What is meant by ‘transition?’
Transition is when a child moves from one year group up to the next, from one class to another or from one key stage to the next key stage.
At Parkhill Junior School, our overarching aim is for our children to experience a smooth transition. We actively promote ‘seamless learning’ that builds on a child’s past and current learning. We endeavour to use what they have experienced to help them face further challenges and make sense of their widening and ever changing world.
From Parkhill Infants’ School to Parkhill Junior School
The headteacher holds a meeting, in the Summer Term, to welcome new parents and answer questions. This includes a tour of the school. When their child is in year 2, parents are actively encouraged to come and visit Parkhill Junior and meet with the headteacher.
We plan and arrange opportunities for the children to visit their new classroom and meet their new teachers during the summer term. The transition from Year 2 to Year 3, builds upon and extends the experiences that the children have had in Key Stage 1. See table below.
From Year to Year
We plan and arrange transition sessions when children visit their new classroom and meet their new teacher. This is scheduled during the last few weeks of term.
To help children view the move to a new year group as positive, each class has an end-of-year graduation ceremony to which parents and carers are invited
Exchange and Transfer of Information
Meetings are scheduled for teachers to pass on information about their class to the next teacher during the last term. Also in the Summer Term, meetings are held with parents to discuss the progress that their child has made over the year and targets for next year.
Parents are invited to the end of year Big Breakfast Morning for an informal opportunity to meet their child’s new class teacher.
| Year Group | Term 3:1 | Term 3:2 |
| Year 2 | HT meets with Year 2 parents
Children join yrs 3 & 4 for playtimes/ part of lunchtime Children join yrs 3 & 4 for playtimes/ part of lunchtime |
PJS HT meets with incoming Year 3 parents. Induction and information packs distributed (1 meeting per class) Children join Years 3 & 4 for playtimes/ part of lunchtime x 5 Children join yrs 3 & 4 for playtimes/ part of lunchtime Children attend agreed assemblies in PJS. PJS Yr 3 teachers visit incoming class X 3 PJS Yr 3 teachers meet to discuss each child SENCOs meet to discuss SEND/SAN children Yr 3 teachers visit Year 2 classes in their Infant classroom for a 30 minute teaching and learning activity. Yr 2 children visit their new classroom and have a 30 minute session with their prospective Year 3 teacher. Year 5 classes read weekly with Year 2 classes during the summer term. |
| Years 3,4 and 5 | Transition discussions and activities with current class teacher begin | 2 Teaching and Learning sessions with next teacher – 1 in current classroom and 1 in new classroom. |
| Year 6 | Transition discussions and activities with current class teacher building on previous terms. | Taster days, transition activity days with Year 6 teacher across the last 6 weeks; Year 7 form teacher visits include; informal talks with children; information sessions with class teachers; accounts from Year 7 pupils about their experiences and hot tips when starting a new school. |