ABSTRACT
This chapter considers several educational transitions, each occurring at different stages of the educational journey. It focuses on contextual factors that shape these transitions and which might also create other turning points. The chapter suggests that school can be viewed as a community of practice, with established rules, routines and practices to adjust to. It looks at the things that children are typically worried about when they start secondary school, concerns about relationships with other children, being bullied, finding their way around, getting lost, homework and workload are the most frequently reported in studies carried out in different countries. The chapter highlights how the context around child and their personal circumstances impact on their transition. The timing and nature of transition is therefore socially and culturally constructed – affected by changing politics, educational policies and locally available provision. The cultural significance and school attention attached to particular educational periods can give the unintended message that other transitional stages are unimportant.
