Our Transition Programme

Reimagine what's possible

Whilst there is a huge amount of excitement when preparing for secondary school, we know that this key transition can be an unsettling and anxious time for Year 6 pupils and their families. We pride ourselves on providing support at every stage. This will include for example: visits to primary schools, time getting to know your children, and opportunities for you as parents to provide us with all the information that we need to know, to ensure a smooth and effective transition to our community.

As soon as your place at the school is confirmed, we will be in touch with you directly, as well as your child's school, to begin the transition process. You will be invited to meet the pastoral team and come into school to meet your child's tutor well before the Transition Day and associated events that take place during July of Year 6. We have a dedicated transition team and you can get in touch with us at any stage (even before your place has been confirmed) if you have any questions or need any support.

In addition to all of the above, there will also be a range of activities to get involved with throughout the transition process. Whether it is writing letters to school to introduce themselves or the many competitions that we offer for those wishing to get involved, our community quickly becomes your community.

Additional Support

We also recognise that some children will need more support than others, for example those with additional needs, particular anxieties about the move to secondary school, or those arriving on their own or from a small primary. Where necessary, additional transition visits, activities and processes are available to manage specific circumstances and we often establish trusted adults from our Learning Hub to work with individual children during the transition process to provide confidence and continuity.

Transition doesn't end at the school gates in September

It is really important to remember that our transition programme does not end once pupils arrive in September. On their first day, only Year 7 will be in school so that they can become more familiar with their environment and routines before anyone else arrives.

In the first week there is additional time spent with tutors as lessons are gradually introduced. This gradual adjustment continues with Year 7 provided with early and extended lunch breaks during the early weeks so that they can feel safe and secure at every stage of the day with lots of support around to help answer any questions and overcome any uncertainty.

Throughout Year 7, the induction to secondary school continues with structured opportunities to experience clubs, activities and school trips which every child will access, supported by the school as part of our enrichment entitlement. Our curriculum explores transition, some of the challenges children experience and creates space and time to support that adjustment through both through pastoral and curriculum time.

With a dedicated Care and Achievement Coordinator who has a direct mobile phone for calls and messages, alongside a wider pastoral team to support, if families or pupils ever have questions or concerns we will be there to listen and respond.