Transition

Transition to Primary School

Reception pupils with additional needs who join our school either at the beginning of the year or during the academic year will be supported, as appropriate, so that a successful transition is achieved. Reception staff and where appropriate Mrs Thorpe, our SENCo, will liaise closely with your child’s preschool setting, including visiting the setting and meeting with key-workers, to ensure our staff have a good understanding of all children's needs before they begin at our school.

For all children beginning Reception in September 2025, a ‘Big Friend’ system will be in place. This is where an older child in school will be assigned to a Reception child to support them during those periods of physical transition in the first few week such as, play-times and lunch-times.

We work with the Local Authority where a child with Special Educational Needs is starting our school to ensure that they are appropriately supported in conjunction with parents and any other relevant external agencies.

Our example Reception Induction Timeline:

example reception induction timeline.pdf

Transition within school each year

We understand that transition can be overwhelming for many children so we aim to reduce any anxiety surrounding this and preparing our children for upcoming change. Every child participates in our class swap mornings where the child spends time getting to know their new class teacher and classroom, as well as understands more about what to expect in the upcoming year. Over the summer holidays, some children are given a transition book so they can familiarise themselves with photos of their new classroom setting and teacher with their family at home. All teachers provide a detailed handover to the next class teacher, so any key information is shared to aim to provide some consistency across classes and year groups.

Transition to Secondary School

Before transitioning to Year 7, the SENCo arranges meetings with key secondary school staff to ease and support the transition to secondary school and ensure each child's SEND records are transferred and key information is shared.

Staff from the secondary schools visit the children in their Year 6 class, as well as the Year 6 children going to visit their new school for transition days. Where it is appropriate, additional transition sessions can be arranged. 

You can find advice for choosing a Secondary School for Child with SEND here.