As we approach the end of another academic year, my thoughts turn to the significant transitions many children and young people in our care will soon face. Whether moving between year groups, key stages, or starting a new school, these moments can catch us unprepared while our attention is absorbed by the present.
For our youngest children, starting “big school” is often their most monumental transition. While many four-year-olds are accustomed to daily routines at nurseries or childminders, the shift to Reception is still profound. The emotional and practical preparation required cannot be underestimated. A smooth transition from nursery to Reception helps lay a foundation for lifelong success, while a difficult one demands significantly more investment to help them settle.
Speaking as a CEO with thirty years in education, I can still vividly recall my own first day at school—the noise, unfamiliar adults, large spaces, and throngs of children. As an only child, even queuing for lunch felt strange. Yet I was fortunate. I settled beautifully, thanks to the care, attention, love, and devotion of my Reception Class Teacher, Miss Wharton. Her kindness, reassurance, and provision of safety and security were paramount. She sat with me at lunchtime, kept my mother informed, and provided the security I needed. I adored her, understanding then and now the profound importance of a child’s first teacher and the power of connection.
Reception teachers and primary schools are skilled at managing these transitions. Using strategies such as home visits, key worker systems, transition booklets, stay-and-play sessions, and parent meetings, they build confidence in families. But above all, their success truly comes from fostering genuine relationships with families—a palpable understanding that the teacher desires the very best for the child. A smile, empathy, a kind word, or even a reassuring hand can settle both child and parent, turning apprehension into trust.
My daughter Phoebe’s experience mirrored these ideals. Her school’s combination of clear communication, high expectations, opportunities for involvement, and a welcoming culture provided the foundation for seven happy, strengthening years. Crucially, the school’s culture welcomed questions and highly valued the home-school partnership. That wonderful reception teacher set expectations for subsequent years, which were consistently met.
In my time as a headteacher and now as the CEO of a Primary Trust, I’ve seen how profoundly primary experiences shape a child’s developing character and self-identity. While teaching core subjects is vital for knowledge and skills, pastoral support is often the most defining. For our most vulnerable children and families, I’ve witnessed unbreakable bonds between home and school, where the arms of the entire community have embraced them. In my view, this is the essence of schooling: protecting society’s most vulnerable and ensuring equal opportunities to thrive.
When it comes to the transition from primary to secondary school, the challenge is no less important. In some ways, it is even more crucial to get it right for both school and family. I remember when Phoebe moved on. She went from being dropped off and collected at the playground to a 7:00 AM bus departure and 5:00 PM return—a logistical upheaval we expected her to manage after just a summer holiday.
At times, primary colleagues may feel that secondary schools do not offer the same level of pastoral care. I have felt this frustration myself. But to understand that it’s not primary leadership’s role to critique the immense challenges our secondary colleagues face. It’s not our place to deem their family-centred pastoral approach inferior. Many primary schools, including my own, invest tremendous effort, time, and resources in supporting, nurturing, and protecting our pupils. The shock then hits everyone when the secondary environment “isn’t the same” as the primary.
Whether we serve in EYFS, primary, secondary, or special education, we share a common mission: to help pupils develop into independent, capable individuals. Perhaps we in primary need to better understand what our secondary colleagues are doing to promote independence and holistic child development so we can work together to support a smoother transition.
Primary school days are, for many, some of the happiest of their lives. I am proud to have played a small part in nurturing tomorrow’s brilliant young adults. As we look ahead, I hope to continue making the transition to Year 7 smoother by fostering a deeper understanding of the culture, resources, and intentions of our secondary colleagues.
Ultimately, we all work to teach, guide, support, and care for the children entrusted to us. Age is no divider. In the end, we’re all working toward the same goal: to help every child grow, learn, and thrive.
Garry Ratcliffe, CEO