As Scotland prepares the route map for coming out of lockdown, the First Minister, highlighted the importance of prioritising those children and young people’s return to school who are to transition to primary school or primary to secondary schools. This focus on transitions, to a transitions researcher like me, is heartening. However, it is also tinged with concerns about whether there is a clear understanding of what transitions mean, i.e., they are not only experienced when children and young people ‘physically move’ to a new school. Everyone experiences transitions all the time and therefore we need to consider all children and young people’s transitions, as well as those of significant others.
Multiple Transitions
In fact each one of us experiences multiple transitions. For argument’s sake, let’s take the example of a child about to start primary school, they could be experiencing multiple transitions, such as birth of a sibling, starting a club, and other age related changes. Due to COVID-19 and closure of nurseries and schools, several other transitions have been triggered, for example, transition to home learning, concerns about family members and friends’ health, daily encounters through media about death and dying, lack of physical and social contact with peers (unless through technology), and overall uncertainty about when, or if, they will be able to go back to nursery or school, and what that would look like.
Multi-dimensional Transitions
Further, these transitions will have an impact on the significant others in each child’s ecosystem, such as their family and teacher. For example, home learning has meant that parents had to create space, in their working day in some cases, to spend time on related activities. Teachers have used technology and created digital resources to support home learning with a focus on children and young people having, as far as possible, the same learning experience as they would have had before COVID-19 related school closures. However, parents and teachers have been experiencing transitions too. For instance, they had to adapt to working from home in difficult circumstances and undertaking additional caring responsibilities. Some of these transitions have been triggered by the children’s transitions. The child will also be affected by the changes in their parents’ or teacher’s life, suggesting that they will experience transitions as a result of each other’s transitions as well as their own concurrent transitions.
I have conceptualised this as Multiple and Multi-dimensional Transitions (MMT) Theory.
Transitions are complex and not straightforward linear experiences. If we conceptualise transition as an ongoing process of psychological, social and educational adaptation over time due to changes in context, for example related to COVID-19 or starting new schools, as well as MMT, we need to focus on the transition support children, young people, families, teachers, professionals and communities will require over time. We have found that schools focus on supporting children with their transitions, however they do not consider parents’ and teachers’ transitions.
Wellbeing during transitions
There has also been a lot of discussion in the media about whether children and young people have ‘learned’ enough to be ready for transition to a new school or within the same school but to a different class. If prioritising opening schools for children starting primary or secondary school is about this educational readiness, then we might have a problem. Previous research has focussed on the dip in attainment; however I strongly believe that children’s wellbeing during transitions is more important. Now, more than ever, it is important that schools and Scottish Government focus on the wellbeing of our children rather than educational outcomes. Successful transitions should be about flourishing in school, socially and psychologically, and of course educationally too but not at the cost of wellbeing.
Supporting children and young people’s transitions
Based on transitions research that captured children’s, parents’ and teachers’ voice, we are aware of several aspects that can facilitate positive transitions. However, the data were captured prior to COVID-19; therefore I will attempt to illustrate how this might still be achievable despite full or partial school closures and physical distancing. I have used the term physical distancing rather than social distancing as I believe there is a difference in nuance as social connection is vital.
1. Familiarisation
Children and young people have indicated that they benefit from familiarisation to the new school or class. This includes the physical and social environment. Normally schools organise induction days and reciprocal visits. In the past, children have also appreciated having access to photographs of the important places and people in their school. This can still be done. However, to give them further sense of familiarisation with the physical environment, schools could create virtual tours of the school building and playing fields. In terms of the social environment, they could also collate short video clips of staff introducing themselves.
It is important, however, to remember that even when children and young people go back to the same school and class as before school closure, it will not be the same due to physical distancing requirements, changes to class sizes and the school week. Schools need to consider their transition needs too.
2. Families as support networks
In our research on primary-secondary school transitions (four stages across final year of primary to second year of secondary school), children and young people mentioned their parents and/or grandparents as the people they most often discussed transitions with; this did not change across the four stages. The next on the list were classmates, sibling or cousins, and friends who were not classmates, which again didn’t change much over time. The professionals only came after that, notably primary teachers and, in secondary school, guidance teachers. Teachers should not be disheartened about this – it might simply reflect that there are times, such as in the summer, when teachers simply are not around. In the current times, with school closures and limited opening, this finding is in fact quite positive. Children and young people are with people whom they see as their most important support network during transitions.
3. Relationships with peers
Research suggests that being able to make good friends and peer acceptance are key to positive transition experiences. When children already know each other, for example, when moving within the same school, or from same nursery to primary school, or same primary to secondary school, maintaining their friendships will be crucial. However, another positive that children have commented on about moving up is to have opportunities to create new friendships. The latter can be created through online introductions but more importantly through small group projects which have an element of excitement and problem solving. For example, a whodunnit which could involve solving a mystery in small groups of children from different primary schools can bring them together to come up with a solution. A similar project was undertaken in Scottish schools a number of years ago using the computer game Guitar Hero with a finale in the form of the Battle of the Bands. This led to development of instant friendships and sense of belonging to a group (made of children they didn’t know previously) with a shared goal of winning the competition. There is a lot of scope for such online activities. Further, similar to peer buddies, family buddies system could be created which could lead to further positive interaction.
However, due to the pandemic, some young people will be moving to colleges, universities or employment without the opportunity to experience the normal rituals and rites of passage associated with finishing secondary school, such as leavers’ ball. Schools should consider not only the transition support needs of those coming into school but also those leaving them.
4. Relationships with teachers
Children and young people thrive when they are able to form stable positive relationships with their teachers. Good relationships with teachers (and peers and family) can act as a buffer for any negative challenges related to transitions. As mentioned earlier, teachers could make video clips to introduce themselves, ideally fun and informal, so that children can experience closeness despite not being able to interact face to face in a physical environment.
It is important to remember that due to the school closure, children and young people have not had a chance to interact with their teachers for some time, which might be especially difficult for children and young people with additional support needs. Further, in some cases, they haven’t had a chance to say goodbye to their teachers as they move on to a new school or class or leave secondary school. They might feel a sense of loss and some form of closure will be important for them- and their teachers.
5. Continuous open communication and collaborative partnerships
It is important that there is open communication between teachers and children and parents, and that they are seen as partners in any transition planning and preparation. Children and parents should be seen as agentic and have a voice that is heard and acted upon. The current situation does not rule this out as such communication can happen in a myriad of ways. If anything, with a lot of uncertainty due to COVID-19, it is even more important that this communication is timely and effective. More importantly, this should not be a one way communication from school to family; it is important that this communication is reciprocal as each child and family will experience transitions differently.
6. Children’s voice and agency
I cannot emphasise enough the importance of the child’s voice and agency. In the current situation, children and young people’s voice and agency might have been curtailed to some extent. This can lead to negative impact on their wellbeing. They should feel in control of their life, including the school life. We need to find creative ways of actively listening to them by providing space, voice, audience and influence.
More importantly we need to remember that if transitions are ongoing, the preparation for them is ongoing too. A few months of school closure might have disrupted some transition activities that schools had planned; however as children pointed out in our study, teachers had been preparing them for years, e.g., in making new friends, managing increased academic difficulty level, gaining more independence, and developing critical thinking and problem solving skills.
We need to ask children and young people what the best ways of supporting them are. Their voice should be central to transitions planning and preparation.
Professor Divya Jindal-Snape is Professor of Education, Inclusion and Life Transitions, in the School of Education and Social Work at the University of Dundee. She is the Director of Transformative Change: Educational and Life Transitions (TCELT) and leads on an International Network of Transitions Researchers @IntrTcelt. Her expertise is in the area of educational and life transitions, inclusion, creativity, voice, health education and comics.
Image copyright: Divya Jindal-Snape
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