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The transition from primary to secondary school comes with changes in both the social- and the school context. This study focuses on assessing the concerns, expectations and experiences of 371 Dutch children making the transition. Data have been collected during four years. Also the effect of information to the mentor at secondary school on the transition is assessed through a blinded experiment. Results show that some children are more vulnerable for a poor transition such as children at special education schools, anxious children, and to a lesser extent, girls. However the results do not show that children who informed their mentor made a better transition. The intervention only has a small effect on the social context.

This study explores the expectations and experiences of the transition from primary to secondary school, using data from 98 Dutch primary education children. We focus on gender differences in the child’s point of view on the ease of transition. The results show that, before the transition, children are mostly worried about the continuity of relationships. Boys mostly think it is important to know someone at secondary school, while girls are particularly interested in the social environment. After the transition most children realise that they have underestimated the social emotional aspect. Many felt unprepared to handle the new social environment independently and were dependent on external support to feel at home at their new school.

For children, the transition from primary to secondary school is sometimes difficult. A problematic transition can have both short- and long-term consequences. Although information from children and their parents about what concerns them can contribute to a smooth transition, this information is rarely shared during the transfer to secondary school. This review examines 30 empirical studies on the effects of interventions to ease the transition process. These are interventions which, in contrast to the usual information about curriculum and test results, focus on what children report about the transition. Our findings suggest that, although their perspectives differ, positive relationships between the stakeholders in the transition process—schools, children and their parents—can help to improve the challenges presented by the transition. It shows the importance to involve all stakeholders in the transition process. However, there is a gap in exchanging information. Little evidence is found on interventions that focus on partnership or cooperation between parents, children and schoolteachers. We conclude that children and their parents are not well represented in the decision making and in the interventions that provide information to the other stakeholders. There is a need for further research on the way children can be partners in the transition process and how they can inform other stakeholders. Researchers also must investigate how this information can be evaluated and what the consequences are for the collaboration between stakeholders in the transition.