Rebecca makes the case for closer collaboration between early years providers and primary schools that share the same site. Drawing on experience at Ormiston Meadows Academy, she highlights that when settings work together on shared routines, language, curriculum links and transition activities, children arrive in Reception far better prepared already familiar with their environment, their peers, and the expectations of school life.
Rebecca identifies three pillars of successful shared provision: familiarisation, consistency and community. She stresses the importance of aligning everyday practices from snack routines to the vocabulary used during free play – so that children don’t have to re-learn norms when they move up. She also highlights the value of joint events and shared assessment approaches, particularly for SEND pupils, and concludes that the benefits of this kind of cross-phase collaboration extend beyond co-located settings, offering lessons for the wider school system.