How do collaborative relationships strengthen continuity of learning?

Ongoing relationships between an early childhood education service and school: 

• enable visits to one another's settings to strengthen understandings of each learning environment, curriculum and pedagogy 
• support the collaborative planning of transition activities
• facilitate formal and informal conversations to plan adjustments for children who will require additional transition or classroom support 
• result in high expectations of a student when they commence Kindergarten 
• provide opportunities to clarify or follow up on information shared in the Transition to School Statement.

Sharing information using the Transition to school statement

Continuity of learning is enabled when educators and teachers (in both the early childhood and school settings) communicate about what children know, understand and can do, and how different teaching, wellbeing and inclusion practices have supported each child’s learning (Ward p.6). 

What is the purpose of the Statement?

The Transition to School Statement (the Statement) facilitates the sharing of information about children across early childhood and school settings.

The Statement: 

• Is prepared by early childhood education educators for each child who is transitioning to school.
  
• Is shared with a child’s family and the school they will attend, with family consent .
  
• Provides a summative statement of a child’s learning and development, strengths, interests and approaches to learning in relation to each of the EYLF learning outcomes .
  
• Provides information on effective strategies used in the early childhood service to promote the child’s learning.  

What opportunities does the Statement provide?

The Statement provides an opportunity for early childhood education educators to:

• share their knowledge of a child
  
• document a summative assessment of a child’s learning and development. 
  

The Statement provides an opportunity for school staff to:

• engage with local early childhood education services   
  
• identify children who may require additional support or need to be followed up on 
  
• plan tailored or additional transition visits, if required     
  
• find out where a child is up to in their learning 
  
• find out which strategies have been effective for a child
  
• identify areas of interest and preferred approaches to learning that can be tapped into  
  
• summarise generalisations about the cohort to determine areas of strength and those requiring improvement. 
  

Further information and resources

Follow these links for more information:

• Read about the digital Transition to School Statement
  
• Enrol in the Transition to School Statement professional learning course.