Skip to content
Be You home
  • Get started
    • Pre-service educators
    • Educators
    • Leaders
    • Action Teams
    • Support existing priorities
    • Register your learning community
    • Be You for VET
    • Education Voices
  • Learn
    • Mentally Healthy Communities
    • Family Partnerships
    • Learning Resilience
    • Early Support
    • Responding Together
  • Resources
    • Mental health services and support helplines
    • Suicide Prevention and Response
    • Mental Health Continuum
    • Sessions and Events
    • Programs Directory
    • Responding to natural disasters
    • Bushfire Response Program
    • Tools and guides
    • Educator wellbeing
    • Cultural Actions Catalogue
    • Disability Inclusion Guide
    • Fact Sheets
    • Coronavirus support
  • About
    • History of Be You
    • Organisations involved
    • Evidence base
    • Stories
    • FAQs
    • Privacy collection statement
Register or Log in
  • Get started
    • Pre-service educators
    • Educators
    • Leaders
    • Action Teams
    • Support existing priorities
    • Register your learning community
    • Be You for VET
    • Education Voices
  • Learn
    • Mentally Healthy Communities
    • Family Partnerships
    • Learning Resilience
    • Early Support
    • Responding Together
  • Resources
    • Mental health services and support helplines
    • Suicide Prevention and Response
    • Mental Health Continuum
    • Sessions and Events
    • Programs Directory
    • Responding to natural disasters
    • Bushfire Response Program
    • Tools and guides
    • Educator wellbeing
    • Cultural Actions Catalogue
    • Disability Inclusion Guide
    • Fact Sheets
    • Coronavirus support
  • About
    • History of Be You
    • Organisations involved
    • Evidence base
    • Stories
    • FAQs
    • Privacy collection statement
  • Register
  • Log in
  1. Development

Transitions in learning communities

The transition to a new learning environment is a major event in a child or young person’s life.
Two educators at a desk in a classroom looking at some pieces of paper together.

What are transitions?

Transitions are periods of change and continuity.

They are a period where children and families must adapt to new circumstances, expectations, people, environments and routines. Transitions are an important time to consider continuity between environments, expectations and relationships. 

The transition to a new learning environment usually brings changes to a child or young person’s relationships, physical and social environments and daily routines. Transitions also bring challenges and opportunities for social and emotional learning. 

This is also a time where educators, schools and early learning services adapt to their new entrants, and respond to their needs. 

While education transitions bring exciting opportunities, some children and young people, and their families, can find these changes stressful. Ideally, learning communities start to prepare for a transition in the year (or years) before the change. 

  • Impact of transitions in education

    For some children and young people, change is stressful.

    Transitions in education require children and young people to adapt to new circumstances. The experience is different for everyone, and some children and young people, and their families, need extra support. 

    There are many ways that educators and families can support children and young people make positive transitions to early learning services and schools, including by identifying when support is required, and how to access and offer support. 

  • Types of transitions

    These are some common type of transitions in learning communities:

    • Transitions for babies and toddlers
    • The transition to early learning settings: ages 3–5.
    • The transition from early learning settings to primary school.
    • The transition from primary to secondary school.
    • The transition from secondary school.

    Children and young people also experience transitions throughout their day, with children in early learning settings experiencing room transitions, transitions during care routines, supported self-care and end-of-day to home transitions. These fact sheets provide information on how educators can support children, young people and families at these times, including those experiencing difficulties.

  • References

    Educational Transitions and Change (ETC) Research Group. (2011). Transition to school: Position statement Albury-Wodonga: Research Institute for Professional Practice, Learning and Education, Charles Sturt University. Retrieved from https://arts-ed.csu.edu.au/education/transitions/publications/Position-Statement.pdf

Resources

  • Transitions in learning communities (374 KB, PDF)

Last updated: March, 2023

Quicklinks

  • Get started
    • Pre-service educators
    • Educators
    • Leaders
    • Action Teams
    • Register as an individual
    • Be You for VET
    • Education Voices
    • Register your learning community
  • Learn
    • Mentally Healthy Communities
    • Family Partnerships
    • Learning Resilience
    • Early Support
    • Responding Together
  • Resources
    • Mental health services and support helplines
    • Suicide Prevention and Response
    • Sessions and Events
    • Programs Directory
    • Responding to natural disasters
    • Tools and guides
    • Educator wellbeing
    • Cultural Actions Catalogue
    • Disability Inclusion Guide
    • Fact Sheets
    • Coronavirus support
  • About
    • About Be You
    • History of Be You
    • Organisations involved
    • Evidence base
    • Stories
    • FAQs
  • Delivered by
    • Beyond Blue home
  • In collaboration with
    • Early Childhood Australia home
    • Headspace home
  • Funded by
    • Australian Government Department of Health home
  • Follow us

    • Facebook
    • Twitter
    • Youtube
    • LinkedIn
  • Contact us
  • Terms of use
  • Privacy
  • Privacy collection statement

Copyright © 2023 Australian Government

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander flags

Be You acknowledges the Traditional Owners of the Land on which we work. We pay our respects to Elders past and present, and extend our respect to all Elders and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples across Australia.