[senco-forum] Yr 6/7 transition

Hello
  This is what we do:
  Head of Lower School visits all feeder primaries with pictures to introduce the school.
  Pupils from out of area encouraged to tour with parents.
  We do two whole year introduction events for pupils: a formal morning looking round the school with your tutor group plus formal activities and a 'getting to know you' day.
  Once they are here, we do a 'Beach Day' after about three weeks where they walk to the beach, do some geography and do more tutor group based team building.

  We have tried all sorts of transition activities but this plus the data we get from primaries, plus the primary information sheets, plus the parents' enrolement forms seems to give us what we need.

  I do more with some pupils.

  Amanda
  Secondary SENCO
  Cornwall

WrayJanice Wray <jwwray14 at hotmail.com> wrote:
  I wondered if we could exchange ideas to make this transition easier - it is a big focus at present.(Has it become a big issue in some places then ? - I guess so).

Here are some I picked up from a TA of mine when she went visiting.
1) the pupils in Yr 6 all write a letter to their new form tutor at secondary telling them about themselves. These letters are pinned up in the new form room and at the start of term or the new intake day the pupils choose a letter to read out - either introduce themselves to the rest of the class or introduce someone else.
2) secondary school organises a treasure hunt around the school for the Yr 6 classes coming up
3) I always have 1 or 2 pupils in to spend a morning with me - ones who are really worried - and then I take photos of them in various parts of the school with head of house or form tutor if I know who they are - then write a letter inserting the photos so they can show their parents etc.
Any more I'll pass on to you all.
Anyone else got good ideas ?
JaniceJanice Wray Secondary SENCO, Herts
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Amanda
Secondary SENCO
Cornwall