Skip to content

Explore TapestryExplore

Educators' HubEducation

Tutorials

For Staff

For Relatives
Features
Resources
Parents & Carers
Learn Tapestry

Learning Lab

Demos & Training
FAQs

Try Tapestry for Free

Learning Lab » Tips & Tricks » How Tapestry Helps Support Transitions from Nursery to School

Tips & Tricks

How Tapestry Helps Support Transitions from Nursery to School

June 23, 2025
By Olaya

Pressed for time? Here’s a quick summary

Supporting smooth transitions from nursery to school is key to helping children start school feeling confident, safe, and ready to learn. Tapestry helps educators and families work together through:

Clear, reassuring communication
Practical preparation and familiar routines
Building confidence and personal connections
Collaboration between nursery, school, and home

Tapestry is the bridge between nurseries and schools, helping them set every child, and family, up for success.

Starting school is an exciting milestone—but it can also feel like a big step for children and their families. Supporting smooth transitions helps children feel safe, confident, and ready to learn as they take this next stage in their journey.

At Tapestry, we know that successful transitions take thoughtful planning, open communication, and strong collaboration between families, nurseries, and schools. Our Childhood Education Platform is designed to make this process easier—giving educators the tools to prepare children for a positive start at school.

Here’s how Tapestry can help:

Good communication is key to building trust and helping families feel involved in their child’s journey to school. When parents know what to expect, they can better prepare their children—and children feel more confident as a result.

Tapestry makes it easy to:

Share welcome messages, virtual tours, and introductions to new staff

Upload important information, such as timetables, uniform checklists, and key dates

Encourage two-way conversations so parents can ask questions or share insights about their child

Tapestry tools to elevate your communications:

Memos: introduce your school and staff to families and children. With unlimited media uploads per post, create videos of up to 10 minutes each to provide a warm welcome.

Documents: share key information organised in folders, either with all families or selected groups.

Messaging: provide a secure, instant communication channel that staff and families can access from anywhere.

1. Clear and Reassuring Communication

When families feel informed and supported, children benefit too.

Tapestry screenshot showing Activities as a tool to support smooth transitions from nursery to school

2. Practical Preparation

A little familiarity goes a long way when it comes to new routines and environments. Practical preparation helps children feel comfortable and reduces the anxiety that can come with big changes.

Tapestry helps schools and nurseries:

Share fun, play-based activities that bridge the gap between nursery and school expectations

Provide key documents—like welcome packs and curriculum overviews—so families know what to expect

Post settling-in updates during the first few weeks, reassuring families, and helping them talk with their child about school life

Tapestry tools to get everyone ready

Activities: a growing bank of hundreds of play-based activities created by our Education Team—or add your own to reuse each year.

Documents: upload welcome packs, curriculum overviews, and transition resources for families to access at their convenience.

Messaging and Observations: keep families updated on how their children are settling in.

The more familiar children and families feel, the easier the transition will be.

Every child is unique, and building strong connections helps them settle in with confidence. When teachers understand each child’s interests, personality, and experiences, they can create a welcoming, supportive environment from day one.

Tapestry enables educators to:

Access a child’s learning journey before the school year begins, giving valuable insights into their development and interests

Share observations of friendships, routines, and progress across teams

Encourage families to upload photos, videos, and notes about their child’s preferences and needs—helping teachers build personal connections right from the start

Tapestry tools to build trusting relationships

Learning Journals: seamlessly transfer learning journals between nurseries and schools, giving staff key insights into each child’s journey so far.

About Me: engage families early by inviting them to complete the ‘About Me’ page—helping educators learn about each child and encouraging parents to explore and use Tapestry.

Observations, Reports and Reflections: SLTs and key staff can access these rich sources of information to better understand and support each child’s strengths, needs, and interests.

3. Building Confidence and Connection

A sense of belonging helps children feel ready to learn and grow.

Supporting smooth transitions from nursery to school is most effective when nurseries, schools, and families work together. Strong partnerships ensure that no child starts school as a stranger—and that everyone involved can share valuable insights and support.

Tapestry makes collaboration simple by allowing educators to:

Securely share learning journeys between nursery and school settings

Provide consistent access to reports, assessments, and observations

Work closely with families, encouraging shared responsibility for each child’s success

Tapestry tools to build strong collaborations

Parental Observations: invite parents to share insights from home, either in response to a Tapestry Activity or as spontaneous updates, and build a more complete picture of each child.

Observations, Reports and Reflections: use these tools to adapt your provision and approaches based on each child’s evolving needs and experiences.

4. Collaboration Across Settings

When everyone works together, transitions become smoother and more positive for children and their families.

A screenshot of the Tapestry Observations page, which support transitions from nursery to school

Starting school is not a single moment—it’s an ongoing process that begins long before the first day and continues as children settle into new routines. With Tapestry, nurseries and schools can support smooth transitions from nursery to school by providing consistent, thoughtful, and personalised support at every stage of this journey.

If you’d like to explore further ways to support positive transitions, here are some useful reads from our community:

Ways to ensure children and families with EAL experience a high-quality transition to the next stage of development

Preparing for transition: What can a child expect to experience during the first few weeks of Year 1?

Preparing for good transition from Reception to Year 1

Transitions are a Journey, Not a One-Day Event

Helping children move confidently from nursery to school takes empathy, planning, and teamwork. Tapestry is here to help—giving educators the tools to communicate clearly, collaborate effectively, and ensure that every child begins their school journey feeling supported, connected, and ready to thrive.

A Final Reflection on Transitions from Nursery to School

Olaya

Marketing Copywriter & Digital Analyst

Olaya (pronounced ‘oh liar’ or ‘Oh-Leia’, depending on your love for Star Wars) joined Tapestry in August 2017, having moved to England from the Basque Country in 2014. Shortly after completing her MSc in International Events Management, she found her place among us. After three years on the Product Support team, Olaya is now our Marketing Copywriter and Digital Analyst. Olaya loves reading fantasy and sci-fi and you can often find her climbing walls – literally, not figuratively.

Have you tried Tapestry yet?

Take out a free, no-obligation two week trial today.

Sign up for free

Read More

A photograph of someone holding a tablet and tapping the screen.

Tips & Tricks

How to check if your device can run the new Tapestry app

Follow our step-by-step guides for iOS and Android devices to discover how to check if your device can run the new Tapestry app.

1 October, 2025

Illustration of a practitioner editing a child's schedule in their office, to apply stretched funding.

Tips & Tricks

Managing Stretched and Non-Stretched Funding on Tapestry

Learn how to manage stretched and non-stretched funding on Tapestry, using the Management System.

19 September, 2025

An illustration of two people using some tablets

Tips & Tricks

Printed Journals – Advice for Staff

Find out some useful things to note when relatives want to purchase their child’s journal as a printed book.

18 September, 2025

join our mailing list

Be the first to hear when new features are released!

Stay in the loop

Stay in the loop

Facebook-f Instagram Linkedin Youtube

Quick Links

Tutorials
Features
Resources
Parents & Carers
Parents' Club
Learning Lab
Demos & Training
FAQs

Get In Touch

customer.service@eyfs.info

Security

Privacy Policy
Cookie Policy

© 2026 All Rights Reserved.