Transitions are times of opportunity and challenge as children navigate changes such as starting kindergarten, differing daily routines, moving between play spaces or settings and starting school.
Teachers and educators adopt a strengths-based and intentional approach to supporting children’s transitions. This includes understanding children’s perspectives, considering cultural perspectives, cultivating trusting and supportive relationships, and engaging in respectful communication. Through this approach, children are supported to take an active role in transitions as they become familiar with new people, expectations and environments.
For children and their families, the transition to school is a significant milestone in a child’s education. By working together, kindergarten teachers, educators, parents/carers, family and community members, and school staff, help children experience a positive transition to school.
Kindergarten teachers and educators use a range of strategies to plan for and support children’s transition to school, including:
- sharing information about each child’s learning and progress with parents/carers and families
- discussing with children, parents/carers and families their expectations of transitioning to school
- encouraging children, parents/carers and families to become familiar with their new school environment
- collaborating with schools to build shared understandings of effective early years pedagogy and practice that can provide continuity of learning across settings
- collaborating with parents/carers, family and/or community members to value diverse perspectives and capabilities and promote familiar ways of knowing, being and doing as children move into school
- recognising individual needs and providing tailored support for children as needed.
Transition statements are written from a strengths-based perspective to provide a point-in-time summary of each child’s knowledge, skills and dispositions for learning across the five learning and development areas, and to support transition and continuity of learning into school. Children and parents/carers have the opportunity to contribute to the transition statement.
Transition statements are valued by early education and care services, families and schools as a source of information to support transition to school.
Transition statements help families to:
- understand their child’s learning, strengths and interests
- share information with the school to support transition and continuity of learning for their child.
Transition statements help schools to:
- understand each child’s learning, strengths and interests
- plan and prepare for each child to experience a positive start to school.
Parent/carer consent to create transition statement (form 1)
Kindergarten teachers create transition statements in the Kindergarten Transition Statement (KTS) application in the QCAA Portal. Parent/ carer permission is required to create a transition statement in the Portal. Parents/carers provide their consent by completing the form below.
An alternative template is available in situations where parent/carer consent is not provided.
Parent/carer consent to share transition information (form 2)
Transition statements belong to each child and their identified parent/carer. Parents/carers receive a copy of the draft transition statement to review and may request that any incorrect personal information be corrected. Once the transition statement has been reviewed, parents/carers may consent for a transition statement to be shared with a child’s Prep teacher and/or other relevant staff at their school, using the form below.
- Last updated:
- 31 July 2024
