KS2/3 Transition

Transition this year is still up in the air; although we have been told that on 21st June all Covid restrictions will be lifted, I’m sure we’re all still making plans cautiously in case this does, in fact, change again. In an ideal world, it would be fantastic to run traditional Transition Days where Year 6 children get to come to the school, meet their tutors and get a taste of the next educational step in their academic journey. Alongside this, there are some fantastic activities that they can do in their own primary schools which will be greatly enhanced if they don’t have to be virtual!

It is something that is already on my mind and seemingly others too, as I’ve had lots of messages and requests recently to share how I’ve looked at Transition in Year 6, as well as from a secondary perspective now. Here, I am going to share effective ways I have completed transition in Year 6, with a following blog outlining the results of my research and what we will, as a result of this, be implementing in a secondary setting.

Secondary Week

This is, by far, my favourite Transition activity to do with Year 6. Not only does it give children a clear taste of what secondary will be like, it’s good CPD for staff, too.

Over the course of a week (or two, if you have enough volunteers and time!) the children went on to a ‘secondary’ timetable where lessons were in different rooms with different teachers, and in a different order to what they were used to. As well as this, children had to remember the equipment and book for each lesson and were responsible for arriving to the right place on time! Instead of a long, rambling explanation of exactly how we did this, here are some FAQs that might be helpful!

Who took the lessons?

The lessons were taken by school staff around the school – it was open to anyone who wanted to give it a go! This meant we had lots of TAs also volunteer to take a lesson, too. Their position, where necessary, was covered by the Y6 class teacher. The local secondary offered a lesson too, as well as an outside dance company.

What subjects were included?

We included most of the secondary subjects – whoever taught the lesson was allowed to pick their specialty or favourite subject. I tried to make sure there was a good balance, but I didn’t specify more core subjects, for example.

Was there homework?

Yes! Whoever took the lesson could give homework as they saw fit. I checked in with teachers to see what had been given and deadlines, to check there wasn’t too much. But they had to keep this organised and make sure it was handed in on time.

Did the children have to do detentions?

In a word, no. We gave ‘detention slips’ for them to see when they would have got one (for forgetting equipment, being late, no homework etc). If a child got LOTS of slips then we made them stay in for some of break on Friday, so they could see there was a consequence and help them learn but essentially that’s what this was: a learning experience!

Was there positive praise too?

Yes! We gave out ‘compliment’ slips as well, for children who did really well. We connected these to house points but wanted something physical for the students to see!

Was it actually helpful to the children?

Yes! The children filled in an anonymous questionnaire at the end of the experience and all of them were really positive. They also wrote letters once at secondary school and mentioned how much more prepared they felt they were than the other children in their year.

If you want any more information on this, I wrote an article for TES which might let you know a little more about the process.

https://www.tes.com/news/why-we-put-year-6-secondary-timetable-week

H

Year 7 Ready Lessons

Our local secondary wanted to collaborate on getting Year 6 pupils ‘Secondary Ready’. First, the deputy head came, along with some Year 7 pupils, to do a secondary-style lesson, all about what their next school will be like! This is something I am currently working on creating, which will be available virtually for schools (so watch this space!).

However, something that has already been tried & tested are the Year 7 Ready lessons I have created. These are based around skills that secondary schools felt students needed to be prepared for: organisation, resilience, respect and independence being some of the key focus lessons. Again, there is some more reading on these here, from a blog on Third Space Learning:

https://thirdspacelearning.com/blog/preparing-for-year-6-transition/

I tried to create a more ‘fun’ focus for each lesson, or present it in an interactive, accessible way. They had the chance to write to their MP, play ‘The Cube’ and create an alternative fairy tale ending, all based on the main focus of the lesson. If you are interested in using these lessons yourself, they are available here:

https://www.tes.com/teaching-resource/year-6-transition-year-7-ready-12196141

This Is Me – Transition Pack

Often, it’s those middle children who go to their next school without much information about them. I think it’s important that, as much as possible, each child is seen as an individual. This pack includes:

• A letter written about the child as an introduction to them.
• An outline of a person filled with their likes and dislikes which is an overview of them.
• A self-portrait.

I felt that these three things would be a quick-check for tutors to know the child a little better, as well as showing their writing and art skills as a starting point…and a check point when halfway into Term 1 you can show them what you know they can achieve! It was a really lovely day we spent creating these. Once finished, I posted them to all their feeder schools!

If you want a look at the pack, as well as the accompanying slides, use the link here:

https://www.tes.com/teaching-resource/year-6-7-transition-pack-12339098

These three activities really made a difference in Year 6 transition, and allowed children to feel more prepared for the move up. One or two transition days doesn’t allow them to fully understand what it might be like; often they are so overwhelmed with other feelings to take it all in. By approaching it in a familiar setting where they already feel comfortable, it really enables them to feel ready for the move.

If anyone wants more information on this, I am more than happy to share it. Just drop me a message on Twitter or Instagram (@primaryteachew) or email me (primaryteachew@gmail.com).

Emily x