TCELT research seminar with University of Manchester - June 2023

This research seminar will draw on Charlotte’s team’s evaluation of Transition 5-7, which is a universal, class-based nine-week universal support intervention to develop children’s awareness and ability to cope with the multiple changes experienced over primary-secondary school transition.

The evaluation followed a mixed-methods approach, combining both qualitative process and quantitative outcome intervention evaluation. The outcome evaluation found children in the intervention condition to show a sustained increase in Transition Excitement and decrease in Transition Worries across time, which had a statistically meaningful impact on Emotional Wellbeing. The need for a more systemic approach to primary-secondary school support provision, which is gradual, has a distinct delivery, and follows a skills-based curriculum, was discussed in the process evaluation.

Transition 5-7 makes a unique empirical contribution in demonstrating the need for primary-secondary school transitions provision to take a preventative as opposed to a curative approach and begin early in Year 5, and the viability and success of implementing emotional-centred support intervention in practice. This has direct implications for educational policy and practice. Further conceptual and methodological implications for future research are also discussed. 

The Team

Dr Charlotte Bagnall (the project Principal Investigator), is a Lecturer at the University of Manchester. She is interested in applied psychology of education research, specifically how to support children’s emotional wellbeing over primary-secondary school transition.

Liz Stevenson is a Consortium Partner for Birmingham Education Partnership, a new role within the School Improvement Team working with schools across the borough of Birmingham. Liz previously worked as the Transition Manager for Sandwell Council.

Dr Nick Garnett is a Senior Lecturer at Keele University. He is interested in applied psychology of education research, with a specific interest in intervention science and statistical analysis.

Dr Darel Cookson, is a Lecturer at Nottingham Trent University. Her key research interests are social psychology, specifically our identities and relationships with others. She also has a keen interest in education intervention research.  

The project was also supported by Research Assistant Frederick Jones, a 3rd year student studying on the BSc Educational Psychology programme at the University of Manchester.