By Charlotte Bagnall
Why is there a need to support children’s emotional well-being over primary-secondary school transition (especially now against the backdrop of COVID-19) and how can we best do this using insight from theory, research and practice?
Since the international outbreak of COVID-19, there has been greater media attention placed on children’s emotional well-being, especially during times of change, such as school transition. Nonetheless, as I will outline in this blog, the need to nurture children’s emotional well-being, both prior to and during times of heightened vulnerability, such as school transition, is not a new idea. This blog will draw on insight from psychological theory, research and practice, to discuss the need to support children’s emotional well-being in the lead up to and over school transition, with a particular focus on primary-secondary school transition and COVID-19, to provide short and long term recommendations.
Children’s mental health and emotional well-being is largely shaped by their feelings of control, safety, emotional resilience and ability to cope. Unsurprisingly, major life events such as school transition, where children negotiate multiple academic, social and environmental discontinuities, often alongside competing age-related changes (see Multiple Transitions in Blog 10), within a relatively short period of time can pose threat to children’s emotional well-being. This is line with Coleman’s (1974) Focal Theory of Change which outlines the importance of gradual as opposed to rapid change, and when this cannot be avoided the need for additional support to aid coping. In light of this, COVID-19, an additional stressor, is likely to heighten the negative impact of school transition, with transfer children feeling anxious and apprehensive about the here-and-now associated with covid-19 stressors, on top of facing additional stressors relating to school transition.
Primary-secondary school transition
Primary-secondary school transition is repeatedly outlined in DfE government reports as a period ‘not handled well’ (p. 65) where the quality of transition between Key Stage 2 and Key Stage 3 is ‘much too variable’ (p. 21) and arrangements for transfer as a result ‘weak in over a quarter of the schools visited’ (p. 21). This is despite children’s need to access timely and sensitive emotional-centred support in the lead up to and over this period. Drawing on psychological research, in addition to Resilience Theory, we know that increasing children’s emotional resilience and ability to cope prior to primary-secondary school transition, can promote both short and long-term adjustment, and many successful primary-secondary school transition interventions, are underpinned by these concepts. However, to date support efforts to improve children’s emotional experiences of primary-secondary school transition are minimal, both in research and practice.
Talking about School Transition (TaST)
Talking about School Transition (TaST), which is an innovative, universal, teacher-led emotional-centred support intervention, was developed to fill this gap in the literature. To inform the design and delivery of TaST, preliminary qualitative case study and focus group data were collected in both the UK and USA, in mainstream and special schools, obtaining insight from multiple stakeholders. The main findings of this research are as follows;
- Transition support provision needs to be gradual and sensitive, with a clear balance between exposure and consistency
- Support provision should focus on children’s short- and long-term emotional well-being so children feel safe and a sense of belonging at both primary and secondary school
- School transition needs to be presented as a progression and not a loss
- There is need for greater communication and collaboration relating to school transition across schools and stakeholders
Bringing together this insight, TaST includes spoken and written emotional expression group, class and individual-level activities that focus on improving children’s short- and long-term emotional well-being, by scaffolding children’s coping skills (including their coping efficacy) and ability to draw on social support. TaST has shown robust implications in reducing children’s transition worries.
For a copy of the TaST resources, please contact Charlotte Bagnall: charlotte.bagnall2@stu.mmu.ac.uk
Supporting children’s emotional well-being in the context of COVID-19
Evidence from psychological theory, research and practice can inform recommendations (discussed below) on how to support children navigate primary-secondary school transition against the backdrop of COVID-19.
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Need to support children’s emotional well-being
Children are more likely to experience poor adjustment over primary-secondary school transition if the challenges of the transition exceed the child’s coping capabilities. Activities that focus on improving children’s confidence, self-esteem and feelings of control, in addition to developing awareness of their self-influence – in other words, how our thoughts, feelings and behaviours are interlinked – play a key role in supporting children’s short- and long-term well-being. Such activities can thus not only help children cope with the uncertainty surrounding covid-19 in the short term but can also feed-forward to school transition.
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Need to support connections between the child and their ecosystem
One major limitation of primary-secondary school transition literature is that it tries to understand transition without understanding what is happening to significant others in the child’s ecosystem, namely children’s parents/guardians and teachers (as discussed in section multi-dimensional transitions in Blog 10). Research has shown that for transfer children, the people who helped the most to prepare them for secondary school transition were their parents/guardians. Discussions between transfer children and parents, adults and older children who have already made the transition from primary to secondary school about their experiences, can help prepare transfer children for their move ahead. However, it is important to ensure that these discussions are sensitive, and child-led as too much discussion can also be harmful, and focus is placed on transition as a progression and not a loss.
Further Research
Whilst the recommendations discussed above have more immediate implications for transfer parents and children, they also have key implications for policymakers. There is need to raise the profile and draw schools’ attention to the significance negotiating two major changes (COVID-19 and school transition) is likely to have on children’s adjustment. In the short-term, this may be providing key stakeholders access to wider evidence-informed approaches in order to support children’s emotional resilience and coping skills. Whereas, in the long-term this may be reconsidering the timing of school transition in the UK to recognise the competing pressures children face during this time.
To address both, colleagues at the University of Glasgow and Manchester Metropolitan University are conducting a UK wide survey to explore children’s, parents’/guardians’ and Year 6 and 7 teachers’ experiences of primary-secondary school transition during covid-19 and explore how best to support them. This will enable identification of areas of challenge, but also examples of good practice which can be shared more widely to improve transition across the UK. This research will have immediate implications for this unusual school year in improving primary-secondary school transition and inform interventions and policy but will enhance our understanding of transition in future years. If you are a child, or parent of a child who has transitioned to secondary school this year, or teach children in the last year of primary school or first year of secondary school and would like to take part, please follow the links below:
Primary School Teacher Survey Parent Survey (Child Survey) Secondary School Teacher Survey
Closing remarks and support services
In sum, maintaining healthy and positive well-being pre, during and post navigation of key life changes, such as primary-secondary school transition, is paramount. This is not only to nurture children’s short-term adjustment but also long-term functioning, as successful navigation of transition establishes the foundations for future and lifelong well-being. Informed by a psychological research, theory and practice, this blog has outlined some recommendations that have immediate implications for transfer parents, teachers and children to improve experiences of primary-secondary school transition, including against the backdrop of covid-19.
For more support in the area of school transitions, or for the TaST resources please contact Charlotte Bagnall: charlotte.bagnall2@stu.mmu.ac.uk
The following websites may also be useful to support children and families manage anxiety during this time:
