Transitions in our Early Years 

At Springwell Park, we acknowledge the importance of effective transitions in order to ensure the children truly do have the best start to their school life. We appreciate that the children starting school is a huge milestone for, not only the child, but also their adult - it is due to this that we go above and beyond to ensure it is as smooth and efficient as possible. We intend for our children to always be ready for the next milestone within their school career, and this is made possible through our effective planning and learning opportunities - we are continually building on top of knowledge and skills the children have.

Our aim is that, through our transition process, the children feel secure and safe in our environment from the very start of their journey. In order to achieve this, we work closely with a multitude of stakeholders. 

Nursery 

• We host a 'Welcome to Springwell' meeting for parents of the children starting in our nursery. Within this meeting, they are introduced to Pastoral, the Senior Leadership Team, and the Class Teacher.
• In the Summer term before the child starts, the child and their adults are invited into our nursery setting to meet the Class Teacher and explore the environment. Extra visits are planned for children who would benefit from it.
• In September, the Class Teacher and Teaching Assistant visit the child at their home and get to know the child and their adult on a 1:1 basis. Information gained from the home visit and transitions are used to inform the curriculum for the first few weeks to ensure the children's needs and interests are met accordingly. 
• If a child is identified as having SEND, the school SENCO and EYFS AHT would liaise with the current provision (if applicable) and the child's adults to create an enhanced transition. 

Reception

• We host a 'Welcome to Springwell' meeting for parents of the children starting in our reception. Within this meeting, they are introduced to Pastoral, the Senior Leadership Team, and the Class Teacher.
• Staff members visit the child's current nursery provision (if applicable) and have a meeting with the child's Key Worker, prior to observing the child at play. 
• We conduct three transition events for our new-to-reception children and parents. We have a Teddy Bear Picnic with their family in the Summer term before starting school; a Stay and Play session with their family within the child's new classroom; and finally a Stay and Play within the classroom just for the child. 
• The Class Teacher and Teaching Assistant visit the child at their home and get to know the child and their adult on a 1:1 basis. Information gained from the home visit and transitions are used to inform the curriculum for the first few weeks to ensure the children's needs and interests are met accordingly. 
• If a child is identified as having SEND, the school SENCO and EYFS AHT would liaise with the current provision (if applicable), other relevant bodies, and the child's adults to create an enhanced transition. 
• We host a 'Meet the Teacher' session in Autumn for our parents, where they are able to come in and watch a presentation from their child's Class Teacher.
• The reception children are linked with a year six 'buddy' who supports them throughout the year.
• When children transition into year one, the year one teacher will spend time with them during the summer term. The children also begin to spend time on the year one playground to prepare for this change.

Although rare, if a child leaves our school, we ensure we make contact with the new setting. We invite the new practitioners from the new setting into our school so that they can meet the child and observe them in play within an environment familiar to them.