Adopted children and the transition from primary to secondary school: an examination of pupil, parent and teacher views This research focuses upon the impact that the transition from primary to secondary school may have on adopted children, and the role schools could play
in supporting adopted children during this time. Questionnaires were sent to adopted children and their adoptive parents: 20 parents and 11 children returned questionnaires. The questionnaires focused on attitudes towards the transition from primary to secondary school, the needs of adopted children compared to other children and the role of schools in supporting adopted children.
Following the questionnaires, a focus group was held with six adoptive parents and then interviews with four secondary school teachers. The interviews and focus groups had seven key areas:
• sharing information
• curriculum issues
• the perceived needs of adopted children
• the transition process
• pastoral support
• homework
• training for schools.
Both parents and children alike felt that adopted children have additional educational needs, particularly around issues of self-organization. However,adoptive parents were often unclear about who to talk to in their child’s school, and how to ensure that information about their child’s adoption was subsequently passed on to all appropriate members of staff. Equally, schools were generally keen to support adopted children, but often had poor channels of communication for ensuring staff were well informed. Additionally, some teachers revealed a lack of awareness regarding the needs of adopted children and the types of support that might be useful. However, where school staff had worked closely with parents and other agencies, such as the Educational Psychology Service and the Post-Adoption Service, parents and pupils reported helpful outcomes. This would suggest that working with other agencies may be particularly useful in enabling schools to gain a better understanding of the needs of adopted children, and allow
them to take a more proactive approach in offering support to these children
