1. Ready or not, here I come: exploring the transition to and early experiences of Primary School Paul Bradshaw 14 th September 2012

2. 1 Overview Background to the report Findings on: Entry and deferral Transition to school Parental involvement Summary and conclusions

3. 2 Thermometer sheet Hot/warm Points that have obvious relevance to your practice, make sense or have the ring of truth Cold/warm Points that leave you unconvinced, unable to see the relevance, feeling uneasy or just surprised

4. Background to the report 1.

5. 4 Background Primary Schools play a key role in children’s lives Well placed to identify need for and deliver support Significant review and revamp of Scottish school education in last decade CfE just one of a range of policies which has changed schools and the delivery of education

6. 5 The purpose of GUS “To generate, through robust methods, specifically Scottish data about outcomes throughout childhood and into adulthood for children growing up in Scotland across a range of key domains: Cognitive, social, emotional and behavioural development Physical and mental health and wellbeing Childcare, education and employment Home, family, community and social networks Involvement in offending and risky behaviour Such data will encompass, in particular, topics where Scottish evidence is lacking and policy areas where Scotland differs from the rest of the UK.”

7. 6 Study design: overview National sample capable of analysis by urban/rural, deprived/non-deprived and other sub-groups of interest Sample drawn from Child Benefit Records Good coverage Some limitations Three cohorts: Birth cohort 1: 5217 children, born 2004/05, aged 10.5 months at the 1 st interview Child cohort: 2859 children, born 2002/03, aged 34.5 months at the 1 st interview Birth cohort 2: 6100 children, born 2010/11 aged 10.5 months at the 1 st interview

8. 7 Ages and stages Child’s ageCohort/Year of data collection Child cohortBirth cohort 1Birth cohort 2 10 months2005/062010/11 Age 22006/07 Age 32005/062007/082013 Age 42006/072008/09 Age 52007/082009/102015 Age 62008/092010/11 Age 82012/13 Primary 6 (Age 10)2014/15

9. 8 Sources of information 10mthsAge 2Age 3Age 4Age 5Age 6Age 8P6 BC1 & BC2 BC1CC, BC1, BC2 CC & BC1CC, BC1, BC2 BC1BC1 (& BC2?) Main carer Partner Child Ch. height & weight Cognitive assessmts Health records School records Interviews

10. Early experiences of Primary School: Content overview Entry to school School choice and school characteristics The transition to school Parental involvement in school activities Information from and contact with teachers and the school Attendance and absence Additional support needs Practical arrangements Satisfaction with the school Parental aspirations and attitudes to schooling

11. Summary of findings 2.

12. Entry and deferral 13% of children had their entry deferred. There were no significant differences in deferral by key parental socio- economic characteristics. 53% 47% automaticdiscretionary deferrals Deferrals in lower income groups were more likely than for those in higher income groups to be related to health or developmental issues or based on advice received from the child’s nursery.

13. % deferred by month of birth

14. Entry and deferral 13% of children had their entry deferred. There were no significant differences in deferral by key parental socio- economic characteristics. 53% 47% automaticdiscretionary deferrals Deferrals in lower income groups were more likely than for those in higher income groups to be related to health or developmental issues or based on advice received from the child’s nursery.

15. The transition to school Four key concepts were examined: Parental perceptions of the child’s readiness for school ‘Transition’ or preparation activities by the school or parent The child’s adjustment to school in the first few months How well they coped with change in learning style and environment

16. Perceptions of child’s ‘readiness’ Five statements: I was worried that [child] would find being apart from me too difficult I was concerned that [child] would be reluctant to go to school I felt that [child] was able to mix with other children well enough to get along at school I believe that [child] understood enough about taking turns and sharing to manage at school I was worried that [child] was not independent enough to cope with school

17. % agreeing with statement by child’s gender

18. School readiness score by age at entry and pre-school readiness Age at school entryPre-school readiness score

19. School readiness by SDQ and cognitive ability scores Measure Perceived School Readiness Score Average or above Below average Mean SDQ Total Difficulties Score6.58.5 Mean Problem Solving Ability Score84.081.7 Mean Vocabulary Ability Score111.2107.3

20. School preparation activities Visited school without the child Visited the school with the child Asked nursery or school for advice Got info about preparing child from school Got info about preparing child from nursery Practiced reading with child Started teaching child to count Practiced writing letters with child Chatted to child about what school is like Talked enthusiastically about starting school Found out what the child would learn Started teaching child alphabet Warned child they’d have to behave Visiting the school Sought or received advice about preparing Practiced reading, writing or numbers Talked to child about school 90% 87% 86% 92%

21. % of parents reporting different numbers of activities

22. Mean number of activities by parent’s highest qualification

23. Child’s adjustment to school How often the child had: Complained about school Said good things about school Looked forward to going to school Been upset or reluctant to go to school

24. % doing at least once a week

25. Managing the learning transition Questions related to: The pace of learning Perceptions of how the child was adapting to school [Child] was happier with the way he learned things in nursery [Child’s] teacher knows him well and gives him just the support he needs [Child] has adjusted easily to the way they do things in school

26. Pace of learning All children% saying “Too fast”

27. Adjustment to learning

28. Summary and conclusions 3.

29. 28 Summary and conclusions For most children and their parents, early Primary School experiences are positive For some, particularly those in more disadvantaged circumstances, the experience is less positive Deferrals related to health or developmental issues more common for children with lower SES Children with lower SES perceived to be less prepared for school and to experience fewer preparation/transition activities Both social, emotional and behavioural development, and cognitive ability appear to have a bearing on how successfully the child is perceived to have made the transition

30. 29 Questions for discussion What findings were most relevant, made sense or reflected what you know/expect? Was anything surprising, alarming, unusual or irrelevant? What are the implications of these findings? What else could be explored using GUS data that would be relevant for your practice?

31. 30 Visit our website and sign up to our newsletter: www.growingupinscotland.org.uk Follow us on twitter: @growingupinscot Email us: lesley.kelly@crfr.ed.ac.uk, GUS Dissemination Officer For further information