Video transcript
How schools use transition statements to support children moving from kindergarten to Prep
Amy Honsa
Principal, Bardon State School
It’s really important that our families provide us with the kindergarten transition statement. It really helps us to understand the child as a learner, and helps us to support their transition to school. We use a range of different ways to support our students, and the kindergarten transition statement is just one way for us to find out more information. We use the information to tailor the differentiated transition support plans that we have for all of our students transitioning into Prep the following year. The Prep teachers really valued the information that was shared within the transition statements, especially the learning strategies that had been successful for those students in previous years
Sheree Carr
Deputy Principal, West End State School
The transition statements are a really important part to our whole transition process. So it’s really important for us that we communicate the value of them to parents, so they have an understanding about why we do need them. So we use the transition statements to inform our class placements. But they also help us to create an environment and a sense of belonging for students because we are able to identify their strengths and their needs through those statements. Our Prep teachers found that the consistent format and language that’s in the transition statements means that they’re much easier for them to read and understand each child’s capabilities.
Parent/carer experiences: Sharing transition statements
Jacqui Barfoot
Parent
The transition statement will give Jasper’s teacher information about the things that he’s good at, the things that he’s interested in, and also the things that potentially are harder for him to make his transition into school easier, and so that the supports that he needs are put into place
Sabrina Gruenbauer
Parent
The transition and the communication between the kindergarten and the school, in particular our teacher for our daughter’s Prep year, was fantastic. And that was due to her actually understanding what her needs were and, so much so that, you know, in the first couple of weeks my daughter received a little award and, you know, to boost her confidence and bring her out. So that was really great.
Nicole Whitson
Parent
My son had a really good transition process when he started school, because we could actually take that statement and share it with the school to help smooth the transition. His teachers used the interests that were identified in the transition statement to engage him in learning. So one piece of advice I’d give to a new parent entering Prep would be work with the school as much as possible and the teacher as much as possible. Sharing my son’s transition statement made all the difference to us when my son started school