This report presents the findings of a sub-study on transitions undertaken as part of the
Effective Pre-school, Primary and Secondary Education 3-14 (EPPSE 3-14 project) a
major longitudinal study investigating the influence of pre-school, primary and secondary
school on children’s cognitive and social/behavioural development in England. The
transitions sub-study of more than 500 children and families sheds light on current
transition practices and highlights what helps and hinders a successful transition. It
takes into account the influence of child and family background characteristics such as
socio-economic status (SES) and gender. It suggests how the transition experience
could be improved to enhance the smooth continuity between primary and secondary
school.
By adopting a mixed methods approach, the study investigated the issues related to
transition for four distinctive groups: Local Authorities, children, parents and schools.
Officers in six Local Authorities were asked about the way transition was dealt with in
their Authority. Children in their first term at secondary school completed a
questionnaire on their thoughts and experiences of transition, and the study also sought
their parents’ opinions in order to illustrate the whole family’s experience.
Finally, there were twelve case studies selected from the respondents of the
questionnaire because of their positive experiences of transition. These involved
interviews with the children and their primary and secondary teachers. This provided
further details of the systems in place that support the transition processes between
school phases.
The sample was drawn from children and families in the wider EPPSE project. 1190
children from the EPPSE sample made a transition at the end of the 2005-06 academic
year. Responses were received from 550 children (a 46% response rate) and 569
parents (a 48% response rate) from across England drawn from 6 Local Authorities
(Shire County, Inner London borough, Midlands/Metropolitan region, East Anglia area,
and two authorities in the North East). Children were recruited to the case studies using
stratified selection to get a balanced mix by region, gender, socio-economic status (SES)
and ethnicity. A wide range of data, already available from the main EPPSE study was
used to complement the analyses