Early Years Transition, Made Simple
A single platform where PVIs, nurseries, child minders, primary schools and local authorities share structured early years transition data. Every child arrives at school feeling known.
Nursery to early years transitions are broken
Every September, four and five year olds start reception at schools that know almost nothing about them. The EYFS transition from early years settings to primary school is handled with phone calls, paper forms and PDFs, and children fall through the cracks.
SEND children lose weeks
Children with EHCPs, speech and language needs, or undiagnosed concerns need their receiving school ready on day one, not discovering issues in week three from an unread PDF attachment. SEND transition failures put vulnerable children at risk before the school year has even begun.
Preschools drown in paperwork
Practitioners spend weeks on handwritten transition forms and spreadsheets instead of children. The nuance of knowing a child, their triggers, friendships, needs, disappears into a tick box.
Primary schools fly blind
Teachers receive early years transition data late, or not at all, in inconsistent formats from dozens of feeder settings. The first weeks become data gathering, not settling in.
Local authorities have no visibility
LAs are responsible for early years quality but have no way to see whether transition data is being shared, whether it is complete, or whether vulnerable children are being prioritised.
How StepIntoSchool fixes early years transitions
One secure platform connecting every nursery, primary school and local authority, with structured transition data shared digitally before September.
The Digital Pupil Passport
Every child gets a comprehensive digital record covering SEND status, development, school readiness, safeguarding and family voice. Preschools complete one passport per child. Receiving schools access it before the child arrives.
- Structured EYFS data across nine categories
- SEND section with SENCO contacts, primary need and support levels
- Pupil voice and parent voice captured through booklets and questionnaires
- Safeguarding flags, LAC status and child protection plans
Priority Support for Vulnerable Children
Children with SEND, safeguarding concerns or other flags automatically group into the Focus Cohort, shared with receiving schools first. Nothing falls through the cracks. Complete audit trail for Ofsted readiness.
- SEND transition data prioritised and shared before September
- Multiple concern flags per child: SEND, safeguarding, behaviour, attendance
- Focus cohort shared with receiving schools ahead of general cohort
- Flag actioning workflow tracks every concern to closure
Local Authority Oversight That Works
Live dashboard showing every setting's engagement, data completion rates and flag counts across the whole authority. Evidence base for Ofsted inspections of SEND services. Export data, drill into individual nurseries, quality-assure records before they reach schools.
- Track every setting's last login and completion rates
- Authority-wide transition summary across all feeder nurseries
- Export to CSV for quality assurance and reporting
- Evidence base for Ofsted inspections of LA SEND services
What changes for your authority
One platform for every stakeholder
StepIntoSchool connects the people who matter most in early years transitions.
For Preschools and Nurseries
Complete one digital pupil passport per child instead of different forms for different schools. Capture the nuance that paper forms miss: voice notes, parent questionnaires and development observations.
- Bulk CSV upload sets up the entire cohort in minutes
- 30-second voice notes capture soft intelligence
- Visual progress tracker shows passport completion
- Focus cohort auto-identifies SEND and flagged children
For Primary Schools
See every incoming child's complete passport before September. Filter by SEND status, flag type or vulnerability to plan interventions early, not reactively in week three.
- Unified view of all feeder nurseries in one dashboard
- SENCO filtering surfaces children who need support
- Flag actioning workflow tracks every concern to closure
- Works alongside SixIntoSeven from a single login
For Local Authorities
Live oversight of every setting's engagement, data completion and flag counts. Export data, drill into individual nurseries and quality-assure transition records before they reach schools.
With Ofsted now scrutinising SEND transition quality as part of wider inclusion inspections, LAs need an evidence base that demonstrates the process is working. StepIntoSchool provides a complete audit trail showing which settings engaged, when, and how comprehensively, giving your team a defensible record before any inspection.
- Track every setting's last login and completion rates
- Authority-wide transition summary map
- Export to CSV for reporting and quality assurance
- Evidence base for Ofsted inspections of SEND services
- Audit trail for governance, risk management and compliance
- Defensible record of SEND transition practice for inspection readiness
For Families
Parents fill in a questionnaire about their child's needs, routines and personality. Children create transition booklets with drawings and stories. Families are part of the process, not shut out of it.
Research consistently shows that children who feel known and expected start school with greater confidence. StepIntoSchool ensures receiving schools have the family context before the child walks through the door.
- Parent questionnaire captures home context and concerns
- Child's voice through transition booklets and drawings
- Professional and family perspectives sit side by side
- Every child arrives at school feeling known
- Supports Ofsted emphasis on parental engagement and belonging
Built for the early years transition
Every feature in StepIntoSchool is designed to make the early years transition faster, safer and more complete, from the first pupil passport entry to the final flag closure.
Digital Pupil Passport
A comprehensive digital profile for every child, covering general information, SEND status, development matters, school readiness, safeguarding and a summary, plus uploaded documents and voice notes.
- SEND section with SENCO contacts, primary need and support levels
- Pupil voice and parent voice captured through booklets and questionnaires
- Safeguarding flags, LAC status and child protection plans
- Attendance patterns for 15-hour and 30-hour sessions
- School readiness data aligned to the DfE Starting Reception Guide and EYFS developmental milestones
Focus Cohort and Flag System
Children with SEND, safeguarding concerns or assigned flags are automatically grouped into the focus cohort, ensuring vulnerable learners are transitioned first with the attention they need.
- Multiple concern flags per child: SEND, safeguarding, behaviour, attendance
- Focus cohort shared with receiving schools ahead of general cohort
- Flag actioning workflow tracks every concern to closure
- Complete audit trail for Ofsted readiness
LA Preschool Progress Report
A powerful oversight dashboard showing every setting's engagement, data completion rates, flag counts, SEND status and key cohort statistics, with the ability to export data or drill into individual settings.
- Track every setting's last login and completion rates
- Transition summary map across all feeder nurseries
- Export to CSV for quality assurance and reporting
- Evidence base for Ofsted inspections of LA SEND services
Everything you need for early years transitions
Transition Dashboard
At-a-glance overview of focus cohort stats, flag counts, attendance and school allocations
Focus Cohort ID
SEND, safeguarding and flagged children auto-grouped for priority transition
Deadline Timeline
LA-agreed submission deadlines displayed on dashboard
Simple Registration
Add children in seconds: DOB, name, optional school dropdown
Bulk CSV Upload
Upload an entire cohort from a CSV template in minutes
Pupil Passport
Comprehensive structured record covering SEND, development, school readiness and safeguarding
Custom Questions
LAs and schools define assessment statements for consistent, comparable data
SEND Data Section
SENCO contacts, SEND type, primary need, support levels and context
Flag System
Assign multiple concern flags per child: SEND, safeguarding, behaviour, custom
Development Matters
Track progress across key EYFS developmental areas
School Readiness
Key skills and behaviours from the DfE Starting Reception Guide
Safeguarding Records
Current and historic concerns, LAC status, child protection, shared securely
Document Upload
EHCPs, record cards, transition booklets, uploaded into each passport
Voice Notes
30-second audio insights from practitioners who truly know the child
Parent and Child Voice
Questionnaires, booklets, drawings: families are part of the transition
Progress Report
Visual checklist of passport completion, flags and outstanding items
School Dashboard
Unified view of all incoming children from every feeder nursery
SENCO Filtering
Filter by SEND status, flag type or characteristics for intervention planning
Flag Actioning
Review, plan interventions, close flags with a clear audit trail per child
SixIntoSeven Integration
Toggle between early years and Year 6 to Year 7 transitions from one login
LA Progress Report
Every setting's engagement, completion, flags, SEND status: exportable and drillable
Give every child the transition they deserve
The early years transition happens once for every child. There are no second chances to get it right. StepIntoSchool makes sure you do not leave it to chance.
Frequently asked questions
What is StepIntoSchool?
StepIntoSchool is a digital early years transition platform designed to manage the transition from early years to primary school. It replaces paper forms, emails and phone calls with a single, structured system where early years settings, primary schools and local authorities share and access early years transition data in one place.
Who is StepIntoSchool for?
StepIntoSchool serves three main user groups: early years settings (nurseries, preschools, childminders) who enter transition data, primary schools (reception teachers, SENCOs, headteachers) who receive and act on it, and local authority early years teams who oversee the early years transition process and ensure vulnerable children are prioritised.
What is a pupil passport?
The pupil passport is a comprehensive digital record for each child, completed by their early years setting. It includes sections for general information, SEND status, development matters, school readiness, safeguarding and a summary, plus uploaded documents and voice notes. The receiving primary school sees the complete passport before the child arrives.
How does StepIntoSchool support children with SEND?
StepIntoSchool has a dedicated SEND section within every pupil passport, capturing SENCO contact information, SEND type, primary need categories, support levels and context. Children with SEND are automatically included in the focus cohort, meaning their SEND transition data is prioritised and shared with receiving schools first.
What is the focus cohort?
The focus cohort is an automatically generated group of children flagged for priority attention, typically those with SEND, safeguarding concerns or other assigned flags. These children's passports are submitted to receiving schools ahead of the general cohort, giving primary schools more time to prepare interventions and support.
Is StepIntoSchool GDPR compliant?
Yes. StepIntoSchool is fully GDPR compliant. Data is stored securely on UK-based servers. Pupil Pathways holds ISO 27001:2022 certification, Cyber Essentials Plus and is a Government Commercial Agency (GCA)s approved supplier, meeting the procurement and security standards required by local authorities.
How long does a pupil passport take to complete?
For a child with no additional needs, the passport can typically be completed in 10 to 15 minutes. For children with SEND or safeguarding concerns, settings may spend longer, but the structured format means the process is faster and more consistent than paper-based alternatives.
Can we pilot StepIntoSchool in a small area first?
Yes. Many local authorities choose to pilot the platform with a cluster of settings before rolling out authority-wide. This allows you to test the process, gather feedback from practitioners and build confidence before a full launch.
Can we use StepIntoSchool alongside SixIntoSeven?
Yes. Schools that already use the SixIntoSeven platform for Year 6 to Year 7 transitions can toggle seamlessly between both tools from a single login. The interface is consistent across both products, so there is no additional learning curve.
How does StepIntoSchool support Ofsted inspection readiness?
StepIntoSchool provides a complete audit trail of early years transition activity across every setting in your authority. LAs can demonstrate which nurseries engaged, when data was submitted and how comprehensively, giving inspection teams a defensible evidence base for SEND transition quality. The platform supports compliance with Ofsted expectations around SEND oversight, safeguarding data transfer and parental engagement.
What school readiness data does StepIntoSchool capture?
The pupil passport includes a dedicated school readiness section aligned to the DfE Starting Reception Guide and key EYFS developmental milestones. This gives receiving schools a structured view of each child's readiness for the transition to school, alongside development matters observations from their early years setting.
