Every school publishes details about how it will support pupils with SEND and most children with SEND can be taught in mainstream schools.

When you are choosing a mainstream school you should find out:

• what experience the school has with children that have similar needs and what their strategies are and how they have been effective

• what the special educational needs policy is

• how the school's SENDCo passes information about the children to teaching staff

• how would your child be supported in class

• how you would be involved in your child's progress and development

Starting school can be an anxious time for children and parents, especially if a child has special education needs. But with planning and support from the professionals involved with your child, the transition can be a positive experience.  Here are some helpful tips about what you can do to help: 

Visits: (these could be by virtual means) ensure that your child gets the opportunity to visit the school and become more familiar with the surroundings. This might be done by a video tour - many schools are using technology to show young children their new environment. The tour might include the classroom, cloakroom, playground…meeting the teachers and key staff is also important at this point, either virtually or face to face. 

Transition meeting (this may be virtual):  Parents/carers, class teacher and early years setting should arrange a Transition Meeting in June/July. This is an opportunity for everyone to talk and find out about your child so that support and adjustments can be put in place to ensure a smooth, happy transition.  It is also a good time to plan the handover of any paperwork, resources and equipment that would be helpful to the child at school. 

Talk to your child about school and what will happen there.  The school may have a short video tour of the school on their website for you to look through together during the summer term and school holidays. Or you could create a book of photos or a Transition Passport, which your Early Years Setting, School or Inclusion Practitioner may help you to make. Alternatively, you might like to load photos onto a tablet to swipe through. You could wander past school as you are out and about. 

If your child will be wearing a new uniform in September, allow your child to try it on and allow them to become familiarity with it.  The same applies to new school shoes, bag and equipment such as, a lunch box, drink bottle and pencil case. 

Visuals: Calendars are useful visuals; you can cross off the days until school starts (an example calendar can be found in the resources link for you to print and use if you wish). This can help children with anxiety and provide a count down and timeline. 

Help your child with their independence skills such as dressing, undressing, eating, drinking and toileting where possible. Your Health Visitor, Early Years Practitioner or Inclusion Practitioner could help you with this. Remember that all children develop at different rates, so just work on the next step that is appropriate for your child. 

Communication skills: if your child has received support from a Speech and Language Therapist then they will have recommended relevant support strategies for you child, and this practice should continue and be shared with school.  You should also show the new school any communication aids your child is using (eg: PECS). 

If you would like to talk to someone who can give advice and guidance about transition support please call the Milton Keynes Council, SEND Support Line on 01908 657825 between 9.30am and 3.30pm weekdays or email  on SENDSupport@milton-keynes.gov.uk 

All emails have been sent out for phase transfers. If you experience any issues, please contact EHCP@milton-keynes.gov.uk

Information to support young people transitioning can be found on our supporting your transitions page.

Transitions can be an anxious time for parents and their child or young person, in order to support with transition, parents’, educational staff and any other relevant professionals involved with the child or young person should work together to ensure that the correct support is provided.

It may be helpful to consider the following to support transitions:

• Transition meetings can be held to discuss the individual needs of the child or young person and what strategies are supportive. It allows the team around the child to come together to ensure a smooth transition.
• Sharing the child’s SEN Support Plan / EHCP, outcomes, and any additional relevant information
• Regular visits to the new setting
• A photo book of the setting and key staff members to look at over the summer holidays may be helpful
• The opportunity to meet key members of staff
• A visual timetable

Please find further information to support transitions:

• Supporting learners with autism during transition (autismeducationtrust.org.uk)
• Transitions (autism.org.uk)
• Looking after your young person’s health into Adulthood

National Autistic Society transition helpline:

The transition support helpline/case work service provides advice and support to young autistic people and their families on making the transition from school, further or higher education to adult life.

You can access the service here.

Phase Transfer:

For all children and young people with Education, Health and Care (EHC) plans in Early Years, Year 2 and Year 6 it is the local authority’s statutory duty (where a child/young person is not in an all through educational setting) to secure an appropriate placement for their next phase of education. In order to achieve this, we work with the parents/ carers and the appropriate future setting from when the child/young person is in Year 1 and 5. Read about how we do this in our phase transfer guide for parents and carers.

The EHC Service will contact parents/carers to ask them for their next school preferences and to complete the online Phase Transfer form. Consultations with schools will then take place and parents/carers will be notified by 15 February in the calendar year of the transfer into or between schools. For example for children starting or transferring school in September 2024, parents would be notified by 15 February 2024

Professional Phase Transfer Process - for professionals working with children and young people in early years and Years 2, 6 and 11

Transitions can be a challenging and exciting time for children and their families. We have a variety of resources to support with the transition from an early years setting to children starting school for the first time.

• top tips for parents to support their child starting school 
• my inclusion plan provides a holistic view of the child, this can be completed in partnership with the setting, parents, pupil voice and through observations of the child. Please note this inclusion plan is not accessible as it is intended for print purposes only.
• a countdown calendar may be supportive, to mark off the days until your child starts school
• it can also be helpful for new staff to know who is important to the child, this template could be completed with the child 
• some children respond well to being able to visually see what their week looks like; we have created visuals to support show what days of the week a child is at preschool / school and what days they are at home
• a moving classroom passport or transition booklet may be supportive in preparing children for the transition from pre-school to school
• Supporting learners with autism during transition- information from Autism Education Trust 
• Transition guide for early years settings 

Occupational Therapy Resources

Milton Keynes Children and Young People’s Occupational Therapy Team support children and young people (CYP) who have significant difficulties with everyday functional skills due to a physical, motor or sensory-based need that impacts on their independence and ability to participate in everyday activities. 

The Occupational Therapy website has an assortment of resources for pre-school children and school children 

• resources available on their website to support with planning and organisational skills 
• activities to support early years children with two-handed activities   
• developing fine motor skills 
• support with mark making and pre- writing skills 
• information on supporting children with feeding and toileting

Further information

• The Speech and Language Service Schools Team have detailed their offer of support 
• Contact - for families with disabled children
• Young Minds - Transition Tips For Pupils With SEND
• Foundation Years -  Council for Disabled Children toolkit
• NASEN -  Early Years Training and Resources
• Early Years Alliance - Managing Transitions

Please note some of the above documents are not accessible as they are intended for print purposes only.

Moving from primary school to secondary school is an exciting time, for many children and their families it can also be a daunting experience. We have a variety of resources to support our children as they transition to their secondary school.

• my inclusion plan - provides a holistic view of the child, this can be completed in partnership with the child, parents, and school 
• transitions checklist for SENDCos: primary to secondary - a checklist for SENCo's to support with preparation for secondary 
• Supporting learners with autism during transition - information from Autism Education Trust 
• a Calendar to countdown - may be supportive, to mark off the days until your child starts school
• Young Minds Year 6 transition activities – activities to support year 6 as they get ready to move on to secondary school
• Young Minds supporting school transitions - advice to support with school transitions
• General tips for organisation for school – A document from OT detailing how to support with organisational skills and a Secondary readiness checklist
• Anna Freud Moving up! The transition to secondary school - This animation and accompanying teacher toolkit is aimed at supporting pupils who have recently started Year 7, or are due to start soon.
• Compass also have advice and support for parents and carers of young people transitioning to secondary school 

Please also find a variety of editable transition documents to complete with the child and to share with their new school

• primary to secondary passport
• transition project idea
• editable secondary school transition booklet template

Occupational Therapy Resources 

Milton Keynes Children and Young People’s Occupational Therapy Team support children and young people (CYP) who have significant difficulties with everyday functional skills due to a physical, motor or sensory-based need that impacts on their independence and ability to participate in everyday activities. 

The Occupational Therapy website has an assortment of resources:

• fine motor skills 
• GM skills and dressing
• Improving concentration and attention 
• Information on new school 
• Strategies to help in PE lessons
• Organisation advice for older children
• Occupational Therapy preparing for secondary school 

Please head over to our Post 16 page for information and support for post 16.

If you have moved into Milton Keynes and have a child with SEND needs, please liaise with the school and share information about your child or young person’s needs and the strategies of support that can be implemented.

The majority of children and young people with SEND will be supported within their mainstream school through The Graduated Approach. Read more about how your child can be supported.

Some children, with more complex or long-term needs that are impacting on their ability to access learning and develop independence, may require an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP).

If your child already has an EHCP, please find further information here.

For more information, please visit our page about the support available for your child in school.

Most children with an EHCP will attend their local mainstream school. Some parents/carers of children with an EHCP may feel that their complex needs may require a special school or unit. For more information, read our guidelines for special schools criteria.

• if your child doesn't have an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP) then you apply for a primary school place in the same way as other parents

• if your child has an EHCP then the school that has been named in their plan must offer them a place - if you are unsure if a school is suitable for them, you can talk to your named officer

• if your child is being assessed for special educational needs then you should follow the standard process - if you do not apply for a place and your child does not get an EHCP, you may miss out on a place at one of your preferred schools