EYFS TRANSITION & HOME SCHOOL PARTNERSHIP

Transition into St. Michael’s

At St. Michael’s CE School we see the starting at our school as an important milestone for children. The transition marks a time of great excitement for families and children as they begin their educational journey with us.

We want all of the children who transfer from a variety of nursery settings to feel happy, safe and secure when they begin at St. Michael’s. We firmly believe that the quicker they settle into their new environment, the more confident they become in developing independence and the more they enjoy their learning.

Our aim is to ensure that all of our pupils have as seamless a transition as possible to ensure that they continue to enjoy and achieve in their new school environment. Below is an outline of what we have in place.

Pre-start Parents Evening (June)

We hold a Parent Induction Evening for all new parents in the summer term to give them key information about our school and in particular how they can prepare their children to start.

Furthermore, the Parent Induction Meeting is an opportunity for parents to come into school, meet their child’s new class teacher and find out more information about the curriculum. The Induction also gives parents the opportunity to learn more about St. Michael’s mission, vision and ethos as well as the day to day routines and expectations. It is also an opportunity to meet the Headteacher and the Senior Leadership Team. Various information is handed out to parents to share with their children.

Children are invited to St Michael’s for an afternoon visit to meet their new teachers and other children joining the class. This is an opportunity to explore the classroom, learn the names of children who will become their new friends and have a taster of being at ‘big school’. This experience allows the children to gain a sense of what starting school will be like so that they can talk about it with their families over the summer break.

Pre -Start 1:1 Visits (September)

Parents and children are invited to meet the teacher on an individual basis so that teachers can ensure they have all the information about each child starting in their class.

This 1:1 visit is an opportunity for parents to ask questions of the teacher, share any concerns and make sure everyone knows what will happen on the first few days of Reception Class. These meetings are special times and support children, teachers and families in the beginning of the valuable home school partnership that will enable children to reach their God given potential throughout their time at St Michael’s.

Transition from Early Years into Year 1 (July)

Transition from the EYFS into Year 1 is equally important as we prepare the children to move up into the next phase of their learning journey. The children engage in “class swaps,” where they have an opportunity to experience their new classrooms and become accustomed to working with their new teachers before they officially move up a year.

The teachers prepare the children for a move to their new class towards the end of the Summer Term. The activities that take place to support transition are:

Children create an information file about themselves for their new teacher.
The Year 1 teachers visits the children in the Reception Classroom.
Reception children visit their new classroom on ‘Move-up Day’.
There is an opportunity for parents to meet the Year 1 teachers at the summer parents evening.
The Reception teacher meets with the Year 1 teacher for a professional dialogue about next steps for learning for all children.

We also hold a further transition meeting for parents where the Early Years and Lower Phase Leaders give a presentation about the transition process and the change of curriculum.

Reception Transition Survey 2023

We value the views of parents and the constructive responses to help us review the systems we have in place and move the transition process forward.

We will be issuing a survey in September 2023 to gain your feedback on our processes and we thank the parents for taking the time to support us here.

“St. Michael’s Church of England School, established upon Christian foundations and living out the Christian faith, is committed to providing every child with an excellent education.”