groups and are described under the following categories from both prior to school and school respondents: Support for families; More information and/or time; and Working with other services. Support for families 30% of prior to school respondents who answered this question commented that they provided additional support for families from a CALD backgrounds. Examples included: Providing families with choice, e.g. “[I] ask if they would like an interpreter or if they would like to do it together with me”; “Support for parent with understanding transition statement and dates of school transition program”; “I helped the mum who were not confident in writing English statement”; “Offer to assist them with writing the family of the [transition] statement”; “Using multi language information sheets”; “[Using] bi-lingual resources”; “Involving specialist services in process”; “Support services sought to help”; “Utilise bilingual educators where possible”; “Increased discussion and face to face hand over of transition statement”; “Assisting understanding of enrolment procedures”; and “Make [transition statements] simpler to read with more dot points and less paragraphs”. One respondent commented that while they provided support to help families understand the [transition] document and what to include, “often it is so overwhelming for parents I end up completing most of the document myself”. Another respondent endorsed this sentiment when they said “I sit with families and an interpreter to support families to communicate their thoughts and feelings in Part A. Some families don't want to fill in the sections at all and ask me (teacher) to complete it for them”. 48% of school respondents who answered this question made reference to strategies to provide
The top three responses for OSHC respondents are listed below in Table 11 and mirror the top three responses of school respondents. Table 11: Utilisation of ‘helpful’ or ‘very helpful’ DET resources for OSHC respondents Answer Options Response Percentage Response Count For your information and reference 100% 4 To discuss with colleagues 75% 3 To inform transition approaches and practices 50% 2 Respondents in the online survey were asked to comment on where they accessed DET transition resources and how easy it was for them to access these resources. DET resources were accessed by the majority of both prior to school respondents (83%) and school respondents (52%) via the ‘website’. In addition, 64% of both prior to school respondents and 30% of school respondents said that their ‘setting has copies’. These were the top two responses in both surveys. Responses from OSHC representatives are consistent with those of both prior to school and school respondents, with 100% accessing resources from the website and 75% from their setting. The majority of prior to school respondents found accessing DET Transition Statements and supporting resources to be either ‘easy’ or ‘very easy’ (a combined response of 64%), while less than 10% found it to be ‘difficult’ or ‘very difficult’. Less than half of all school respondents reported finding accessing DET Transition Statements and supporting resources either ‘easy’ and/or ‘very easy’ (a combined response of 43%), while less than 10% found this ‘difficult’ or ‘very difficult’. Interestingly, 25% of school respondents compared with only 1% of prior to school respondents said ‘never accessed’ the DET Transition Statements and supporting resources. In addition, 75% of OSHC respondents said they found accessing DET resources ‘easy’ and 25% found it ‘difficult’. Where respondents indicated they have never used any of the DET resources, they were asked to indicate why. For the prior to school respondents who answered this question (n=53), two reasons were listed as follows:
Participants from the Moonee Ponds school focus group noted that they have not used the DVD. However, they noted that the VEYLDF is occasionally used for planning. In addition, participants stated, “The Transition Resources Kit is kept in the library and is not actively used.” Lastly, participants revealed that not all prep teachers use the Transition Statement, stating “Some prep teachers use it and some don’t.” Participants from Latrobe school focus group listed the resources as those that they used: Transition Resource Kit, Information sheet for families, Guidelines to help families complete the transition statement, Strengths-based guide and Sharing Our Journey. Barriers to use of DET resources Participants from the Dandenong prior to school focus group stated that they “are all using the transition resources.” However, resources are often used less “because of the feedback received from schools.” Dandenong participants also stated that “DET website is difficult to navigate. Many people are not aware of the resources available.” Participants from the Geelong prior to school focus group indicated that they “would use more of the resources if paid time was allocated for writing Transition Statements.” They also stated that using “strengths based languages isn’t always ideal in conveying the message.” Horsham/Mildura prior to school teleconference participants highlighted that they “don’t use most of the DET resources because of the repetitive and generic language. Once people see this language they are put off and distanced.” Participants from Latrobe prior to school focus group noted that they use “the Transition Statement to inform curriculum design.” However, resources are not consistently used due to “time factors and accessibility.” One participant also stated, that there are “lots of different resources” available, and wondered “which one to use?” Participants from the Moonee Ponds prior to school focus group articulated that they rarely use the Transition Statement Resource Kit, as it “hasn’t been updated since 2009… There are things obsolete… There is no time to look at it.” Participants from the Dandenong school focus group identified that “language between early years and schools is different (therefore) different interpretations often occur”, whereas
“We talk to kindergarten teachers about how they felt the process was for them.” (school Geelong) “Some schools visit the kindergarten and this is highly valued by the kindergarten staff and it is useful to have feedback and give feedback.” (prior to school Lilydale) “Informal follow up meeting with prep teachers both at the school in the classroom and when they visit the kinder.” (prior to school Lilydale) “Proactive about relationship with other ECEC settings.” (school Moonee Ponds) “Discussions between prep and kindergarten teachers – especially co-located.” (prior to school Moonee Valley) The nature of this feedback was both formal, such as a discussions taking place during a scheduled visit, and informal, for example, conversations at a network meeting. Prior to school participants attending the Moonee Valley focus group also commented on how co-located environments better facilitate communication and strong relationships between sectors. Importantly, however, the use of professionals’ feedback as a tool for evaluating transition to school practices appeared to vary widely across consultations. Relationships with schools were relied on as a resource and indicator of success only where collaborative and respectful relationships existed. Participants at two focus groups in particular identified this concern. A Moonee Valley prior to school professional commented, “[There is] no way to measure unless relationships continue”. This sentiment was echoed by a participant in the Horsham and Mildura teleconference, “We can’t genuinely evaluate without a connection with the school.” This emphasises the importance of relationships in all aspects of transition practices, including evaluation. The most useful indicator of success was seen to be feedback from families and children. A number of prior to school services actively sought this by ringing families in the first term of the following year or by having kindergarten staff visit or ring the school for an update on how
Identified earlier and resurfacing here, was the concern around the relationship between schools and prior to school settings. Three focus groups and one teleconference consultation with the prior to school sector raised the issue that they do not receive any indication from schools about how transition strategies are working and how children are impacted. Completing Transition Statements for prep teachers and not hearing from schools about whether this was helpful or not was a particular point of concern. Respondents’ comments around this finding included: “There’s no feedback from schools about the process, about statements or practices” (focus group prior to school Lilydale); “There is little conversational contact with schools once transition statements are delivered” (focus group prior to school Dandenong); “We can’t genuinely evaluate without a connection with the school” (teleconference combined Horsham & Mildura); “Only one school out of at least 20 even acknowledged the completion of Transition Statements” (focus group prior to school Moonee Valley); and “We only hear about transition to school if they have another child at the service” (teleconference combined Horsham & Mildura). This general lack of meaningful discussion between prior to school and school settings indicates that there may be processes and strategies that the Department can implement on a level that will strengthen the continuity of learning from ages zero to eight. Respondents in the online survey were asked how they know their transition strategies are impacting on children’s transition to school. Responses from the sectors were similar to the findings from the focus group and telephone interview consultations. Respondents from schools commented on a child’s in-class behaviour and parents’ feedback. Signs of children settling well, which included confidence and engagement, and comfortable parents were highly regarded. Reflecting this sentiment well is one participant’s response provided in the survey question’s comment box, “The children are happy and content to start school. The parents comment about how settled and happy their children are and parents and children are comfortable with our procedures” (online respondent - School principal, South East Victoria (regional).
Note that quotations reflect the speech of the participants, so colloquialisms and abbreviations remain as provided, and are presented in italics. Responses can be summarised as follows: Children’s positive experiences in starting school: Several families responded in terms of their personal responses (“I’m so happy about her transition to school”) as well as family preparation (“Talked about frequently in kindergarten and at home so she was excited”, and reports of living near the school so it was familiar) and their own aspirations (“I want my child to develop friendships, to feel excited, to feel comfortable”). There was praise for kindergarten preparation (“the kindergarten helped in getting him ready for school”; “My son settled really well. He liked his kindergarten program- he attended a school readiness program- the ‘HIPPY program’”), and Sibling support (“She was happy and confident as her brother was attending the same school”), The greatest praise was for school welcoming approaches (“As an Arabic speaker, my daughter learned to communicate confidently in English. She also learned new numeracy concepts.”; “My granddaughter has a good experience transitioning to school. She was very relaxed. The school always made my granddaughter and the family feel welcome”; “Lots of work has been done at the school end to help settle her”; “We had no concerns”). Several families specifically mentioned “transition days in November- very helpful! Four visits once a week for an hour” with children in the rooms and separate information for parents and carers. Numerous people praised school transition to school sessions targeting parents to inform them about “what their kids will be learning”. One school had numeracy and literacy sessions to guide parents. Buddy programs were also helpful in supporting children’s transition (“Everyone had their own buddy- had a picture of the child and the buddy in the classroom- really nice relationship- still high fiving! They were together once a week; grade 5- very caring…”) although a mother with a different experience commented, “What’s the point of a buddy when they have different break times?” Responses were summarised by one parent who said there were supportive conversations with the prep teacher (“1 to 1 meeting was really good with the teacher…; this happened the day before starting school…teacher, child, parent-15 minutes- where to line up, put bags…”) and
Additional information When asked what information they would have liked to have had before their child started school, two Kindergarten parents responded: “I’d like to have an overview of the curriculum. I would like to know what the expectations are in 12 months”; “I’d like to know what a typical day looks like and how we can incorporate that learning at home…”. Nothing in particular was identified by Dandenong prep parents, noting things like: “The school gave parents information sheets with all the things they needed to know before starting school”; “I’m happy with what I’ve received with my daughter’s transition”, and that they valued ongoing conversations with trusted teachers. A particularly verbal parent commented: I’m an active parent, so I’ve made sure to gather the information myself. My son and I attended playgroups and story time regularly. My son also had a speech issue at the age of three, so we saw a speech pathologist to resolve this problem. This was organised by the kindergarten teacher. My daughter who is currently in kindergarten is also going to be evaluated by a speech pathologist as her kindergarten teacher identified an issue with her speech. When asked ‘What would have helped you and your child feel more prepared or comfortable starting school?’, most parents had no further suggestions, with comments like “The school did a great job”, and “I believe my son was OK because he went to kindergarten first”, though one parent said “I would like to know if they settled in well”. When asked about suggestions to help other parents get ready to start school, specific mention was made of the value of the three visit days that children had to the school as part of their transition program. The element of “open communication with the prep teacher” was mentioned, as was “having prep students come and speak to the children at kinder” and the suggestion to “Start the transition process early in the year rather than wait until 3rd or 4th term”. A ‘culture of schooling’ issue was highlighted by the parent who noted that “Kindergarten was very helpful- nothing more could have been done, but maybe the school needs to be a little more Kindergarten had routines but was also lenient. They saw kids as individuals whereas at this school there is only one way of doing things”.
Families were keen to have as much information as possible. This was sometimes impeded by organisational issues such as “Have a microphone in the gym” (for parent information sessions), or “One and a half hours advertised for orientation but was finished in 45 minutes! Should have been there for the full amount of time - was too short; child had a lot of questions and worries about where things were”. Some families found the process straightforward: “Mine have transitioned well; I couldn’t think of anything else- teachers and all, lovely!” another noted “Opening the classroom to parents is fantastic. You can stay as long as you like when you can; flexibility is so important!!” A poignant issue was raised though by the mother who said: “When the twins first went to school I was new to Australia. I had limited experience and found it hard to communicate with teachers and other social support services”. This parent stated that she’s actually learning English from her children’s reader that they bring home daily. Finally, desire to know the child’s Prep teacher earlier was a common focus for improving confidence and familiarity. Findings from discussions with children Children are the central focus in transition, and therefore the ideal source of information for a consultative process. This section seeks to delve into transition to school from a child’s perspective in order to understand what is important from those who have the most current experience. This information will guide the development of future resources in transition. In this consultation, given an opportunity to contribute their perspectives through drawings, individual and group conversations, 29 Victorian children in May of their first year of school had a great deal to contribute about that experience. Only children whose families/parents had given permission were able to participate in the process, so there may be a slight bias towards more confident engaged families, but anecdotal evidence from teachers suggests that the participating children were living with a range of financial, cultural and family backgrounds. Data collection processes unfolded differently in the two focus schools due to teacher commitments and space availability. Therefore, more spoken data is available from Ascot Vale
EVALUATING TRANSITION PRACTICES 22. Do you currently evaluate your transition approach/activities? (Tick one) No - if no, please comment go to 30 Yes - if yes, go to Q23 23. How important is evaluating your transition to school approach? (Tick one) Essential High priority Medium priority Low priority Not a priority 24. How often evaluate your transition approach/activities? (Tick one) Every year Every 2-3 years Every 4-5 years Every 6-7 years Every 8-9 years Other (please specify) 25. What resources or tools do you use to evaluate success? (Tick as many as apply) Resources developed by the Victorian Department of Education and Training (please specify) Resources developed by other state or territory education departments (please specify) Information from books and book chapters about transition to school (please specify) Information from journals and journal articles about transition to school (please specify) Resources developed by you/your prior to school/school/OSHC setting (please specify) Resources developed by other prior to school/school/OSHC settings (please specify) I don’t use any resources or tools to evaluate success Other (please specify)