A good start for all: Sustaining TrAnsitions across the Early Years Erasmus Project

Project Title

A good start for all: Sustaining TrAnsitions across the Early Years

Project Key Action

This project related with these key action: Cooperation for innovation and the exchange of good practices

Project Action Type

This project related with this action type : Strategic Partnerships for school education

Project Call Year

This project’s Call Year is 2016

Project Topics

This project is related with these Project Topics: Quality Improvement Institutions and/or methods (incl. school development); Inclusion – equity; Early School Leaving / combating failure in education

Project Summary

The analysis of target groups at each location, which were carried out preliminarily, revealed that the following critical issues should be addressed: a) Fragmentation of educational systems at different level (split ECEC systems as well as the split between pre- and primary school) produces discontinuity in pedagogical approaches and practice implemented within such institutions; b) Children are required to make great effort to adapt to a new relational and learning environment during transitions from one setting to another; c) The above mentioned has negative repercussions on children’s learning and socialising experiences which, in turn, have a detrimental impact on their school achievements on the long term; d) Children belonging to vulnerable/marginalised groups are particularly at risk of experiencing negative transitions which lead to lasting relational difficulties and poor educational performance; e) Practitioners and teachers are rarely supported to develop new practices for smoothening transitions.
Due to this background, general objectives of the project were: 1) To ensure a good start in education for all children, by enhancing the quality of ECEC and by ensuring that the benefits of ECEC are carried on to other school education levels; 2) To support teachers in adopting new methods and tools for dealing with complex classroom realities and diversified groups of learners. Within this framework, the specific objectives of the project were: 1) To examine the existing transition practices with different focuses at each project location in order to take into account diversified needs of target groups in each context; 2) To involve teachers, families and local stakeholder in designing innovative practices for smoothening transitions, with special attention paid to the school success of children facing complex situations (e.g. socio-economic disadvantage) and to the engagement of families at risk of social exclusion (e.g. Roma); 3) To increase the competence of ECEC/school professionals by involving them in action-research and experimentation projects, with the support provided by experienced researchers; 4) To promote educational innovation of ECEC and school institutions by experimenting new pedagogical approaches and educational methodologies that support children – especially those who are most at risk of school failure – in facing successfully transition processes; 5) To identify principles of good practices that could contribute to transnational exchange and learning as well as to the improvement of educational policies at local, regional, national and EU level. The partnership consisted of 10 partners from 4 countries – university/research/training organisations as well as ECEC/school institutions: ERI and OS Tisina (Slovenia); UNIBO and DD Vignola (Italy); Pen Green Research Base, Rockingham Primary School, Our Lady of Walsingham Catholic Primary School (United Kingdom); VBJK, Mezennestje Day Care Centre and Kolva kindergarden (Belgium). At the very beginning of the project implementation, there was change in the partnership structure (Studfall Junior School has left the partnership and Our Lady of Walsingham Catholic Primary School has joined the partnership).
Main activities: 1) Research pertaining early years transitions and educational continuity across different settings; 2) Elaboration and experimentation of innovative pedagogical approaches and educational strategies that support children’s transitions along a continuum of learning experiences; 3) Dissemination of the project’s findings and its educational resources, both in national and international debates (practitioner’s conferences, academic and policy-making fora) contributing to the advancement of transitions practices in Europe.
The results: 1) Desk research pertaining early years transitions and educational continuity (Output 1: comprehensive literature review mapping and analysing empirical studies focusing on transitions across home, early childhood settings, preschool and primary school carried out within EU Member States); 2) Development and experimentation of innovative pedagogical approaches and educational strategies for improving transition practices in contexts of socio-cultural diversity (Outputs 2, 3, 4 and 5: in-depth case studies involving research institutions along with childcare, preschool and primary school institutions at each country location); 3) Elaboration and dissemination of detailed guidelines contributing to the advancement of transitions practice in Europe and beyond (Output 6); 4) Elaboration and dissemination of educational resources and training materials (Output 7: Training Kit illustrating some methods that were used in the START professional learning communities for discussing and improving educational transition practice).
The impact is mostly linked to the new pedagogical approaches, educational methodologies and practice-based research tools.

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 337247 Eur

Project Coordinator

PEDAGOSKI INSTITUT & Country: SI

Project Partners

• VERNIEUWING IN DE BASISVOORZIENINGEN VOOR JONGE KINDEREN
• Rockingham Primary School
• OS Tisina
• KInderdagverblijf Mezennestje vzw
• Studfall Junior, Infant and Nursery School
• Vrije Basisschool – Sint-Maarteninstituut
• Pen Green Research Base