On the 1st-2nd April, our school participated in the international seminar “Facilitating preschool children’s transition to formal schooling”, organised by the Directorate of Primary Education of Western Thessaloniki as a dissemination event for the Erasmus+ programme RECEPTION (Role of Early Childhood Education in Positive Transition – Induction Outcomes for New pupils). The conference was held in Capsis Hotel in Thessaloniki, Greece.
The Erasmus+ programme RECEPTION largely aims to investigate and disseminate attempts to facilitate the passage of preschool children to primary education. It addresses the challenge within a wide range of demographic and socioeconomic contexts and educational systems, in response to the needs of diverse and often disadvantage children. The project partners are Ireland, Iceland, Norway, Croatia, Denmark and Greece.
Within that framework, during the conference, the participants became familiar with the educational systems of the project partners’ countries with reference to the transition from the Kindergarten to the Primary School, and with the project objectives and the case studies applied in each project country. Additionally, the participants attended plenary sessions on the role of play and art as educational tools that facilitate the transition and inclusion of underprivileged children in primary education. Finally yet importantly, our school participant discussed and exchanged views with colleagues from other European countries, in relation to the RECEPTION project and Erasmus+ in general, as well as on various issues that concern the development of a common European education framework. In this respect, we were given the opportunity to “break our of our shell” and pursue the objectives of our own Erasmus+ project.
For further information on the RECEPTION project forllow the link receptionproject.eu .
