Bridging the Social-Emotional Gap

Designing a Culture of Care for School Transitions

When the moving containers are finally unpacked, many organizations consider a relocation “complete.” However, for the families at the center of these moves, the true work of grounding is just beginning. In our latest Roundtable for Experts & Educators, we moved beyond the logistics of school enrollment to focus on the human heart of the move: the social-emotional journey of the child.

1. The Greenhouse: Cultivating an Ecosystem of Care

Karlijn Jacobs and Julie Marx opened the session by positioning the Roundtable as a “Greenhouse” , a collaborative space where the family remains the central focus. The guiding principle for the session was clear: Culture must precede tools. While strategies and policies are essential, they are merely mechanisms to support a foundational cultural commitment from school leadership to prioritize family wellbeing.

The “village” in attendance reflected our global mission, with experts and educators joining from Switzerland, Malaysia, the Netherlands, Germany, Brazil, China, and the USA to share their collective expertise.

2. Advocacy through Language: The Global Family Vocabulary

Julie Marx provided a first update on the Global Family Vocabulary project, which has now identified 61 terms that define the global family experience.

• The Importance of Language: The intention behind the Global Family Vocabulary is for children, parents, and other stakeholders including expert & educators like ourselves, to have access to consistent terminology that allows us to express ourselves and facilitate communication and research. 
• A Call for Contributions: The vocabulary remains a living project, with an invitation for participants to contribute their own terminology to ensure it reflects diverse lived realities. This is where you can contribute your own term(s).

3. The Sending School’s Responsibility: Intentional Departure

James Penstone, Principal at the British School of Brussels, highlighted a vital shift in perspective: a successful arrival is built on a healthy departure.

• The Responsibility of the Leaving School: Schools have a commitment to a family’s next experience, which begins with providing real closure rather than just “letting go.”
• Supporting the “Stayers”: Transitions care must also account for the community left behind. The “Stayers” experience a revolving door of loss as friends exit, which can challenge their own sense of belonging.

4. Restoring Student Agency: The Five Questions

To move from “thin” academic data (grades) to “thick” emotional descriptions, James proposed a framework of five questions to humanize student handovers:

1. What helps this child settle when they are anxious or overwhelmed?
2. What social conditions help them thrive?
3. What language or learning scaffolds have worked well?
4. Is there sensitive family context or recent experience the next school should handle?
5. What would the child themselves want their new school to know?

Participants highlighted that tools like “Student Passports” (student-created introductory slides) are essential for restoring agency to children during a process that often feels forced upon them.

5. Systemic Implementation: Institutionalizing the DNA

Claudine Hakim, Chair of the Board at SPAN, as well as both Head of Student Support and Head of Transitions Care at the International School of London, emphasized that transitions care must be part of a school’s strategic DNA. And she also acknowledged that developing a comprehensive and effective transitions-care program takes time. While it is a long-term process, every small step plays an important role in supporting a school’s community. Below are her suggestions for crafting a successful transitions-care program.

• Leadership Buy-In: Positive transitions cannot rely solely on the “goodwill” of individual teachers; they must be embedded in leadership policy and school calendars.
• Peer-to-Peer Bridges: Utilizing the SPAN (Safe Passage Across Networks) student ambassador program ensures that arriving students are met with a trained, peer-led support system.
• The Parent Village: Schools can lower the “invisible load” on new parents by fostering community through parent associations, language classes, and formal buddy systems.

6. The Repatriation Paradox: The Myth of the Easy Return

The session closed with a reflection on repatriation, often the most “hidden” of hurdles. Discussion in the room highlighted the linguistic and social anxieties of students returning “home”, where they are often expected to “just fit back in” without the systemic support usually offered in international settings.

7. Moving Forward: Expanding the Village

As noted during the session, “hope is not a strategy”. Therefore, we must continue to move from organic luck to systemic frameworks. We invite you to stay connected via LinkedIn and join us for our next Roundtable, where we will address the complexities of Neurodiversity and Medical Complexity in global transitions.

Resources and Best Practices shared during this Roundtable:

• SPAN Student Ambassador Program (SAP) Guide: Professional standards and training for school transitions, focusing on peer-led orientation.
• Valérie Besanceney’s “Top 12 Tips”: Practical transition resources and insights for “Roots with Boots” families.
• Christina Kottmann’s Substack: Regular reflections and educational insights for global families and educators.
• GreenSpark Education: Support services focused on sustainable educational growth and transitions.
• Kevin Baker’s Whitepaper on Leadership Transitions: A deep dive into the leadership gap in school transitions.

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