Child development - Attachment and transition 4/4

Features of highly-effective practice

Assessment 4

Look at the grid below and consider what the features of highly-effective practice are in your own setting. Tick each of the features which are in your own setting. Challenge yourself to ask the questions.

Discuss your responses with your manager once you complete this activity.

Parents/carers and children (where appropriate) are actively involved with practitioners to sensitively plan and effectively manage transitions to meet children’s emotional and learning needs.

Clear, shared processes are in place for the exchange of relevant information about children’s care and support needs, skills, learning and achievements across the curriculum.

Information about children’s learning, and achievements, particularly in key areas of early literacy, numeracy and health and wellbeing, is used effectively to ensure continuity in learning across the curriculum for all children.

Planned opportunities enable practitioners to come together to develop a shared understanding of progress and pedagogy at all stages and across the early level.

Objective evaluations that seek and respond to the views of parents/carers, children and partners are used to develop and improve transition arrangements and programmes.

Effective communication and planning enable continuity of care and learning for children accessing more than one ELC setting.

Challenge questions

How effectively do our processes for settling in new children support them and their parents/carers to become familiar with their surroundings? To begin to develop close, positive relationships and continuity in meeting their care and learning needs?
How effectively do we engage with parents/carers, children and other agencies to build up a clear picture of the child?
How well do we work with parents/carers to make sure transitions are personalised, planned in advance and sensitively handled? How do we support parents/carers to adjust to change at key points of transition?
How do we support children to develop a positive attitude to change, and form new relationships to ensure continuity as they move across the setting?
In what ways does information from profiling and personal learning planning ensure continuity and an appropriate pace of progress in learning for all children?
How effectively do we use transition information to plan progressive learning and development pathways for all children?
What examples do we have of transitions being adapted to suit individual needs and circumstances? What difference has this made for children and families?
To what extent do we discuss children’s growing skills in early literacy, numeracy and health and wellbeing, as they move from one setting to another or on entry to primary school?
How well do we work with parents/carers and with partners in other agencies to plan transitions for children who require additional support?