Our Transition Programme
We understand that moving to secondary school can be a challenging time for Year 6 pupils and their families. We pride ourselves on providing our newest pupils and their families with a comprehensive, supported transition programme that ensures that all of our pupils feel confident and ready to start this next exciting stage of their education.
Please read the information below to find out more about our transition programme.
Transition to Woldgate School
We want all our pupils to settle happily into life at Woldgate School and we achieve this for all our pupils by ensuring they receive all the support they need. Our staff work closely with teachers and staff in all our local primary schools to ensure we understand each child’s interests, talents and strengths.
We ensure that all our new pupils receive the same level of support, whether they are from one of our local catchment primary schools, or from a school outside our catchment area. For these pupils, we are aware that they may not know as many children, and we ensure that they have plenty of opportunities to get to know other pupils and to make friends in September.
Our Transition Programme
We believe a successful transition programme should begin in Year 5, and we therefore invite and encourage Year 5 and Year 6 pupils to all our transition events and activities. The purpose of these activities and events is for our new pupils to get to know our staff and pupils, find out about life at Woldgate School and to make new friends. Our transition programme began in September and has already been a great success.
These events attracted pupils from a number of different Primary Schools and started the all important process of transitioning young people into the values and outlook of Woldgate School. The events combined the development of problem solving skills with those of team building and communication. It was brilliant to see pupils engage so enthusiastically and competitively with these events.
Getting to know you and your child
As early as September, Year 6 teachers begin discussing the move to secondary schools with pupils. Teachers will also complete a transfer form which indicates your child’s interests, talents and abilities, so that your child will make good progress from their very first day in September.
We will post Welcome Packs to each new pupil, which need to be completed and returned to our school office. Amongst other forms and useful information, the Welcome Pack contains the ‘Getting to know me’ form, which should be completed by your child. This form is your child’s opportunity to directly tell us about themselves, their friends, interests and hobbies. They can also tell us of any concerns, so that we can begin putting support in place early.
We will also maintain close communication with Year 6 teachers to discuss how we can best support your child in the transition process. For pupils who require significant additional support, we will contact you and, with the support of your child’s primary school, ensure that we provide personalised arrangements to aid a smooth transition for your child