Starting School — Transition to Reception Knowledge Organiser
A practitioner knowledge organiser on the transition to school — what research says about this critical moment, how to support children and families, baseline assessment, and building relationships in the first weeks.
Preview
Page count: 2. Print-ready PDF — letter / A4 friendly. Click image to see all pages.
Key concepts and practices
- 1 Transition to school The move from pre-school/nursery settings to Reception. Research consistently shows quality of transition affects attainment and wellbeing for years after.
- 2 Reception Baseline Assessment (RBA) A statutory assessment of language/communication, literacy, and maths conducted in the first six weeks of Reception. Used as a starting point against which progress at KS2 is measured.
- 3 Key person A designated practitioner who takes special responsibility for a child's emotional wellbeing. The secure base from which the child can explore the setting.
- 4 Induction programme Planned visits and experiences to ease children into school before formal start: stay-and-play sessions, home visits, taster days. Strong evidence for improved outcomes.
- 5 Summer-born children Children born April–August start school younger. Research shows this attainment gap persists through secondary without intervention. Need particular attention at transition.
- 6 Parental partnership Parents are the child's expert. Gathering information about interests, home routines, and concerns before the child starts is evidence-based good practice.
Learning objective
Describe evidence-based transition practices; explain the EYFS baseline assessments; identify particular needs of summer-born children; and plan an effective induction programme.
About this resource
Starting school transition resources
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For practitioners
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5 50 Fantastic Ideas for Transitions — Alistair Bryce-Clegg
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S Starting school activity book children EYFS
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