Developing Successful Transitions Year R to Year One © Gloucestershire Children and Young People’S Services Developing Successful Transitions Year R to Year One
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Guidance Developing successfYul R transitions Year R to Year One YAction Resear1 ch Project Developing successful transitions Year R to Year One © Gloucestershire Children and Young People’s Services Developing Successful Transitions Year R to Year One Foreword This publication arrives with you at a particularly exciting time as we begin the implementation of the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS). The primary intention of the EYFS is to strengthen the continuity of learning experience for children from birth to five and from the EYFS to KS1. Many of you will be familiar with the HMI and OfSTED reports which highlighted the discontinuities between the experience of children in reception classes and in Year 1. In Gloucestershire, schools have responded positively to the challenge of supporting children’s transition into KS1 and we can be justly proud of some high quality transition practice. This publication showcases the learning journeys of the schools which have been involved in a year-long action research project and offers insights into the changes made to improve the conditions for learning for children in Year 1. You will also find useful guidance and tools to support your own self-evaluation of transition practice, procedures and systems. I would like to thank the schools for their enthusiastic participation in the action research and for their contributions to this publication. I hope that the evident benefits for Year 1 children will inspire and motivate you to continue to reflect on your provision for transition from the Foundation Stage to Key Stage 1. Elizabeth Fee Primary and Early Years Adviser Developing successful transitions Year R to Year One © Gloucestershire Children and Young People’s Services Developing successful transitions Year R to Year One © Gloucestershire Children and Young People’s Services Contents Page Introduction 1 About the project 1 Project report 3 . Strategies to support transition 4 . The impact of the project 7 . Conclusion 12 A developmental model for transition 13 1 Identify 15 2 Develop 15 3 Embed 16 4 Review 16 5 Improve 16 Support materials 17 Resources: 1 Audit of current practice 18 2 A framework for policy writing 19 3 Managing peer observation 21 4 Peer observation: time/events log 22 5 Peer observation feedback 23 6 Continuing the Reception/Year1 peer observation process 24 7 Audit of observational assessment 25 Suggested reading 26 Developing successful transitions Year R to Year One © Gloucestershire Children and Young People’s Services Developing successful transitions Year R to Year One © Gloucestershire Children and Young People’s Services Introduction This booklet is an outline of the main findings of the Gloucestershire Transition Action Research Project. The project was funded by the Primary National Strategy to explore effective transition practice between Reception and Key Stage 1. The booklet contains the research findings of those involved in the project. It also identifies a developmental model for effective transition and offers support materials for you to use in your schools. About the project In Excellence and Enjoyment: A Strategy for Primary Schools (DfES 2003) the government set out its intention to ensure continuity between the areas of learning in the Foundation Stage and the Key Stage 1 programmes of study. A recent NfER research study (2005) suggested that there are still issues that present challenges for children, staff and parents during children‘s transition to Year 1. In 2006 Head teachers of primary and infants schools in Gloucestershire were invited to join an Action Research Project focussing on Transition Issues. A group of 13 schools, representative of the many types of schools in the county, were selected to form the research group. The project was designed to build on the transition training that most schools had already attended in 2005. Each school was asked to nominate a core learning team comprising of the Head teacher, a Year 1 teacher and a Reception teacher. The project aimed to support schools in: . Understanding the aims and principles which underpin the Foundation Stage and KS 1 curriculum . Developing a transition policy . Developing excellent and effective transition procedures and practice . Evaluating curriculum provision at the point of transition and beyond . Reviewing teaching and learning strategies across key stages . Embedding assessment for learning . Ensuring clear and effective communication between all involved Developing successful transitions 1 Year R to Year One © Gloucestershire Children and Young People’s Services Funding was provided to enable each learning team to access three development training days over an eight month period. In addition teams were given time to complete action research tasks between each development day. Training and practical tasks focussed on: . Exploring the commonalities between the principles that underpin the Primary National Strategy and the Early Years Foundation Stage . Writing a policy for transition . Developing the use of peer observation . Using observational assessment . Using analysis of the Foundation Stage Profile to plan children’s learning in Year 1 . Sharing organisational and management strategies . Reviewing the learning environment and resources On completion of the Action Research Project each school in the research group put together a case study to reflect their learning journey. This booklet is a compilation of the findings from these case studies. Quotes are used throughout to illustrate the thoughts of those involved. The publication of this booklet concludes the final stage of the research project. It is hoped that it will provide you with the tools to begin a reflective analysis of your own school’s transition practice. The support materials that the learning teams used are reproduced within this booklet for your use. 2 Developing successful transitions Year R to Year One © Gloucestershire Children and Young People’s Services Project report Within this section the cases studies from all of the schools have been collated and summarised to give an overview of their Action Research. As a result of their involvement in the project the core learning teams identified a range of issues that they wished to address: . Stress for children at point of transfer . Insufficient time allocated to discuss individual children and Foundation Stage Profile data . Insufficient knowledge of the Foundation Stage Profile . Insufficient understanding of how to create challenging play opportunities . Tracking systems that identify hiatus in the progress of some children on entry to Yr 1 . Parental anxieties often compounded by lack of opportunity to meet their child’s new teacher and lack of information . Concerns about discontinuity of teaching styles . Layout of the Y1 learning environment . Location of YR/Y1 classrooms . Lack of outdoor learning opportunities for KS1 . Inaccessible resources . Inappropriate resources “The process of transition may be viewed as one of adaptation. This study has shown that the best adaptation takes place where conditions are similar, communication is encouraged, and the process of change takes place gradually over time.” A Study of the Transition from the Foundation Stage to Key Stage 1 NfER 2005 Developing successful transitions 3 Year R to Year One © Gloucestershire Children and Young People’s Services Strategies to support transition The learning teams devised a range of strategies to develop transition practice in their schools. It quickly became apparent that in most schools organisational strategies that supported the children on a practical level were relatively easy to introduce. However, all schools recognised that until wider curriculum issues were addressed the process of developing effective transition practice would not be complete. The strategies that the schools in the project developed are reproduced here to support your school as you identify priorities for action. Curriculum Strategies . Write Transition Policy . Identify commonalities between the principles of the Primary National Strategy and the Early Years Foundation Stage . Review the curriculum to promote a greater continuity of provision from YR to Y1 . Introduce play based enquiry experiences in Y1 Assessment Strategies . Make systematic and frequent pupil observations . Establish use of observational assessment in Y1 for all staff . Make observational assessments the basis for planning . Develop the use of peer observations – YR/Y1 teachers/TAs Planning Strategies . Use Foundation Stage Profile data to inform planning in Y1 . Use Early Learning Goals not achieved as a starting point for learning in Y1 . Encourage a thematic approach for YR/KS1 4 Developing successful transitions Year R to Year One © Gloucestershire Children and Young People’s Services . Mirror YR summer term planning in Autumn term Y1 . Plan for continuity of teaching styles . Include opportunities for child initiated, play based learning in Y1 Communication Strategies . Systematically canvas views of parents and staff on transition through questionnaires/meetings/discussions . Provide opportunities for children to discuss their feelings and anxieties about transition . Hold a meeting for YR parents to meet Y1 teachers in summer term . Produce a transition booklet for children/parents . Discuss transition at a whole school staff meeting . Involve governors in the review of transition practice Organisational Strategies – resources, routines and classrooms . Ensure YR and Y1 classrooms are together