Transition
Transition to and from Elangeni School
Year 2 – 3
The Headteacher and SENCO meet with their counterparts from Chestnut Lane to discuss the children; their needs, strengths and any other relevant information needed to ensure a smooth transition between schools. The Year 3 teachers visit the children in their Year 2 classes and talk with their current teachers at Chestnut Lane. Where children arrive from a different infant school the key staff at Elangeni liaise closely with staff at the infant school.
The Year 2 children visit Elangeni to see the Christmas Production and again visit Elangeni as part of our transition day in July when they meet their teachers, see their classes and complete activities which enable the teachers to get to know the children better.
Where appropriate, children visit Elangeni as part of a transition group. Often this takes the form of a few afternoon visits where the children meet key staff at Elangeni and become more familiar with the school, taking photos of significant areas of the school to create a transition booklet.
The parents of Year 2 children visit Elangeni for a meeting with key staff and to learn about routines at Elangeni which may differ from their infant school.
Year 6 – 7
Heads’ Of Year 7 and SENCOs visit Elangeni to meet the children in the Summer Term of Year 6 from all the schools to which the children are moving. They meet the children informally and have additional meetings with the Headteacher and SENCO as well as Year 6 teachers.
Most secondary schools also provide a pro forma for us to complete which request information such as academic achievement, Special Educational Needs, gifts and talents and friendships.
The teaching staff in Year 6 also identify more vulnerable children who may find transition to a larger secondary school more challenging. These children form a transition group who work closely with a trained teaching assistant in the Local Authority’s Transition Programme exploring aspects of secondary life that may be concerning children; managing a timetable or getting lost as well as developing strategies to improve organisational skills.
Year 6 children across the county visit their new secondary schools on a set day in July where they spend the day becoming more familiar with the layout and routines at their new school.