Transition frequently asked questions
- Why has the transition process changed?
- Do providers have to adopt the new transition document and secure email solution?
- How do I send the finalised transition document to the parent?
- Where do the parents sign to confirm they authorise their child's transition document to be sent to the receiving school?
Why has the transition process changed?
Prior to the transition pilot (2016/2017 in Roxeth and Roxbourne wards), we identified that we needed:
- a multi-agency approach to transition
- to reassess what's needed to transition across schools and PVIs. (Private, voluntary and Independents)
- a secure approach to managing family information
This was confirmed during the pilot. The Early Years team, Early Support Hubs, PVI's, and Schools worked together to support this. Some of the key areas of resulting from the pilot are as follows:
- A consolidated document of children's information
- The schools being able to extract information easily
- Practical information to support settling the child
- Supporting the transition process for SEND children
- A stronger focus on the prime areas
- Supporting accurate judgements
- Parent friendly language
- Developing partnership working
The result was revised transition documentation and processes, and the secure sending of documentation.
Do providers have to adopt the new transition document and secure email solution?
We recommend that the new document, process, and secure email solution is adopted across our providers. We can achieve this through collaborative effort. The revised format has been adapted with a number of benefits outlined in the FAQ above (Why has the transition process changed?).
We do understand that for some settings this may be a large change. We have had some providers in the pilot that have opted for a phased approach to transition. They adopted the revised document and process for a small number of children, keeping the legacy processes for others. This helped their teams with the change. It is not a requirement to adopt the revised process. However, it is a proposed solution as it supports settling and school readiness for children transitioning from Harrow providers to school. This includes childminders.
How do I send the finalised transition document to the parent?
Please ensure that you send the Word document to the recipient school. This will support reporting on the data fields that you have completed.
Where do parents sign, to send a transition document to the appropriate school?
Parents of funded children will have signed the most recent Parent Declaration Form. This is part of the funding process. The Parent Declaration Form references the Transition Document. This can be found under the types of information shared section. Included in that section is a Privacy Notice. By checking it, providers are confirming that the parent has reviewed it as part of the Parent Declaration Form.