3.1 From home to school

We probably all vividly remember our first day at primary school. The case study below introduces you to Laura and her memories of her first day at school.

Case study: Laura’s first day at primary school

Figure 6 Laura in her new school uniform

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This is a cartoon of Laura dressed in her school uniform: blue blazer, white shirt, red and yellow striped tie, grey skirt, grey socks and black shoes. She is holding a blue and yellow backpack.

Figure 6 Laura in her new school uniform

Laura is 11. She looks back on her experiences of her first important transition from home to school. This was firstly a horizontal transition, as it involved a physical move literally from one place to another. But it was also a vertical transition, as it involved a change of experience, a moving ‘up’ into primary school.

In Figure 7, Laura remembers her first day at school and the feelings she had about being left in a strange setting. Her teacher played an important role in making the transition easier for Laura. The detail with which she remembers the day shows how memorable the experience was to a young child of 4.

Figure 7 Laura’s story

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This is part of a story handwritten by Laura. It reads as follows:

Laura Williams My first day at school

I was 4 years old my mum took me to school I felt very nervous and home sick. My teachers name was mrs little wood, she had brown short hair and looked friendly. She said “Laura sit here next to cara” This is my friend cara who I had to sit next to and I’m still friends with her.

I still remember the first lesson and it was art, we had to draw ourselves. In my painting I am wearing my school uniform for the first time, suddenly it was lunch time and I ate my pack lunch in the class room, when I first started school there was no school dinners but in year 1 on there was school dinners. I started

Figure 7 Laura’s story

For young children, the vertical transition from home to school will most likely also involve a change in carer, such as from Mummy to teacher. For older children, the move from primary to secondary school will also involve changes in routine, such as having to move around the school to different classrooms for all the different subjects being studied. For many children, moving to secondary school can mean a further change in friendship groups, as often children are allocated to different schools depending on catchment areas or by parental choice.

Activity 6 asks you to identify and reflect on transitions in your early life.