The Service Children Transition Project
This research examines the transition experiences of Service children in England, highlighting key challenges, inconsistencies in school record transfer, and examples of effective practice. It also proposes the RELAYS digital portfolio model to support smoother, more child-focused transitions.
This research project provides insights into the experiences and support needs of Service children in England during school transitions, through interviews with both school leaders and parents. The first aim of the research is to capture a snapshot of transition challenges for Service children, their families, and their schools, while also capturing gaps in provision as well as evidence of existing good practice.
The second aim is to offer a conceptual model for developing a digital portfolio that will provide more complete information about Service children transitioning between different educational settings. In summary, the project involved six interviews with senior leaders from six schools, three secondary and three primary, and eight interviews with parents who had experienced recent school moves with their children.
The findings highlight the significant academic, social-emotional, and administrative challenges that highly mobile Service students face, as well as the critical importance of schools taking a comprehensive, flexible, and relationship-focused approach to supporting them. While limited by our small sample size, the findings also support the conclusion that in the absence of statutory guidance or more comprehensive legislation, there is an inconsistency of school approaches to record transfer during school-to-school moves. Drawing on the data, we propose a digital portfolio model (the RELAYS model) that can build on existing good practice in a way that offers a more comprehensive, child and family-focused approach to transition.
Access the full report below.
