How to Help Students Move Smoothly from Primary School to Basic School. Finnish Experience

In Finland, the transition of children from preschool education to primary school education and from primary school to basic school is planned in advance. Everyone is involved in the so-called transition period – school administrations, which organize everything, teachers and students who can act as consultants, and parents who get acquainted with transition rules. Each school draws up a clear and detailed transition plan.

BASIC SCHOOL TRANSITION PLAN AND STUDENT WELL-BEING

It is a school principal who is responsible for transferring students. Each school forms a transition team that plans and implements this function. These teams collaborate with school well-being groups – school principal, school health service representatives, psychologist, social worker, teachers for children with special educational needs, education counselor (provides advice on the content of subjects and teaching methods).

In Finland, there are municipalities that have set up a system aimed at supporting the transition.

Every Finnish school has annexes to the school curriculum that contain a school well-being plan. It indicates the general needs for student well-being and available services.

A plan to protect students from violence, bullying, and harassment. It contains detailed explanations of what to do in case of bullying.

Action plan for cases of acute crisis, threats and risk-related situations. Last year, schools updated these plans due to COVID-19 – detailing the steps that the school will take in the event of a new wave of the disease.

Plan for identifying and providing student career guidance and learning advice services. It indicates people in charge of planning visits to primary schools and inviting younger students to basic schools for familiarization.

Every school has teams that prepare these plans.

The student career guidance and learning advice plan should contain the following parts:

• description of the structure, working methods, division of tasks and responsibilities of student counseling staff;
• communication with local multi-professional networks (including, for example, social security and health care);
• how the cooperation between family and school is built;
• cooperation between schools and businesses;
• familiarization with working life in practice.

HOW TO ORGANIZE THE TRANSITION TO BASIC SCHOOL

The transition from primary to basic school requires systematic cooperation between the school that sends children and the school that accepts them (sometimes these are different education levels in the same institution). The information that is transmitted should include information about the educational environment, practices, guidance and support documents: how students were taught, what their strengths are, and what support was provided to them.

Basic school students and parents (guardians) are also involved in cooperation.

In spring, 6th-graders (primary school in Finland lasts from grade 1 to grade 6) visit secondary school. Such visits are organized by teachers working with children with special educational needs, school consultants, and students of the 7th grade-mentors.

It also happens that students from basic school are invited to the lower grades. They share their transition experience. Many schools in Finland train students-tutors who introduce beginners to the basic school and help them adapt faster. This contributes to a soft transition and getting used to new conditions.

Parents of schoolchildren together with their child fill out questionnaires where they write about students’ strengths, support they need, and specify their wishes.

The composition of future 7th-grades is formed by the principal, primary and basic school classroom teachers, and a teacher for children with special educational needs. They take into account languages, religion or ethics that students learn, support they receive, well-being issues, wishes for their friends, etc.

WHAT IS CONSIDERED BEFORE THE TRANSITION PERIOD

Planning for the transition period begins in the fall semester. The principal, a teacher for children with special educational needs and an education counselor inform 6th- graders about basic school.
During the transition from primary school to basic school, teachers are advised to pay attention to the following aspects:

Listen to what students are afraid of:

• How to make friends?
• Is there bullying?
• Is there anything more complicated than what it was in the primary school?
• How long do school days last?
• If I have learning difficulties, can I get support? What will it be like?
• How do school days go, what is the schedule, and how many students are in the classes?

Listen to students’ wishes.

• Can I invite my best friend to the same class?
• Who would you like to be in the same class with?

What a student should know about basic school:

• About the new school culture (that there will be more teachers, subjects, more autonomy and responsibility);
• What are the new subjects, how is education counseling going on, what is the language program, as well as optional language and optional subjects;
• Basics of health, everyday issues;
• That there will be different teachers in different subjects;
• That there is support – a teacher for children with special educational needs, school medical nurse, psychologist, social worker;
• What are student’s duties and responsibilities, school rules and instructions;
• The education will be broader, and the number of areas in which testing will take place will increase;
• That school days are longer than in primary school;
• That basic schools have more parallel classes and new students;
• Social relationships and friends can change;
• What types and criteria of assessment will be applied;
• What extracurricular activities (clubs) are available;
• That there are students-mentors who hold events to make the new school closer, make new friends.

At a parent-teacher meeting in autumn, all planned activities for children during the school year are discussed. In spring, parents receive report cards about their children.

During individual meetings with teachers, parents discuss assessment, school culture, schedules, school rules and instructions, cooperation with families, etc.

EXAMPLE OF AN ANNUAL PLAN TO ENSURE THE TRANSITION
FROM PRIMARY SCHOOL TO BASIC SCHOOL

AUGUST
The school year starts around 10 August.

• Primary and basic school principals, teachers for children with special educational needs, education counselors and primary school teachers update the transition plan.
• They assess how successful the transition was in the previous academic year.

SEPTEMBER

• A basic school principal and/or teachers for children with special educational needs and/or an education counselor visit primary school and tell 6th-graders about school activities/subjects and school culture.
• A meeting for 6th-graders’ parents, which is attended by principals (of both primary and basic schools) and a teacher for children with special educational needs. They talk about school culture, support, skills needed in high school, etc.

OCTOBER

• A teacher for children with special educational needs visits a basic school to welcome the previous year’s students.
• Basic school subject teachers have the opportunity to visit 6th-graders of primary school and get acquainted with the work of the primary school.

NOVEMBER

• 6th-graders, their parents, and teachers fill out a “transition form” that provides information about student’s strengths, learning, work, and behavior.
• Education support documents are updated.
• Assessment meeting between parents and classroom teacher – a basic school teacher for children with special educational needs can participate in the meeting.

DECEMBER

• A transition meeting where classroom teachers and teachers for children with special educational needs from basic school are preliminary informed about students that intend to go to the basic school.
• A basic school teacher for children with special educational needs summarizes the results of students filling out “transition forms”.

JANUARY

• Education counselors meet with 6th-graders and tell them what learning counseling is.
• Final parent-teacher meetings and reminders of what will happen in basic school: primary and secondary school principals, teachers for children with special educational needs, education counselors.

FEBRUARY AND MARCH

• Preparing for distribution between classes in basic school.
• Classroom teachers tell the “welfare group” of the basic school about their students.
• Basic school students-mentors plan a school day for 6th-graders to introduce them to basic school – activities, games, and a joint lunch.
• Next fall, these student mentors will take patronage over the new 7th-graders.

APRIL

• Division between classes, a transition group: principal, teachers, school/student.
• Information about new classes is published.

MAY

• A day to meet basic school and a new class. Basic school students-mentors/ tutors plan and implement the program: activities, group work.
• Primary school teachers meet with the basic school principal and future principal teachers.

SUMMER: June, July

• Medical examination of students by a school nurse in the presence of their parents.
  Next fall/August – school starts.
• During the first days/weeks, the principal, principal teacher, mentors/tutors (students) and the education counselor provide information and introduce new students to the school. There must be a relevant plan.
• New groups (classes) + mentors/tutors + principal teachers go out together several times. This contributes to team building.