Primary Transition

Our current plan for Transition this year
Each of the following sections are key elements to the transition process.

Contacts
Mr G Peattie, Assistant Vice Principal and Transition Lead
g.peattie@gra.hslt.academy
Mr Hutchinson, Head of Year 7
t.hutchinson@gra.hslt.academy

School visits and Transition booklet
Mr Peattie (Assistant Vice Principal) will be visiting many students in their primary school in the first week of June in order to provide key information, alleviate any worries and answer many, many questions. We have also planned two transition days for 4 and 5 July where Year 6 pupils will come to Graham School for a day to meet their new tutors, get to know the school buildings and experience typical Year 7 lessons. They will be guided by current school buddies so they will not have to worry about getting lost.

We are happy to meet with individual families and are very happy to arrange short visits after school for a tour and talk. We will also, as part of our enhanced transition process, invite our most vulnerable learners, along with a member of their primary staff, to school for a group tour and an activity. 

We will be providing every family with a detailed transition booklet, in June, which we hope will answer many of your questions. This booklet, along with important letters and forms to complete, will be delivered to many primary schools when Mr Peattie visits. Those families from schools outside of the area or who are currently doing home education will receive theirs in the post.

It is vital that we have your current contact details, address, phone number and email address to make communication as efficient as possible.

Summer School
Summer School will run from 22 July to 26 July and is available for all students. Your transition booklet will include a letter that needs to be returned to Graham School by 25th June to secure your child’s place and therefore allow our staff to plan an exciting week. Lunch and all activities are free charge. Summer school is planned by Mr Peattie and delivered by our current staff.

I would encourage every child to come to Summer School for at least 2 days. This will allow them to make new friends, see the school in its entirety, enjoy the learning and activities that will be on offer and grow in confidence, making a September start much smoother.

Form groups and setting
During your first week at Graham School we expect that most activities will be completed within form groups to ensure strong relationships are created. We will also work with Year 6 teachers to identify who may need extra support and Mr Brown, our SENCO, will ensure the relevant support is in place for when pupils start with us in September. Mr Brown will be in contact with your primary schools to gather valuable information that will allow us to meet the needs of all students who require additional support. Your Year 6 teachers will be sending us progress data on every child to help us gauge their strengths and areas that require additional support. To form as accurate a picture as possible we will complete our own in-school assessments in September (as usual).

Friendships
Friendships are a priority and your Year 6 teachers will inform us of which students in your primary school should be kept together and likewise who should be given a fresh start from each other in September. We base our form groups on this data along with any information that has been provided by parents in the Summer Term. We aim to fulfil all these requests if possible so please get in touch if you discover an issue.

Parent Transition Meetings 
We want Year 6 parents to also meet our key staff and see the school so we will be inviting all parents to Graham School on Wednesday 3 July for a presentation and tour of the school if required. Staff will be happy to answer any questions that you may still have at this point. This is especially important for those families from schools outside of our catchment, those joining from previous home education or out of area.

Helpful information for parents
You may find the following resources helpful regarding your child’s transition from primary school to Graham School. You can choose to download either the Powerpoint or PDF file below (both contain the same information).

Powerpoint file: Welcome to Graham School
PDF file: Welcome to Graham School

Welcome from your Head of Year, Mr Hutchinson

I am Mr Hutchinson and along with a team of Year 7 form tutors and a Year 7 Behaviour Support Assistant, we will do our utmost to ensure your child is happy, settled and confident. Our aim is that every child enjoys their first and all future years here at Graham School and will be able to look forward with optimism for the future that awaits them.

This is not only an exciting time, but also a ‘fresh start’; an opportunity to create a positive lasting impression, to embark on new adventures and to become a successful, caring and respected individual within our community.

From the very first moments in Graham School, form tutors will help your child feel secure and make friends within their tutor group and across the year. They will encourage your child to take advantage of the many clubs, activities and social events over the course of the year, whilst maintaining our Positive Discipline (PD) system and encouraging our students to become more independent, resilient and well-rounded.

As a pastoral team we will be there to guide your child and solve any problems they may encounter. This is a really important time in your child’s life and I and the Year 7 team will strive to ensure it is positive and memorable.

Should you have any questions regarding transition, please don’t hesitate to email
me at t.hutchinson@gra.hslt.academy

Mr. Hutchinson, Head of Year 7