Transition Information

Starting a new school can be a daunting prospect, so from well before Year 6 students have their places confirmed with us, we work with the primary schools to ensure that they feel part of our schools even before they apply. In the years before a student makes the transition, they might be involved in or attend:

  • Open Evenings & Mornings
  • A School Production
  • Transition Events on Sport, MFL, Technology, Maths, English or Science
  • Lessons with teachers and students visiting primary schools (including year groups other than, and as well as, Year 6)
  • Friends Events, such as Fun Runs and Christmas Fayres
  • Visits to the Year 6 students from staff
  • Taster and Transition Days

And it doesn’t stop when they arrive!

A students first week at school will begin with three welcome days, where they will work with the Head of Lower School, their Tutor team, teachers, and other staff to ensure they quickly feel like a member of the school. Students will cover all aspects from how the school day runs, to the 6Cs to Success, as well as Enrichment and the lessons themselves. It is always a wonderful start to life at school for the new Year 7 students.

Each school’s Inclusion Leader has a vast amount of experience in the role of Transition, and brings great skills and dedication to ensuring that every single new Year 7 student is settled on their first day at school by working with students, parents, primary schools and staff throughout the whole process.

Many students come to our schools, not from the local primary schools, and the inclusion team work just as hard to ensure that these students are just as confident and feel as important as every other student making the transition to our School from their primary school. The majority of students find the whole process of transition exciting and fulfilling, but some students are always more worried than others. As well as the huge team of staff on hand to support the students, every student will complete and own a Personal Education Plan (PEP), which they will co-write with their Form Tutor. The PEP will then be developed throughout the student’s time at school; reflecting and reporting on their educational journey.

Personal goals

Students are given the opportunity to share their individual strengths and interests to assist teachers in the planning of personally relevant lessons. They are guided in the exploration of personal life goals with a focus on how schooling can help them be reached.

Barriers to Learning

The tutor will collect information from the Inclusion register to create a full picture of the individual.

Teaching strategies

The Inclusion Leader will liaise with parents / carers and external professionals to explore any essential teaching strategies to support individuals’ needs.

Resources

If a student requires a specific resource in order to access learning it will be outlined in their PEP.

School and external provision / intervention

All teaching staff are responsible for the recording of interventions and any external provision they are aware the student receives.

Statements of Special Educational Needs

PEPs will also be the format used to monitor progress towards meeting objectives as identified in Statements.

Parental Involvement

We appreciate that parents / carers have a wealth of information on their children that can positively inform our practice. PEP’s are shared with parents / carers who are invited to regularly discuss them with tutors, teachers and the Inclusion Leader. This will form a part of the formal reporting cycle.

Transition to our schools is an overwhelmingly positive experience and we will work with every individual student and their family to ensure that we meet their hopes and their expectations.

If you have any further questions regarding the transition process, then please email the school.

ParentMail

At our schools we operate a cash free system for all payments in school.

ParentMail:

  • enables you to pay for school meals and other items such as school trips;
  • offers a highly secure payment site;
  • gives you a history of all the payments you have made;
  • allows to create a single account login across all your children that attend a ParentPay school.

How does ParentMail help you?

  • gives you the freedom to make payments to school whenever and wherever you like;
  • stops you having to write cheques or search for cash to send to school;
  • gives you peace of mind that your payment has been made safely and securely.

If you have any questions about transition please contact each school’s Transition Lead.

In addition, the Head of School will meet personally with any prospective parent to discuss any element of the transition process – however big or small! Please just contact the main school reception to make a mutually convenient time to meet.