Achievement Challenge Two: Strengthening our sense of belonging through enhanced transitions: Developing key strategies to ensure successful transitions into, between and within ECE, primary, secondary, and tertiary/workforce as well as between levels within ECE, primary, secondary and tertiary

In order to develop a shared understanding of what effective transitions look like for the Inglewood Ākonga, we would like to see purposeful interactions between ECE’s, tumuaki and cross community kaiako. This would include enhancing current practices that we know are already effective. We also know that enhanced transitions are about both akōnga achievement and well-being.

Research shows us that improved well-being has a direct influence on akōnga achievement. From New Zealand literature on transitions, ERO identified 12 aspects that indicate students have made successful transitions (Peters, 2010), (Kennedy and Cox, 2008).

Students feel that:

• they belong in their new school, and are well included in school activities and programmes

• they are positively connected to their peers, other students in the school, and to their teachers

• their teachers know them, including their strengths, interests and learning needs, and show they are interested in them

• they are understood and valued as a culturally located person

• they have a sense of purpose in being at school

• they have an understanding and commitment to their learning pathway through their schooling and beyond

• they are making progress

• their current learning follows on from their previous learning (the curriculum is connected and continuous) and is appropriately challenging

• learning is interesting, relevant and is fun

• their families have been included in decisions

• they are physically and emotionally safe

• they have opportunities to try new, exciting things and/or extend their particular skills/interests (eg, through extra-curricular activities).

Many akōnga are apprehensive about moving into new environments and it is at these points that there is a negative impact on achievement. Purposefully minimising this impact will influence achievement positively.