Roles and Responsibilities

ELC and Primary School Practitioners

Positive transitions are a shared responsibility of parents and carers, ELC and Primary school staff, each valuing the expertise and crucial role that all have to play.

  • Facilitate open and child led discussions, in a safe and supportive environment, to allow children to express their thoughts, feelings, and questions about transition.
  • Create time for dialogue with children, parents, carers, colleagues, and relevant agencies to gather information about the child’s learning and development.
  • All relevant information (medical, Child Protection chronologies, Speech and Language (SLT) input, Educational Visitor (EV) and Health Visiting (HV) and Allied Health Professionals (AHP) involvement, should be transferred with the child to the new setting.
  • Respect issues of confidentiality when sharing information in line with data protection legislation.

For children entering ELC, create a Personal Plan for each child within 28 days, to meet the health, safety and welfare needs of the child as set out in the Scottish Statutory Instrument 210 The Social Care and Social Work Improvement Scotland (Requirements for Care Services) Regulations 2011. This plan must be reviewed at least every six months and more frequently where appropriate and should include any strategies to meet children’s transitional needs.

  • Acknowledge and take account of individuals’ skills and prior learning, making effective use of Personal Learning Portfolios/Electronic Journals, which should reflect the action planning from the Personal Plan and inform transitions throughout the day and be used to effectively support continuity between providers and stages.
  • All practitioners have a responsibility to meet the planned outcomes for children, contained within Personal Plans, Individual Education Plans (IEPs), and Child’s Plans.
  • Ensure a supportive, nurturing ethos.

Develop an appropriate learning environment which provides for children’s interests, needs and which supports progression.

  • Primary School Practitioners take the lead, involving all stakeholders, to support and plan an Enhanced Transition Programme for children with Additional Support for Learning Needs, during the transition from ELC to Primary School. If the transition is from Home to ELC, the lead role should be taken by the ELC Manager.
  • Plan a programme and timeline for the transition process and any specific activities and meetings.
  • Develop a shared understanding of Experiences and Outcomes, Curriculum for Excellence across the Early Level.

Practitioners must ensure relevant risk assessments for visiting children and adults are undertaken and ensure that:

  • a robust signing in and out procedure is in place,
  • that visiting adults are never left alone with a child or group of children, and
  • that visiting adults are not left unsupervised in the toilet area and can only assist with their own child.

In the event of a child not settling after two weeks and the parent and carer continues to support their child, the parent and carer will require to register as a volunteer (see the updated Volunteer Policy and the Protection of Vulnerable Groups (PVG) Guidance for Schools 2025).