A major review of Australian and international research has found that making preschool and primary school feel as similar as possible may be only part of the story. Some degree of change, it turns out, is not just inevitable, but valuable.
The Australian Education Research Organisation (AERO) released a new research summary this week. Their study, Continuity and discontinuity between early childhood education and care (ECEC) and school, drew on a rapid review of 67 Australian and international studies. The study comes out just as schools and early childhood educators are planning transition days for children due to start school in 2027.
Change is not the enemy
The evidence does not support treating all discontinuity between early learning settings and primary school as a problem to be solved.
"We've long assumed that if we make preschool and school feel as similar as possible, children will cope better with the move," said AERO chief executive officer Dr Jenny Donovan.
"What the evidence tells us is more nuanced, and more reassuring. New environments, routines and teaching and learning approaches bring new challenges that help children to adapt and build independence over time, so long as they have the support to navigate it."
One Australian study reviewed by AERO found that children often describe differences between preschool and school — new routines, new activities, new expectations — as opportunities rather than obstacles.
The key factor is not the degree of similarity between settings. It’s whether children feel they belong in their new environment and whether the relationships around them are strong.
Who needs more support
The summary identifies groups of children who may need more targeted support. These include children with additional learning needs or disabilities, those from low socio-economic backgrounds, and children from culturally or linguistically diverse communities, including First Nations students.
What this means for schools
AERO's practical guidance centres on five priorities for educators and teachers:
- Build relationships between children, peers and adults in the new setting
- Involve families early in the process
- Foster collaboration between early childhood and primary school educators
- Practise cultural responsiveness
- Identify children who may need additional support before they arrive
The report frames transition not as a single event but as a process that unfolds over months. AERO's 2022 discussion paper on measuring effective transitions reached a similar conclusion: a child's sense of belonging is central to a successful start.
"Talking to children about what will be different as well as what will stay the same — and flagging children who might need extra support — can help set kids up for a positive start to school," Dr Donovan said.
For school leaders and early childhood educators planning for 2027, the message from AERO is clear: the goal is not a seamless handover, but a supported one. Belonging, built through relationships and responsive practice, is what makes the difference.