{"id":65860,"date":"2025-04-24T15:19:21","date_gmt":"2025-04-24T14:19:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.devon.gov.uk\/news\/?p=65860"},"modified":"2025-04-30T10:15:05","modified_gmt":"2025-04-30T09:15:05","slug":"is-your-child-changing-schools-in-september","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.devon.gov.uk\/news\/is-your-child-changing-schools-in-september\/","title":{"rendered":"Is your child changing schools in September?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

With hundreds of current Year 6 pupils in Devon due to start new schools from September, we asked colleagues at Lampard Community School <\/a>what, in their view, makes for a good transition for young children from one school to the next.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u201cWe review our transition process each year and are always looking for ways to make transition more successful for students joining us,\u201d says Kristel Norris, the school\u2019s Assistant Head for SEND.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cA key to transition being most successful is having enough time to put together a transition plan which relies on having student placements confirmed in enough time to allow this.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

Kristel describes their approach as a phased transfer transition, consisting of a number of key elements, which the school has found effective.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u201cAn initial joint meeting is held to gather key information from the pupil\u2019s current school and family about the student, linked to the child\u2019s strengths and needs but also their likes and dislikes and key information to make the new placement successful. Those meetings, with families and schools, helps us build individual \u2018student profiles\u2019 that we review again once they\u2019ve joined us.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThen at least two visits are put in place for the student to our school with the aim of getting to know key staff, for example their teacher or Teaching Assistants.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe also, where possible, include in that visit areas of the school that will be important to the student when they start with us. We\u2019d hope to show them which classroom they would be in, where the toilets are and the playground and explain where they will have their lunch.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

During the visits, the pupils are encouraged to take photos that they can have at home to look at later and perhaps share with their classmates. Becoming familiar with the new school, and being comfortable to talk about it before they arrive is important, Kristel believes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Part of the pre-visits are also to help the new school understand which areas of the school the pupil feels comfortable in most, and where they would like to spend more time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u201cWe find it helpful if key staff from the student\u2019s current setting are also able to attend these visits as well as their family,\u201d says Kristel.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cParents of the new pupils are invited to school parents\u2019 evening to meet their class teacher and also to get to know other new parents. We also invite our new parents to an established parents\u2019 coffee afternoon so they can get to know more parents in our Lampard Community.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

Kristel explains that as well as pupils, their parents, and possibly staff from the current school coming to visit the new school, it\u2019s also often helpful for Lampard staff to go and observe or spend time with students in their current setting.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u201cIt helps us to see what strategies and support work well for that student and what context they are joining us from, as this can then have an impact on the provision we would put in place.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

All students who will be joining the school from September are invited to take part in a new class morning, late in the summer term where they spend the morning with their new class friends and staff team.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Again, the familiarisation is important, but also during this time, pupils will make something that will be kept in class e.g. artwork, coat labels etc, so that when they come back to school in the autumn term there is something recognisable of theirs or that they\u2019ve done, to them on display. \u201cThis should hopefully help pupils feel more comfortable in their new environment, having by that time visited a few times,\u201d says Kristel.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lampard Community School produce a transition booklet using Communicate in Print (accessible format) that is shared with the student on their new class morning and that they can look at through over the summer holiday. This has information about their class and details about school routines in an accessible format. This will also share how they will get to school and when school will start.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u201cSome families like to practice the walk or drive to and from school and this can be helpful in preparing students for the start of term,\u201d says Kristel.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOverall, we always try to keep the child at the centre of their transition and will adapt our processes depending on what they need, and endeavour to give them the time they need for the transition to be successful.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cSome enhanced transitions have consisted of the student just coming in to setting over a number of weeks and spending time with a key member of staff in our sensory room or farm area which has then given them the confidence to begin to access more of the setting.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cMore recently we have had students join us that have been home educated or who have been unable to access their previous setting full time and for these students an initial part-time timetable has been appropriate. Over time, that leads to the pupil being able to attend full time and access the learning environment successfully.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cBy having the confidence to take a step back and taking the time to create a bespoke transition long term, this has a much more positive impact on the student than rushing for them to attend full time and making attending their new placement a stressful experience.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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