Transitions

Children move rooms within Sandcastles which are age and developmentally appropriate for their individual needs. At the age of 4, children move on to school. These changes, along with starting at Sandcastles, are referred to as transitions.

At Sandcastles we support individuals with transitions throughout their early year’s journey. We work in close partnership with parent/carers from the first visit to our setting, when moving ‘up’ a room and when moving onto primary school. Along the way we meet individually with parents/carers to form trustworthy relationships and good communication channels, gathering and exchanging information which is used to support each child along of their individual learning journey.

When joining Sandcastles, we offer settling in sessions for the children and their parents/carers to familiarise themselves with the environment and our staffing team (and vice versa). When deemed beneficial, home visits are facilitated. Parents are asked to complete ‘All about me’ and My family and I’ forms to give greater insight into their child’s routines, home life and experiences.  These are discussed during the induction which is a meeting between parent and keyperson.  The child also has the opportunity to explore the new environment whilst this meeting takes place. A management meeting takes place between the parents and management team to ensure all information has been shared and any additional questions can be answered securing good communication between all parties for the child/family’s journey with us.

The seniors within each room meet to discuss future transitions and time frames to ensure they’re prepared to receive the children, arranging when to start settling sessions and book in an induction meeting with the parents.  Room to room inductions give the parent an opportunity to develop the relationship with the new key person, update any routine changes and understand the aspirations (found in the induction packs) within the new environment.

When children are due to transition to the next room preparations are made to support the child’s development.  For example, in Starfish, the use of Seahorse chairs at mealtimes and the introduction of name cards to find their place at the table. In Seahorses, systems used to develop independence within Dolphins are introduced.

At every transition stage the children have opportunities to have settling in sessions. As they move rooms, their key person accompanies the child and spends time with them in the new environment and introduces them to their new key person, assisting them in building relationships. The old and new key people will have a meeting to discuss the child as they prepare for the transition.

There is a two-way flow of information with parents and / or carers and between providers, if a child is attending more than one setting.

As children move onto primary school, good communication links are nurtured with their prospective teachers by inviting them into the setting to see the children in a familiar environment and by offering opportunities for the children to visit their school with their key person. Each child’s journey is unique, and we work closely with families to meet individual needs, offering reassurance and continuity to make transitions a smooth process and a positive step.