A multi-academy trust says it has boosted its English and maths results by using pupils’ former primary school teachers to monitor their performance when they start at secondary school.

The scheme sees Year six teachers and primary heads examine the work of year seven pupils twice during their first term at secondary school and produce a report on each pupil’s progress.

Vision Academy Learning Trust, which runs a secondary and four primaries based in the North East, credits this approach with improving pupils’ progress in both English and maths in years seven and eight.

Simon White, the trust chief executive and  headteacher at Egglescliffe secondary school, near Stockton-on-Tees,  said it had resulted in a 20 per cent increase in the proportion of pupils making the expected progress and better than expected progress in both subjects.

He told Tes it allowed the secondary school to identify pupils who were not performing as well as their former primary school would have expected.

Mr White highlighted the trust’s work on transition during the Schools NorthEast Academies Conference in Newcastle.

He said: “We have looked at how we can do the transition better. We know that in year seven we are only just getting to know these pupils whereas the primary schools have seven years of knowledge of their learning journey.”

He told Tes that this approach had given the secondary school valuable feedback on pupils who were not making the progress the primary school staff would have expected.

He said: “Since we started this three years ago we have had a significant improvement in the progress pupils are making. 

“It also helps the pupils to move from primary to secondary. They look forward to seeing the staff from their old school and being able to show of their work to their old teachers. It makes them feel like their learning journey is continuing.”

Mr White told Tes that the trust also looked to co-ordinate the year six and year seven work in English and maths.

“The primary school curriculum has changed and we wanted to make sure that when they start year seven we are consolidating and adding greater depth to what they have learnt and not simply repeating things.”

Mr White said this closer co-ordination between year six and seven had been achieved within their multi-academy trust but said it could be done by any secondary school working closely with its feeder primaries.

A multi-academy trust says it has boosted its English and maths results by getting pupils’ former primary school teachers to monitor their performance at their new secondary school.

Year six teachers and primary heads examine the work of year seven pupils twice during their first term at secondary school and produce a report on each pupil’s progress.

Vision Academy Learning Trust, which runs a secondary and four primaries based in the North East, credits this approach with improving pupils’ progress in both English and maths in years seven and eight.

Simon White, the trust chief executive and  headteacher at Egglescliffe secondary school, near Stockton-on-Tees,  said it had resulted in a 20 per cent increase in the proportion of pupils making the expected progress and better than expected progress in both subjects.

He told Tes it allowed the secondary school to identify pupils who were not performing as well as their former primary school would have expected.

Mr White highlighted the trust’s work on transition during the Schools NorthEast Academies Conference in Newcastle.

He said: “We have looked at how we can do the transition better. We know that in year seven we are only just getting to know these pupils whereas the primary schools have seven years of knowledge of their learning journey.”

He told Tes that this approach had given the secondary school valuable feedback on pupils who were not making the progress the primary school staff would have expected.

He said: “Since we started this three years ago we have had a significant improvement in the progress pupils are making. 

“It also helps the pupils to move from primary to secondary. They look forward to seeing the staff from their old school and being able to show of their work to their old teachers. It makes them feel like their learning journey is continuing.”

Mr White told Tes that the trust also looked to co-ordinate the year six and year seven work in English and maths.

“The primary school curriculum has changed and we wanted to make sure that when they start year seven we are consolidating and adding greater depth to what they have learnt and not simply repeating things.”

Mr White said this closer co-ordination between year six and seven had been achieved within their multi-academy trust but said it could be done by any secondary school working closely with its feeder primaries.