Transition - an article written by Louise Collingwood-Ellis featured in the latest copy of School House

Louise Collingwood-Ellis has featured in this months School House magazine all about transition to school at 4+ and again transition on at 7+ and the wholistic approach we have at The Villa to support families.

For a toddler, nursery is a place of safety and fun. And as parents, we see it as a place to learn but also a place to play. But what happens when big school looms, and how do nurseries support not just the child, but also the parent in managing the enormous transition? Well, building trust starts even before the nursery doors open. ‘From the moment we receive a registration for a child entering nursery, we organise a home visit and settling in sessions with both parents and child,’ says Amanda Willis, Head of Hoe Bridge Nursery and Pre-Prep in Woking, Surrey. ‘We begin building strong and trusting relationships so that we know both parent and child well.’ This close relationship is, she says, fostered throughout nursery all the way up to starting Pre-Prep. How about choosing that all-important next school? Well, many will have put names down at birth or have a very clear idea as to what school will best suit their child, but rest assured, no matter to which environment they’re heading, they will be well-prepared. ‘We send children to other private schools, as well as our own and to state schools,’ says Louise Collingwood-Ellis, head of the Villa School Nursery and Pre-Prep, in South East London, whose motto is ‘A small school with a big heart’.

She adds: ‘Quite a few come to our Prep school. It used to be that all children in the nursery would get a place, but we are so over-subscribed that we’ve had to move towards an assessment model.’ This isn’t unusual, especially in London schools, where places at good schools are hotly competed for. ‘We aren’t asking the children to do a big exam,’ reassures Collingwood-Ellis. ‘They are only three years old.’ She says that the nursery focuses on the personal, social and emotional side of development, because it gives children an understanding of self and the resilience to do assessments, rather than hothousing them academically. ‘Some schools assess far more heavily than the Villa, and we prepare them for those slightly more stringent situations. However, we’re not just coaching, we’re also setting them up for their future.’ As an aside, she says that the assessments are generally great fun, ensure that children aren’t stressed, and often involve a biscuit. ‘At the end of the day, schools want their pupils to love learning and to come to school buzzing about the fact that they’re going swimming or doing gardening.’ And working on their emotional resilience, their risk-taking and their self-regulation are building blocks for future learning.

Amanda Willis says that all of their nursery pupils enter Reception at Hoe Bridge, and this means that preparation for the next step is simpler. ‘Throughout that whole year we take groups of children into the Reception area, and especially the outdoor area, where they’re working alongside Reception children, and mirroring some of their activities, learning social skills, independence and looking at early literacy and numbers.’ Teachers in Reception spend quality time with nursery children so that they are familiar with their friendly faces once they start in the autumn term. ‘We do a big moving on day, where they spend a morning in the new classroom, working with their new teachers.’ Pupils feel enthused and excited. Communication with parents is of course key throughout. ‘We give nursery parents lots of information about children’s learning and the reason why they do what they do, and how it builds skills and confidence for the future,’ says Willis. ‘So, for example, if they are doing fine motor control activities, such as threading, we explain how this is helping strengthen dexterity in their fingers, ready for early writing. Our play isn’t just play. It’s purposeful play, and it’s building foundational skills for reception so that they are fully prepared and equipped with the tools they need to further develop.’ Hoe Bridge also delivers information evenings for parents at the beginning of reception, talking through procedures, expectations and how parents can support their children at home. Plus there is an open door policy. ‘We take great pride in our triangular approach, where we work very closely with the parent, the child and the school to ensure each child has the very best educational journey.’

This communication weaves throughout a child’s schooling, as there are many stages to go through. ‘We go back to handholding with parents when it comes to moving up to Prep school,’ says Louise Collingwood-Ellis. ‘We have a very tried and tested, solid route for the seven-plus process, for example, and that is to collaborate with the parents at every stage. We update with data reports twice a year, we have one to one meetings with myself, and we also have an open door policy.’ Recognising the individual child is key, she says. ‘We have very bespoke homework packs, support and prep, tailored both to the child and to the school the parents wish them to attend.’ She says that they guide parents. ‘I have excellent relationships with head teachers, and we are very honest about where their child sits within any assessment process. The next school is a discussion that develops over time.