Transition Strategies

Transition

At Pickhurst Academy, we ensure our children have an outstanding transition between key stages, and between year groups. For Looked After Children (LAC), a Personal Education Plan (PEP) is drawn up in a meeting including the child, parents/carers and all relevant professionals.

Year 2 to Year 3:

We work closely with our local infant schools to ensure that the transition process between schools is as smooth as possible.

Our transition plan from Year 2 to Year 3:

• Our Year 2 and Year 3 teaching teams meet to have a 1:1 handover on their classes. The Year 2 teachers will meet Year 3 teachers to discuss children who may have special educational needs. The teachers discuss the strategies that work best for individual children to ensure that the transition from infants to juniors feel ‘familiar’ to them, despite the changes.
• Both SENCOs meet together to discuss all the children on the SEN/D register. Teachers are then also given the relevant information to ensure their classrooms are adequately prepared for September (i.e. they may require individualised visual timetables, work stations or ‘calm zones’).
• Both SENCOs then meet with the parents of children on the SEN/D register together to ensure the handover is consistent across both schools.
• The Year 2 children will attend site for 4 different days. Each time, they will get to know their class teacher a bit more and become familiar with the building/layout of the school. This helps those children that are highly anxious to feel better about the transition to the junior school.
• Social stories are also written and recorded for all children, particularly for those with additional needs. These social stories enable the children/parents to see photos of the adults they will be working with and the classrooms/key areas of the school. The children can read/watch these social stories during the summer holidays, so their start in September is not so daunting.
• The Senior Leadership Team (SLT) also conduct 2 parents’ workshops (in the Autumn term and Summer term). These workshops enable parents to understand the junior school’s rules, routines and expectations.
• The junior school also ‘buddy’ up a Year 5 child to each Year 2 child. This helps when the children transition to the juniors as they will have a familiar face when they move into Year 3.
• Designated Safeguarding Leads (DSLs) will meet to have a safe & secure handover of all safeguarding notes and files.

Year 6 to Year 7:

We work closely with our local secondary schools to ensure transition is smooth between Key Stage 2 (KS2) and Key Stage 3 (KS3).

• Heads of Year 7 visit the schools, to meet with children and members of the Year 6 teaching team.
• SLT/SENCOs visit the LA SENCO and Safeguarding forum. They meet SENCOs/DSLs from other secondary schools to ensure a verbal handover takes place.
• Files and safely given.
• Transition week is planned for our Year 6 children – They come off timetable, go to new classrooms for their lessons and have a taste of what it is like to be at secondary school.
• Transition work takes place to support the children with their understanding on things such as lockers, timetables, staffing, PE kits, travelling to school.
• Transport for London come into school to work with the children on using public transport safely, to help them transition to secondary school
• Bikeability – These sessions run for our Year 6 children to ensure they are able to safely cycle to school. This is particularly important for our children who may be travelling to secondary school.

Between year groups/in-year transfers:

As the children move up the school, we ensure there is good transition between year groups. The children have an annual ‘Meet the Teacher’ day whereby they spend the day in their new classes, with their new teachers.

The children have social stories to support them with this transition, and we also meet with parents/carers for any specific children with additional needs/anxiety.

If a child joins mid-year, we ensure there is a thorough induction. The Deputy Headteacher (DHT)/Assistant Headteacher (AHT) will contact the child’s previous school to discuss their file and any additional needs/concerns. The child/parent will then be offered a tour of the school, meeting with SLT/teachers if appropriate. They will also be assigned a ‘buddy’ with someone within their new class/year groups, to help them settle in.

Our ‘Listening Ear’ service will then check-in with that child during their first few weeks, and ensure the child is happy and parents are well-informed about the child’s progress.