ABSTRACT
This chapter focuses on special groups of children, whose characteristics put them at risk for a more difficult transition. These are children with special needs, who mature earlier than their peers and who are an ethnic minority. UK ethnic minority children have also had problems with social adjustment at transition. In Glasgow feeder schools, ethnic minority children reported similar hopes. Children are thought of as having special educational needs (SEN) if they have a learning difficulty which sets them apart from their peers, or a disability which hinders their learning. The needs of SEN children are managed by the school's special educational needs coordinator (SENCO), and by learning support assistants (LSA), who are their primary go-to person in lessons. Teachers can help vulnerable children by creating a school environment that embraces cultural, intellectual and physical differences. This may require whole school interventions that highlight personal differences such as maturation and SEN, and teach about stereotyping and its negative effect.
