Talking about School Transition (TaST): an emotional centred intervention to support children over primary-secondary school transition

Abstract

ABSTRACTTransitions are an unavoidable part of life, often conceptualised as ‘make it or break it periods’. They are important for personal growth and learning but can also be damaging in terms of our psychological wellbeing. Primary-secondary school transition is no exception and can heavily draw on children’s ability to cope. However, support for children that pays attention to their feelings about the transfer is often lacking. Very few interventions focus on developing children’s emotional resilience. There are also problems with the sustainability of such interventions. Thus, the present emotional-centred intervention, Talking about School Transition (TaST), aims to narrow this gap. The evaluation of the intervention is ongoing and will be reported in a separate publication. Following an introduction of the limitations in supporting children’s emotional well-being over primary-secondary school transition within schools, this paper provides details of the TaST intervention, including a brief description of the lessons’ content. Attention is given to the design of the TaST intervention and how preliminary research, in combination with psychological theory and existing research, have informed the intervention content. The proposed research has short-term implications for present participating Year 6 children’s adjustment and provides professionals working in schools with the knowledge and resources necessary to deliver TaST. In addition to this, the research has long-term implications for the field in highlighting the importance of supporting children’s emotional wellbeing over this period.