We work in partnership with families to support a smooth and positive transition from nursery to Primary 1.

Moving into Primary 1 is an important milestone for children and families. Building strong, trusting relationships is at the heart of our approach, helping children feel confident and ready for this next stage, while families feel informed, reassured and supported.

Our aim is for every child to experience a successful start to school and for every family to feel welcomed, valued and part of our school community.

Our Transition Provision

We plan carefully to ensure a smooth, positive transition from nursery into Primary 1. Our approach takes place across the year and focuses on building confidence, familiarity and strong relationships for both children and families.

Transition begins early, with nursery and Primary 1 staff working together to plan experiences and share important information about each child. This helps ensure continuity in learning, wellbeing and support.

Throughout the year, children take part in a range of play-based transition experiences. These include regular visits to the Primary 1 environment, helping children become familiar with the classroom, routines and wider school.

We place a strong emphasis on relationships. Our Primary 6 pupils become buddies and begin working with nursery children early in the year, helping to build confidence and a sense of belonging. Nursery children are also supported to build connections with current Primary 1 pupils, as they will share the same playground.

Children are supported to:

• become confident in the school environment
• build relationships with staff and peers
• experience learning through play in a Primary 1 setting
• develop independence and readiness for school

As part of the transition process, children attend a three-part transition programme in May:

• Two shorter visits (approximately 1 hour 15 minutes), where children spend time with Primary 1 teachers taking part in classroom activities
• A longer visit (approximately 2 hours 15 minutes), where:
  • parents attend an information session with the Senior Leadership Team while the children are in class
  • children then take part in a “learn with us” session in class with their parent/carer
  • families share a school lunch together

We also place a strong focus on home–school partnership during transition. Families are involved in shared activities and experiences that help children talk about and reflect on their journey into Primary 1. These approaches support children to build confidence, share their voice and feel a sense of belonging within our school community.

Our transition activities are reviewed and refreshed regularly to ensure they remain engaging, meaningful and responsive to the needs of our children and families.

We also use our “What Matters to Me” approach to ensure each child is known as an individual. This is reviewed and shared with Primary 1 staff to support a smooth and personalised transition.

Enhanced Transition

Some children may benefit from additional support to help them feel fully ready for Primary 1.

Where this is the case, we plan enhanced transition arrangements tailored to the individual child. This may include additional visits, smaller group or individual sessions, closer partnership working with families, and involvement from relevant professionals.

Our aim is to ensure every child feels safe, confident and ready to succeed as they move into Primary 1.