'You need to know how to play safe' : children’s experiences of starting school

Children have long been ‘objects of inquiry’, that is, research has been ‘done’ on children. Research into starting school is but one example, where children have been observed, tested and assessed at various points, as a means of evaluating their adjustment to the school environment. The Starting School Research Project aims to record and report the realities of life for children as they start school through their engagement in the research process. It aims to find out from them, what starting school is like for children and, based on this, how what is done within transition programs can be improved. This aim recognises children as experts on their own lives, and acknowledges that adults often have a limited understanding of children’s lives and experiences. This article highlights children’s expertise about their own experiences and expectations as they start school. It draws upon children’s conversations, drawings, and photographs to describe their understandings and experiences.