What Makes a Successful Transition from Primary …

1 Research Report DCSF-RR019 effective Pre- school , Primary andSecondary Education 3-14 project (EPPSE 3-14)What Makes a SuccessfulTransition from Primary toSecondary school ?Maria Evangelou$, Brenda Taggart*, Kathy Sylva$,Edward Melhuish#, Pam Sammons+and Iram Siraj-Blatchford*$University of Oxford,*Institute of Education, University of London+,#Birkbeck, University of London+University of Nottingham effective Pre- school , Primary and secondary Education 3-14 project (EPPSE 3-14)What Makes a Successful Transition fromPrimary to secondary school ?Maria Evangelou$, Brenda Taggart*,Kathy Sylva$, Edward Melhuish#,Pam Sammons+ and Iram Siraj-Blatchford*,$University of Oxford,*Institute of Education, University of London +,#Birkbeck, University of London+University of NottinghamThe views expressed in this report are the authors and do not necessarily reflect those of the Department for Children,Schools and Families.

2 Institute of Education, University of London 2008 ISBN 978 1 84775 085 3 Research Report NoDCSF-RR019 Address for correspondence:EPPSE ProjectRoom G2 Institute of Education Tel: +44 (0) 207 612 6219 University of London Fax: +44 (0) 207 612 623015 Woburn Square Email: WC1H 0NS Website EPPSE 3-14 project is a major longitudinal study funded by the DCSF. The research wouldnot be possible without the support and co-operation of the six Local Authorities (LAs) and themany pre- school centres, Primary and secondary schools, children and parents participating inthe research.

3 We are particularly grateful to Wesley Welcomme, Stephen Hunt, Helen Sawyer,Charlotte Hazeldine and Kate Coxon for their contribution in preparing this report. 3 THE EPPSE 3-14 RESEARCH TEAMP rincipal InvestigatorsProfessor Kathy SylvaDepartment of Education, University of Oxford00 44 (0)1865 274 008 / email Edward MelhuishInstitute for the Study of Children, Families and Social IssuesBirkbeck University of London00 44 (0) 207 079 0834 / email Pam SammonsSchool of Education, University of Nottingham00 44 (0) 0115 951 4434 / email Iram Siraj-BlatchfordInstitute of Education, University of London00 44 (0)207 612 6218 / email TaggartInstitute of Education, University of London00 44 (0)

4 207 612 6219 / email OfficersDr Maria EvangelouDepartment of Education, University of Oxford00 44 (0)1865 274 012 / email Maria SigalaDepartment of Education, University of Oxford00 44 (0)1865 274 012 / email Lynn ErlerDepartment of Education, University of Oxford00 44 (0)1865 274 038 / email Sofka BarreauInstitute of Education, University of London00 44 (0)207 612 6608 / email Stephen HuntInstitute of Education, University of London00 44 (0)207 612 6684 / email WelcommeInstitute of Education, University of London00 44 (0)207 612 6684 / email Research Co-ordinator5 Contents Page NumberExecutive Summaryi-viChapter 1.

5 Background to the Transition secondary teachers underestimating Y7 pupil s academiccapabilities and the presence of an academic dip post Socio-cultural factors affecting An in-depth review of the literature11234 Chapter 2. Aims and The aims of the Transition Research Questions addressed in this Data collection66667 Chapter 3. Interviews with the six Local Authorities: setting Setting the Transition : roles and Positive experiences of Key features of a Successful Transition events and other Local Authority support on Transition offered to schools888891012 Chapter 4.

6 Survey of children s and parents views on Transition :exploring the Who participated in the survey? Sample The five aspects of a Successful Children's and parents' experiences regarding the periodbefore and during the Transition to secondary What hinders or ensures a Successful Transition ? Expanding friendships and boosting self-esteem and Settling very well into school Showing a growing interest in school and Getting used to new routines and organisation of secondary Experiencing curriculum Children's and parents' recommendations for a successfultransition14141616242426283032 34 Chapter 5.

7 Case studies of well-settled children: enhancing Describing the sample: the First layer of findings: Commonalities among Commonalities among the Primary Second layer of findings: variations and Variations among the Variations among the Primary Variation among the secondary Case study Concluding remarks3636383839444445464650 Chapter 6. Summary and Conclusions52 References57 Appendices58 Glossary105iExecutive SummaryThis report presents the findings of a sub-study on transitions undertaken as part of theEffective Pre- school , Primary and secondary Education 3-14 (EPPSE 3-14 project ) amajor longitudinal study investigating the influence of pre- school , Primary and secondaryschool on children s cognitive and social/behavioural development in England.

8 Thetransitions sub-study of more than 500 children and families sheds light on currenttransition practices and highlights what helps and hinders a Successful Transition . Ittakes into account the influence of child and family background characteristics such associo-economic status (SES) and gender. It suggests how the Transition experiencecould be improved to enhance the smooth continuity between Primary and adopting a mixed methods approach, the study investigated the issues related totransition for four distinctive groups: Local Authorities, children, parents and in six Local Authorities were asked about the way Transition was dealt with intheir Authority.

9 Children in their first term at secondary school completed aquestionnaire on their thoughts and experiences of Transition , and the study also soughttheir parents opinions in order to illustrate the whole family s , there were twelve case studies selected from the respondents of thequestionnaire because of their positive experiences of Transition . These involvedinterviews with the children and their Primary and secondary teachers. This providedfurther details of the systems in place that support the Transition processes betweenschool sample was drawn from children and families in the wider EPPSE project .

10 1190children from the EPPSE sample made a Transition at the end of the 2005-06 academicyear. Responses were received from 550 children (a 46% response rate) and 569parents (a 48% response rate) from across England drawn from 6 Local Authorities(Shire County, Inner London borough, Midlands/Metropolitan region, East Anglia area,and two authorities in the North East). Children were recruited to the case studies usingstratified selection to get a balanced mix by region, gender, socio-economic status (SES)and ethnicity. A wide range of data, already available from the main EPPSE study wasused to complement the aims of the project were: To explore Transition practices and identify successes and challenges in thesix Local Authorities who were part of the original EPPSE study( ).