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Nursery to P1 Transition Practitioner

School Appoints Early Years Transition Practitioner

The High School of Dundee has created a brand-new role, devoted to helping children negotiate one of the most important steps in their education.

Early Years Transition Practitioner

In January 2022, HSD Nursery Early Years Practitioner Nikki Stewart became the School’s very first Early Years Transition Practitioner, a post which has been created to help children make the crucial jump from nursery to primary 1.

Working closely with class teachers in P1 and with Nursery staff, Nikki’s focus has been to ensure that the step up for every child is as smooth and seamless as possible and the role is unique in being dedicated to the management of the transition process. One of our existing Nursery staff, Miss Rachel McGarrity, is covering the role of Early Years Transition Practitioner while Nikki is on maternity leave.

The Transition Practitioner works in both the High School of Dundee Nursery and in the School’s Early Years classes across each session, supporting children in the transitionary period in the latter half of their pre-school year and the early months of P1.

As well as enhancing the transitional experience for children moving from the School’s Nursery into L1, this role provides additional support for pupils moving to L1 from external nurseries, and ensures that any High School of Dundee Nursery pupils who are going on to other schools are ready and prepared.  

"Taking our little people to a big place"

Planning, developing and extending learning for children in conjunction with the class teacher; accompanying school staff when they visit children in external nursery settings and supporting these children when they visit the school or nursery; and accompanying children for transition visits to other schools, are all part of the role.

Early Years Transition PractitionerMrs Julie Rose, Head of Early and Junior Years explained “We took the decision to create this role because of the importance of ensuring that every child can build upon their nursery experience, and have as smooth a start as possible in school. Our goal is to support children to take the step between nursery and school through a planned, safe and nurturing approach. These early years are a crucial period to establish firm foundations for holistic development and the optimum wellbeing of a young person, so the value in having a role that is devoted to ensuring that each child receives the best transition experience possible cannot be overstated.

“Being able to make the move to school with a member of staff they know and love, will, we hope, ease some of the concerns that parents and children can naturally have about changing environments.”

Making the move from nursery to P1 is a huge step in a child’s life, and it can be both exciting and a little daunting for them. The best way to describe it is, taking our little people to a big place.