Page 73 - PSPS: A Training guide

By using this unit as part of your training to support transitions, you will be able to
understand how and why:
Joining the dots between a child’s (temporary) place of living/new home,
preschool and new school environments is key to making their transition
successful and enjoyable

The importance of creating accessible and inclusive spaces for all children

Parents/carers and families need to be visible and welcome in both the
preschool and school environments for a child to feel welcome.

Identifying Needs

In migrant and culturally different families, both children and their parents/ significant
adults may have additional challenges when the child is starting the primary education.

Children may have inadequate or no skills for communication in the language of tuition
and feel completely confused, scared and isolated (see Unit 4). Some may have a
better grasp of the official language than their parents and may be forced to play an
interpreter role which can make them stressed and ashamed. Some children from this
group have never attended any organised educational setting and do not understand
what may be expected from them. And some may have different fears and other
emotions as a result of the situation they and their families have left behind (i.e., fear of
separation, fear of losing a sibling or a parent, not knowing where they are and missing
siblings and parent etc.) All these emotions can greatly impact the child’s ability to
settle in a new school and class easily.

In different cultures, different styles of communication are used
between a child and an adult, a parent and a teacher, and a child
and a teacher. In some cultures, parents/carers find it important
to frequently communicate with teachers and inquire about their
child’s progress, but in some cultures, teachers are respected and
valued in such a way that any inquiry about the child’s progress
would be unacceptable and perceived as contesting teacher’s
capacity and competencies to teach children properly.
Teachers and other relevant professionals need to learn, understand and recognise
these different styles in order to establish a close relationship with a child and with
their parents/ significant adults. In some cultures, caring about a child, including their
education, is solely a mother’s task, and in some cultures, the expectations for a boy
differs significantly from the expectations for a girl in school. Teachers need to
understand such differences and prepare themselves for addressing them in a
culturally acceptable way for both children and their parents/carers.