Swings + Roundabouts Summer 2017

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Using the implications of our themes
and findings we have developed six
guiding principles, which alongside our
recommendations, we believe will facilitate
the transition process for children, their
parents and whānau, and for teachers.
We hope too, that community service
practitioners in social services and health as
well as policy makers will find these guides
useful (see below).
What we weren’t able to achieve, and what
we decided that we actually didn’t want to,
was the smooth and consistent approach
that at first we set out to find. We discovered
that the differences between us were worth
celebrating and that every child’s pathway to
school will have its moments of uncertainty
and points of going back and forwards (and
not always predictable ones!). Speaking
of uncertainty, if I were to receive another
phone call out of the blue one day I might
think a little more carefully, but I reckon that
the answer would probably still be ‘yes’!
A child leaving an ECE service to start
school is ‘a big deal’. We concluded that
the process of transitioning is not a one-off
event. Our findings suggest that taking a
long-term view of the process can make the
pathway smoother and how this is achieved
requires consistent application, tailored to
the child and whānau. This would ensure
that all the participants are stakeholders in
the transition to school process. We leave
the last word to a whānau member:
“That’s the greatest thing, the perception
of it being one journey otherwise you leave
something behind and you start something
new with no linking”. (Whānau interview).
Nichola Kirkwood has a background in primary teaching and also taught English in Japan but has found her true passion
in Early Childhood Education. Nichola has worked as a three to five year old teacher since 2004. Nichola has a particular
interest in supporting children and their families as they prepare for and transition to school as well as in creating a love
and respect for the natural world. Nichola currently works at Imagine Childcare Centre in Petone where she can be found
inside or outside depending on her mood, but not often writing research reports.
Dr Sarah Te One has had a long history of research, professional development and child rights advocacy in the early childhood sector. Her
current interests are in transitions to school; the refresh of Te Whāriki (2017); and in promoting awareness about the UN Convention on the
Rights of the Child.
Boyle, T., & Petriwskyj, A. (2014). Transitions to
school: reframing professional relationships.
Early Years: Transitions in the early years –
policy, pedagogy and partnership. 34 (4)
392-404
Education Review Office (2015). Continuity of
learning: transitions from early childhood
services to schools. Wellington, NZ: Education
Review Office
Hayes, J. McLachlan, C. & Sewell, A. (2015).
Fostering peer learning during the transition
to school. Teaching and Learning Set 2 (dx.doi.
org/10.18296/set.0013) (9-16)
Ministry of Education. (1996). Te Whāriki. He
whāriki mātauranga mō ngā mokopuna
o Aotearoa: Early childhood curriculum.
Wellington: Learning Media.
Ministry of Education. (2017). Te Whāriki. He
whāriki mātauranga mō ngā mokopuna
o Aotearoa: Early childhood curriculum.
Wellington: Ministry of Education.
Te One, S., Cox, J., Frater, G., Kirkwood, N.,
Pennington, J. & Robinson, S. (2017). It’s a
big deal for all of us - Supporting transitions
from early childhood services to school. Petone
Basins Transitions to School: A Teacher-led
Innovation Fund Project.
Peters, S. (2010). Literature Review: Transition
from early childhood education to school.
Report to the Ministry of Education. Retrieved
from
publications/ece/
ABOUT THE AUTHORS
REFERENCES
GUIDING PRINCIPLE RECOMMENDATIONS. TEACHERS SHOULD:
Transitions are a journey and an event
Take a long-term view of transitions.
Start the process early, especially for priority learners.
Incorporate flexible approaches to transitions as a ‘to and fro’ process.
Relationships matter
Support relationships between all combinations of adult, ECE services, school, child and
whānau during the extended time of transition.
Include community, health and social service professionals in discussions about transitions.
Communication matters
Communicate in ways that allow all involved to express a point of view about their
experiences of transitioning.
Traditions of learning
Means of learning
Means of assessment
Acknowledge the different traditions and means of learning in ECE services and schools.
Recognise the influence of policy on assessment shared between ECE services and schools
during transitions.
Cultural context matters
Respect the cultural contexts and values that the child and his or her whānau brings with
them when entering school.
Structural organisation matters
Recognise that ECE services and schools are structured differently; this affects their social
organisation and impacts on transition experiences.
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