Effective transition for pupils with additional barriers

Learn how to provide strong and supportive transitions for pupils who are disadvantaged, known to social care or may face other barriers. Get tips on how to help your key transition points (big, medium and small) go smoothly.

Last reviewed on 15 January 2026
Ref: 52827
Contents
  1. What we mean by ‘transition’ and ‘pupils with barriers’
  2. ‘Big transitions’: between schools and settings
  3. ‘Medium transitions’ between year groups, key stages or staff changes
  4. ‘Micro transitions’ during the school day

What we mean by ‘transition’ and ‘pupils with barriers’

A 'transition' is any change of setting, environment, expected behaviours, or relationships.

This could include:

  • Big transitions from primary to secondary or from one school to another
  • ‘Medium transitions’ between key stages or year groups (within the same school) or staff changes (e.g. a new teacher starting mid-year) 
  • ‘Micro transitions’ within the school day, e.g. between lessons or from the classroom to the playground where behaviour expectations change

This definition came from our inclusion expert Sara Alston.

What we mean by ‘pupils with barriers’

This article focuses on effective transition for pupils who:

We refer to these