Question reference: S6W-04122
- Asked by: Ross Greer, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Green Party
- Date lodged: 12 November 2021
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Current status: Answered by Clare Haughey on 25 November 2021
Question
To ask the Scottish Government what consideration it has given to allowing for early years centres to adopt a system of year group-based transition between stages, as an alternative to what is understood to be the current policy of age-based transition.
Answer
All children and young people have an entitlement to a learning journey which they experience as a coherent whole, with smooth and well-paced progression to best support their individual experience and outcomes. There is no national guidance which states the pace or time at which a child should transition through the stages of their ELC journey, and it is for individual settings to determine arrangements for moving children between stages depending on the needs of each individual child and their setting’s circumstances.
The Care Inspectorate’s new draft inspection framework includes guidance on how transition experiences will be inspected and states that where possible children should be supported to transition when it is appropriate for them to do so, rather than based upon their age.
The national practice guidance for the ELC workforce, ‘ Realising the Ambition: Being Me’, has a full chapter on transitions which highlights the importance of positive well managed transitions for children’s development. It helps practitioners to plan and support child centred transitions with children and their families at the heart of all decision making.