In recent years, extensive work has been carried out globally to make kindergartens, schools and other education institutions more inclusive. Unfortunately, problems can arise when learners move from one education setting to another. These transition periods are often when learners drop out of education, especially if they find their new school is not as welcoming, supportive or enjoyable as the school they just left.
Bridge of Hope Armenia has recently published a very helpful guide on how to make transition from early years education to primary education more inclusive and supportive. The guide is called Transition Guidance to Support Smooth Transition from Pre-school Institutions to Primary School.
The advice provided can easily be adapted to suit the education system in other countries. It can also be adapted to give us ideas for smooth transition of learners between higher levels of education.
The guide is an output from a Bridge of Hope project focusing on improving transition experiences. The project evolved following Bridge of Hope’s collaboration with EENET on our UNCRPD Article 24 project. While we were investigating progress towards Articles 24 and contributing to the UNCRPD consultation for the General Comment on Inclusive Education, we realised that the issue of transition was not well researched and documented. Consequently, Bridge of Hope carried out some action research on the topic. This led to the development of their transition project in Armenia and ultimately to the preparation of these new guidelines.
The online version of the guidelines is a low-resolution PDF document (4MB). If you require a high-resolution version (24MB) for printing, please contact EENET.