Transition between primary and secondary school is well recognised as a challenging time for children, and it is given considerable attention as a result.
But what about the upheaval of moving between year groups? This can mean changing rooms, teacher, classmates and more, but it is often overlooked, says Kay Hamilton, a former Sendco and headteacher and now strategic lead and trainer at Thrive.
Children need to know that they’re “coming into a safe space with a safe adult who can anticipate and meet their needs”, she explains.
Wendy Allen, a behaviour consultant at Perryfields Primary Pupil Referral Unit in Worcester, agrees. “Successful transition really helps pupils to become emotionally and physically secure, and have a sense of belonging and purpose in a new class,” she says.
“We’re finding at the moment that children’s anxiety levels are so high in general. And for transition, they’ve been in that classroom for the past 10 months and they’ve built all the securities and the relationships and everything and then, all of a sudden, they’re losing a lot of that. So it’s really important to get it right.”
Transition between school year groups: smoothing the process
So, what are some of the most common wellbeing worries around transition, and how can schools take action to address them?
Concern: Getting to know a new teacher
How to tackle it: Allen says the key here is to start the process of building the relationship between the new teacher and their students as early as possible, in a positive and enjoyable way.
“It’s so important that teachers build a relationship with the children that are coming into their class because it’s all about feeling safe and secure,” she explains. “It could be that the new teacher could come in and read them stories, or start teaching that class for short periods to become familiar with them. If they can build that relationship [the children] will settle down much quicker in September.”
Concern: Everything is suddenly different
How to tackle it: Allotting sufficient time for between-year transition is vital to start building up those relationships, Allen says. “Some schools will have half a day of transition, but I don’t think that’s enough. Other schools do a week, so the students will go into the new classroom and meet the teachers, find out where everything is, and perhaps even get booklets with photographs of the room and the staff.”
Hamilton adds that acknowledging the challenge of transition can also be powerful. “Transition is a change, so you need to prepare for an ending,” she explains. “There will be a sense of loss, but you can also be celebrating what they’ve achieved, acknowledging their strengths and really trying to focus on their mental health and wellbeing in recognising that change can be stressful but they have skills to manage it.”
Concern: Family links are lost
How to tackle it: While home visits are common at the beginning of primary, they’re rarely used for in-primary transition, Hamilton says, but can have a huge impact on ensuring that young people and their families feel happy and confident about their new surroundings.
“If the teachers can go and do a visit and see them in their own home, particularly for children with SEND [special educational needs or disabilities] or anxiety, it’s a way to build those really strong relationships,” she explains. “You’re seeing that child in their home environment so you get to know they’ve got a dog, they’ve got a cat, they’ve got a brother, they’ve got a sister. Those moments build connection and meaningful relationships.”
Hamilton adds that creating those links with parents is also a benefit, because “when the parents are feeling calm about the transition, it supports your child to be able to do it as well”.
“I’ve also seen some really nice examples of transition days where the parents come in and they might have some team-building games within the parent community, strengthening relationships between them as well as with the teacher.”
Concern: Stress will build up over the summer break
How to tackle it: The six-week break is a long time, says Hamilton, and worries about the year ahead can start to bubble up, so taking small steps to stay connected over that time can be invaluable.
“Teachers can send out a postcard to all the children in their class, or a letter saying what they’ve been doing and how they’re looking forward to welcoming them back,” she says. “They could maybe ask the children to bring something in for the first day back, to make a collage as a class to create a sense of belonging, or to bring in something from their holiday. It’s keeping that connection during that really long time.”
Allen also recommends the use of transition objects. “This is something from the teacher to the child; it might be something that belongs to them or it could be a little precious thing like a small stone or just a photograph. Then they’ve got that sense of connection,” she suggests.
Concern: First day confusion
How to tackle it: The first day of a new school year can be confusing for everyone (including staff), so, once again, taking the time to put the right steps in place beforehand can make the experience smoother and less stress-inducing.
“Walk them through it all beforehand,” recommends Allen. “That means talking them through their timetable, saying, ‘This is where you’ll get changed for PE, ‘This is where the toilets are,’ and so on. Let them actually walk through it all so they know where everything is. And then on the first day, have photographs and little reminders around the room, as well as a visual timetable so they know what’s coming up.”
Hamilton says sending pupils home with photographs of the new staff and set-up can be helpful, “creating really clear guidance for what’s going to happen on that first day”.
“Those visual reminders make them feel that they’re coming into a safe place and they’ve got that sense of belonging,” she says.
“They’ve got that real sense that there’s an adult that they can trust and if they feel dysregulated, they can go to them. Having that sense of the things that they’re going to enjoy on that first day also means they’ve got something to look forward to and to be excited about.”
This article is sponsored by Thrive. Thrive helps education professionals support children and young people’s healthy development, building secure foundations for good mental health, academic attainment and fulfilled lives. For more information on The Thrive Approach visit thriveapproach.com
