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in the transition to school for children. I
went from being happy and comfortable in
my little centre, familiar with the people, the
processes and routines, to being suddenly
in an environment way out of my comfort
zone, meeting and talking(!) to new people
and even at times being expected to sit at a
table in a room with others trying to write
about something I wasn’t too sure that I
knew much about! Perhaps my feelings,
as I nervously prepared for speaking at a
conference one day, were similar to those of
the five year old about to go to their school’s
welcome assembly.
My own innovative practice entailed a
subtle shift backed up by a big idea. I had
long written each child a farewell letter on
starting school, aligned with the strands of
Te Whāriki
. On their last day I would present
the child with a copy of the letter for them,
and another copy for their new entrant
teacher, almost apologetically asking them
to pass on ‘if they chose to’. I had no idea if
the new entrant teacher saw the letter at all,
let alone if they found it useful.
Once I started the Project, I recognised
that teachers in both ECE and primary
school had limited understanding of their
respective curriculum frameworks. I began
to document each child’s learning using
the strands of Te Whāriki alongside the
Key Competencies in the New Zealand
Curriculum. I also started emailing the letter
directly to the new entrant teacher, asking
for their feedback. That meant I was able to
get feedback from the new entrant teacher
immediately. I learnt that the assessment
information provided for the child was both
useful and valued:
“I enjoyed reading the profiles that you have
written as it gives us another perspective of
[Child’s name] that we haven't met yet. What
a lot of work for you. Thanks for the effort
you have made” (Primary School Principal)
“Thank you for such a detailed and personal
account of [Child’s name] as a learner and as
an individual. I really appreciate the time you
have taken in writing these documents, and
they most certainly help me in terms of being
able to welcome her to school in a way which
is supportive and responsive…... I have
found the detailed manner in which you link
ECE experiences with the Key Competencies
of the NZC very useful. It enables me to 'see'
her as she currently is within a learning
environment, so I can best respond to her in
a new one. She is clearly 'ready, willing, and
able', what a wonderful way to enter school!
Thank you again for your commitment to a
smooth transition between ECE and school.”
(NE Teacher)
PUTTING IT ALL TOGETHER
Once all the interviews and innovations
were complete the amount of data we
ended up with was huge. The importance
of relationships and communication was
confirmed throughout the Project, as was
an underlying perception that transitions
to school were most usefully thought of as
a journey and as an event. It took us a long
while, and a lot of discussion to distill from
the data three overarching themes and three
major findings (see below).
Testing the water
Teachers working
together
Finding the familiar
Findings
Transitions a journey
and an event
Relationships
Communication
Overarching themes
To develop successful and coherent
cross-sector practices to best
support all children transitioning
from ECE services to school in the
Petone Basin
To understand the challenges that
children, particularly priority
learners, teachers, whānau and
wider school communities face when
transitioning to school;
To develop shared professional
understandings of curricula and how
links between
Te Whāriki
and the
NZC
can enhance children’s
transition from ECE services to
school.
To embed sustainable practices
Intended outcomes
How can we ensure that each and
every child has a smooth and
consistent pathway between ECE
and school in the Petone Basin?
How do current practices in
ECE/Schools in the Petone Basin
support smooth and consistent
transition pathways for priority
learners, their whānau and their
teachers?
Research questions
December 2017
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