records can help the formal records make more sense: 'When teachers set aside even 20 minutes to look through these books, they really get to know the child. In fact, I'd say a teacher could discover more about a child in those precious minutes than throughout the rest of the year.'

While Curriculum for Excellence may not be a term any three-year-old would need to recognise, the capacities it embodies are already being put into action through early years learning. Liz and her team say that by the time children are ready to leave nursery they are already familiar with active learning and are used to being consulted with and contributing to class activities. 'Each step of a child's learning is so valuable. Working together, we’re not just preparing them for school, we're preparing them for life', says Liz.

Skills for life

Preparation and familiarity are also key to a successful transition from primary to secondary school. Professor Dunlop often asks adults who have children going through this process to think back to when they had to adapt to new circumstances. 'I ask people to recall how it feels to attend a party without their partner or start a new job. Transition is something we all experience right through life and, if we cope well with it, the process can make us feel more confident and self-assured.'

At Drummond Community High School in Edinburgh, effective collaboration with local 'cluster' primary schools has consistently played an important role in the transition process. Joined-up thinking between Drummond Community High School and three local primary schools in Leith Walk, Abbeyhill and Broughton, has allowed P7 pupils to access facilities they would not normally come into contact with, while retaining the reassurance of a primary school setting.

Jon Reid, headteacher at Drummond Community High School, explains why the process is so important: 'The onset of Curriculum for Excellence is a good time to re-write the script in certain areas. Whilst we already had a great transition programme, especially in terms of guidance and personal and social education, some areas were quite fragmented. I questioned the impact it was actually having and I wanted to do something that really made a difference to pupils' literacy.'

Joining forces

In collaboration with teachers from the cluster schools, it was decided that a much enhanced transition programme would be developed with one school – Leith Walk Primary. If successful, the project would be rolled out to involve all the cluster schools. 'Curriculum for Excellence is supposed to raise the bar for both pupils and staff. The only way a genuine 3–18 curriculum can be achieved is through approaching things differently, and primary and secondary schools really working together', says Jon.

A series of parent and pupil open evenings was held at both schools to gauge opinion and a strategic Parent and Pupil Board formed to set the pace. Meanwhile, a smaller planning team consisting of P7 teachers at Leith Walk Primary, and English and maths specialists, got to work on the specifics and decided on a 'storyline' approach. The innovative storyline involved an alien from outer space arriving in Edinburgh, whose experiences, antics and dilemmas were incorporated into each lesson.

The approach was fun, targeted and, most importantly, effective – for teachers and pupils. 'From the teachers' point of view, they've really been working as a team. They've enjoyed breaking down the barriers between the different sectors and now  they're part of a much bigger, more joined up type of learning. The pupils have been exposed to a whole new way of working – not losing their P7 identity and not simply becoming new S1 pupils. The pupils are excited to be at Drummond but, ultimately, it's about providing them with richer, deeper learning experiences', explains Jon.

Extraterrestrial lessons

At Drummond Community High School the pupils' imagination propelled the project. P7 pupils from Leith Walk Primary attended Drummond one day per week to take part in creating the 'Alien Survival Guide', with S6 pupils lending a helping hand. The alien storyline involved staff from Drummond's Food and Consumer Technology, Personal and Social Education, Physical Education, Mathematics, Drama and English departments, and primary school staff. Each subject specialist provided inputs at appropriate times during the 'story', posing questions like 'how would the alien know how to have a healthy diet?' and allowing pupils to create an alien holiday brochure. Fun and creative thinking prevailed, with literacy and numeracy remaining central.
 
Feedback has been outstanding. One parent spoke of her child making an extra special effort to be up early on 'Drummond' mornings, whilst several pupils from Leith Walk Primary said they enjoyed meeting their new teachers and sharing new experiences. But it  isn't just about the feel good factor, there's hard evidence too.

With the four capacities of Curriculum for Excellence front of mind, experiences at Drummond and Leith Walk Primary are helping inform the new S1 curriculum. 'We've applied 'Myself as a Learner Scale' and assessments focused on self-esteem, and both have shown marked improvements. There were also increases in standard age scores for English and pupils' 5–14 levels of attainment in reading and writing. Normally, it takes 18 months to increase by one level but, within the 10 months the project has been running, some pupils have increased by as much as two levels', says Jon.

Transition is not just about settling in. It satisfies an appetite for learning. As Jon sums up: 'When they hit S1, young people are more confident and ready to be challenged.' When transition is collaborative, creative and challenging, that first day at school will be memorable – for all the right reasons.