Informing Transitions in the Early Years

Aline-Wendy Dunlop University of Strathclyde Aline-Wendy has taught in the university sector since 1993: first at Moray House Institute of Education in Edinburgh and from 1996 at the University of Strathclyde where she is a Professor and Chair of Childhood & Primary Studies in the Department of Childhood and Primary Studies. Her very varied teaching experience over 23 years in schools and the community included home visiting, training education staff in residential childcare, teaching SNNEB students, working with parents, special educational needs and mainstream early education. She is Lead Co-Director of the National Centre for Autism Studies. Her main areas of current research interest are leadership in early education, special needs, social interaction and understanding in autism, the empowerment of families of very young children, continuity and progression for children in educational transitions and training for professionals in the field of autism. She has been an international research conference chair, is an invited keynote speaker at a range of conferences, and is published both in early education and in autism. Hilary Fabian The North East Wales Institute Dr Hilary Fabian is Head of Education and Childhood Studies at The North East Wales Institute. She has taught young children in the London Boroughs of Hillingdon and Harrow, in Buckinghamshire, in Shropshire and with the Service Children's Education Authority in Germany. Since 1991, she has worked in the university sector, first at The Manchester Metropolitan University where she was course leader for the Early Years Continuing Professional Development programmes, then at The University of Edinburgh and, since 2000, at The North East Wales Institute. She has an MSc degree in Education Management where her dissertation explored staff induction. Her PhD thesis, books and journal publications reflect her interest in educational transitions, particularly children starting school, children transferring between schools and the way in which induction to new settings is managed.

• 1 Informing Transitions - Hilary Fabian 2 Transition competence of the child’s social system - Wilfried Griebel & Renate Neisel 3 Social worlds - The construction of different identities within an early childhood centre: A case study. - Rosina Merry 4 Horizontal transitions. What does it mean for children in the early school years? - Inge Johansson 5 Parent involvement in the transition to school - Christine Clarke 6 Children’s Voices on the Transition from Preschool to Primary School - Jóhanna Einarsdóttir 7 Transitions in children’s thinking - Stig Broström 8 Understanding and supporting children - Kay Margetts 9 Children’s transition to school: Changing expectations - Sue Dockett & Bob Perry 10 Expectations and effects of curriculum change as viewed by children, parents & practitioners - Maggie Stephenson & Margaret Parsons 11 Conclusions: Bridging Research, Policy & Practice - Aline-Wendy Dunlop