Talking Transitions

The award winning ‘Talking Transitions’ project aims to ensure that all children starting their journey to ‘Big school’ across the ABSS areas and Southend, experience as smooth a transition as possible.

Talking Transitions brings Early Years settings, Primary Schools and Family Centres together, to focus on your child’s communication and language development and their emotional wellbeing through this important time.

The project creates fun experiences and activities that focus on children’s emotional wellbeing and their speech, language and communication development as they get ready to start school.

Who is Part of it?

There are a select number of schools in Southend taking part in the Talking Transitions project for 2024. See the list below to see if your child’s school is part of the project, or click here to read the letter from the team.

If your little one’s new school is listed, the school will invite you and your child to join them for a fun packed ‘Talking Transitions’ event before the start of the summer holidays.

Southend’s Family Centres will also be supporting your child’s move to ‘big school’, by hosting Talking Transitions events over the summer holidays. They’ll invite groups of children and families (who will be starting the same school as your little one), to these events, so that they can start to make friends with their new classmates, even before school officially starts in September. Look out for these invitations!

Click here to view the school's taking part in 2024

Blenheim Primary School and Nursery
Edwards Hall Primary School
Fairways Primary School
Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Primary School and Nursery
Leigh North Street Primary School
West Leigh Infant School
Sacred Heart Catholic Primary School and Nursery
Hamstel Infant School and Nursery
Chalkwell Hall Infant School
Bournes Green Infant School
Earls Hall Primary School
Milton Hall Primary School
The Westborough School
St Helens Catholic Primary School
Barons Court Primary School and Nursery
Hinguar Primary School and Nursery
Thorpedene Primary School and Nursery
Richmond Avenue Primary School and Nursery
Bournemouth Park Academy and Nursery
Temple Sutton Primary School
Prince Avenue Academy and Nursery
St Mary’s Prittlewell C of E Primary School
Greenways Primary School

All About Me Chatter Challenge

One way parents and carers can help little ones with their chatter is to take part in the annual Chatter Challenge. Even if your child’s new school is not listed above when they leave their current setting they will be given an ‘All About Me Chatter Challenge’ for them to do over the summer holidays.

The Chatter Challenge is a 30 day challenge which takes place during August with fun, easy and free activities to do with littles ones that gets them chatting before they move up to ‘big school’.

Download and print your own Chatter Challenge here

Click here

Click here to view the All About Me Chatter Challenge Activities

Day 1: Why not start your day the happy way and sing a favourite song? You could sing ‘If you’re happy and you know it clap your hands’….

Day 2: Choices, choices … Would you rather have a pet dinosaur or a pet bee? Would you rather fly high like a bird or run fast like a cheetah? Would you rather jump in a puddle or jump in the mud?

Day 3: Draw a picture of yourself with a big happy smile on your ‘All About Me’ bag

Day 4: Today is the 4th day of August! Why not go for a walk and see how many number 4s you can spot?

Day 5: Talk about all the things you can see from your window. What was the best thing you saw?

Day 6: Talk about your favourite place to be. If you could go there now, who would you take with you?

Day 7: Visit your nearest playground. Can you find the slide or swings? Talk about how you move – fast, slow, high, low!

Day 8: Which toy makes you feel happy? Draw a picture of it on your ‘All About Me’ bag

Day 9: Why not visit your nearest park or go outside and point to the tallest tree, the smallest leaf and the prettiest flower?

Day 10: Find something beginning with the first sound of your name – pop it in your ‘All About Me’ bag

Day 11: Try a new food day! Go on, have a taste and tell someone if you liked it. Was it delicious? Was it crunchy, slippery or chewy? Was it sweet, sour or savoury?

Day 12: Today why not find a space to lie back and watch the clouds go by? Do the clouds look like anything to you? A face?
An animal …. or something else?

Day 13: Why not have a listening moment today? Stop and listen… What can you hear?

Day 14: Find a special place to share a story, inside or out. Will it be un- der a tree? Snuggling on a sofa? Where will it be?

Day 15: Pop a family photo in your ‘All About Me bag’. Haven’t got a photo? No worries – why not draw your family onto your bag

Day 16: Why not have a practice walk to school? Talk about your route and all the interesting things you pass on your wa

Day 17: Draw a map of all the interesting things you see on your way to school and pop it in your ‘All About Me’ bag

Day 18: Today is hide a toy day! So hide your favourite toy, can your grown up find it?

Day 19: When you’re next out and about you might like to find a special stick… What will it be? A stick friend? A magic wand? Or, a fishing rod?

Day 20: Good morning, time to get up! When getting dressed tell your grown up what you need to put on first and last!

Day 21: Name five things you might find at the beach or park. If you visit those places, can you find them?

Day 22: Think about your new school and chat with someone about its name, your new teacher, your uniform and what you’re looking forward to doing when you go to school – exciting!

Day 23: Treasure hunt day! Find something that is furry, something scratchy and something smooth and pop them in your ‘All About Me’ bag to take to your new school to share what you’ve found.

Day 24: What’s your favourite story? Tell it to a grown up! Can you act it out?

Day 25: Can you find something small that makes you smile? Talk about it with your grown up and pop it in your ‘All About Me’ bag!

Day 26: Sunny or rainy, inside or out, why not treat your toys to a picnic? Tell them all about the foods that make you happy. What do you think they would like to eat?

Day 27: Make a nature bracelet! Ask a grown up to wrap some tape, sticky side facing out around your wrist. Then when out and about, stick interesting petals, leaves, feathers and other nature treasures on to it. When you’re home, talk about what you have collected.

Day 28: If you were a super hero, who would you be and what would your super powers be?

Day 29: What colour makes you happy? Why not draw a rainbow on your ‘All About Me’ bag? Remember to include your favourite colour!

Day 30: Build a den or cave for you and your favourite toys to snuggle up in and share a story..

Day 31: Practice getting dressed in your new school uniform. Yippee! Ask your grown up to take a picture to share with your family and friends…Don’t you look smart!

Information for School Staff and Early Years Settings Staff

The Talking Transitions project has three main aspects:

1. Learning together – Provides opportunities for feeder settings and schools to share and build on their existing knowledge and expertise regarding children’s SLC development. This is achieved through the 10 week accredited Elklan SLC training course for 3-5’s which is jointly delivered by health and education (Lynsey Weston Sian Ansell the EY Communication Specialist Teachers and Isobel Wratislaw Highly Specialist SLT)
2. Working together – Offers opportunities for ‘Thrive Time’ conversations. Members of each individual satellite come together to focus on the children who will be leaving their early years settings to start school and share an overview of children’s likes and dislikes, their strengths and challenges regarding their development, especially their communication and language needs. This ensures that successful strategies supporting children’s needs are shared so that the children’s new teachers know each of the children, and are ready to welcome them when they start.
3. Being together – The project brings primary schools, pre-schools, day nurseries, childminders, children, and their families together through a variety of fun and engaging activities. These activities are designed to highlight the importance of supporting your little one’s communication and language development throughout the 6-week summer holiday!

Contact Details

If you have any questions please contact: Sian Ansell: sian.ansell@cityfamily.org.uk or Lynsey Weston: lynsey.weston@cityfamily.org.uk

Tips to help you and your little one to feel confident, happy and ready for 'big school'

Your new school team might invite you to:

Visits: Schools will invite you and your little one to come and visit the new class and meet their new teachers. Many schools now have virtual tours to watch at home together to help your little one become more familiar with their new surroundings and encourage them to talk about starting school.

Getting to know you sessions: The Reception Class teachers from your little one’s new school may visit their early years setting, so that they can join your little one in their play, share stories and get to know them before they start school.

Have-a-go sessions: You will be invited to join various fun-themed activities hosted by your little one’s new school, offering you the chance to experience a little flavour of early years learning.

Family lunches: School lunches can be really scary for little ones, a noisy hall, strange smells and new tastes. If you are invited, why not join your little one for a lovely lunch experience helping them to feel more confident about lunch time!

On our way to school: Practice your new route to school. During the summer holidays, help your little one become familiar with their new journey to school, whether by foot, bike, car, bus or train encourage your little one to look out for familiar landmarks, and say things like “First we pass the post box, then we cross the road …”

More information about how to find a primary school

Your little one will start school the year they turn 5, usually in the September before their 5th birthday. If you are looking for a Southend school and would like more information about the application process click here.

Tips for thinking about which school you’d like your little one to join

• You can contact schools and arrange a visit in the Autumn term before your child starts school and before you have to get your application in to the school admissions board which is usually early in January.
• By visiting a school you begin to build up a good picture of how each school runs and where you see your child being happy.
• You know your little one better than anyone else so which school will be best for them? Gather as much information as possible to help make your decision.

Useful Links

Short film ‘Going to Nursery School and Making New Friends’ – why not watch this with your little one before they start at their new early years setting.

How can I help my child cope with change?

For more information including ways to chat, read, sing and play from bump all the way to age 4 explore our communication and language pages.

Click here