Is your child due to start school, move school, move phase or key stage in September? The lead up will have been very different this year. What are you most concerned about as a parent?

[ChildEd]

Thank you for reading on, I'm working to support the education system.

What do you feel would help your child? What is your school doing to help, given changes of normal transition due to COVID.

Y2 DD is moving up to junior school. I'm not worried about knowing her way around and logistics, everyone will be in the same boat and there'll be a level playing field. I'm more concerned about how much home schooling everyone has done and how big the gap is going to be between top and bottom.

But pink that isn't the purpose of this thread. This is new starters or those changing key stage, transition and support needed for them - not about the reopening of schools which is a government decision.

So Child Ed you’ll sort the 3 issues I mentioned and you will sort secondary aged children.

When DD started at her school nursery class they had a stay and play in Sept that worked really well. They have planned a repeat for starting Reception, although I suspect it won't happen. For young children I think transition in Sept can be fine, it doesn't necessarily need to be ages in advance. (Obviously parents want information earlier). DD has recently returned to nursery and her teacher put a video on Tapestry of how it would look with bubbles etc. This was really helpful and I thinking similar could be done for starting school. Having the class teacher show you where you come in, where the toilets are, what toys they have etc helps them build a picture of what it will be like. My DD was nervous starting nursery originally as she had no frame of reference for what it would be like. Once she realised it was basically a large room with lots of toys she was fine!

My child starts school in September and we'd love her to have a few transition half days.
We're really hoping the schools can open to all full time too in September

Our school will be doing virtual tours which is great, but they really could do with an actual visit

Ta00 - working across all age groups including post 16. Along with the practicalities of starting a new school, included are mental health issues, social needs as well as curricula and assessment advice.

As for when schools reopen...I'm not BJ OR GW (thankfully) and that isn't the focus of the information or the programme I'm working on. Schools will open when it is safe to do so, Risk Assessments need to continue to be completed with actions taken to ensure children and adults are safe, this means limitations on pupil numbers.

My kids are not moving this year, but for all 3 of them, in the transition to secondary, it was transition days that were 100% most important, both at the time and looking back. This was for 2 reasons,

1. because they experienced secondary school, and realised it was just school, another classroom, friendly teachers.
2. they met other kids going there. They all went to schools with 0 of their year 6 friends, so meeting some others and finding a friend even if just for the day was really helpful for them in looking forward to september.

Yes, I think the peer support/new friends is coming through this thread really strongly. I'm wondering about how we can safely bring about children meeting each other ...lots of safeguarding and privacy guidance and legalities to consider.

My Y6 daughter's new secondary has set up a youtube and put up videos including a tour of the school with a mention there will be a map in their school planners, one introducing some of the main staff, and a Q&A video (they asked for questions on their social media beforehand). I appreciated the list of supplies and discussion of - if everything goes well - an induction day the Friday before school opens.

My daughter appreciated "everything" as she put it, but mostly seeing all the pictures and having her Head of Year teacher explain things. They're also doing a 'reading week' with other staff reading short stories which has been nice for her. This is her first time going to school so being able to see the people has been big for her. If the school could help arrange something where she could see/chat with others that will be in Y7 or even some of the older kids, it would be great for her.

Sounds some good work Bibabbles by the school in tricky times.
The virtual world does have some positives in that children can go back and do the tour again and again. We have children who move across the country and this will be much better for them in the longer term. It is great that some schools are getting this in place.

When one of my own DC's moved to uni, SM was amazingly effective in comparison with 'in my day' - within a couple of days of getting her place, she had 'met all of her 'flat' mates on line, made links, talked, planned who was taking the toaster, the wok...not in my day...turned up to an empty room and waited to see who might arrive to share the double room with me ( and yes two toasters and no wok!) - BUT much more difficult to use SM for younger children (safeguarding)

Then child your project is a bit pointless. Schools don’t need any more advice and are the experts re what to provide for their new children and what they can provide.They’ve had years of practise.

The single thing all kids need is to be in school, everything else is of little consequence in comparison.

Pretty sure schools really don’t need any more advice. They’re being inundated at the moment.They’ve adapted and provided continuously throughout this. They also know their settings and children best and what they can provide.

Not sure how welcome your advice is going to be when following shed loads of advice from the gov to actually open will be and needs to be the priority.

I don’t want my dcs secondary wasting time and previous space/ resources on kids meeting up with chums. I want exam years in and learning. Anything that deflects from that is not ok. Year 7 can wait until the whole thing is over they’re years off exams and have been attending school. They could start in Jan with little impact.Exams and mental health support for those already in needs to be the priority.

Ta00 - misguided or over assuming at best.
I am an education professional working WITH schools, years of experience. Evaluative work with our headteacher groups throughout COVID shows that transition requires rethinking due to current circumstances, this is the support HT's have requested to lessen the load and to share good practice planned by them and to be shared amongst others.
Feedback from parents in their own schools, but wider here is invaluable in supporting the development of good practice.

If you are a headteacher, that's fine, you obviously don't need the support ( and if you are not a HT , then I don't understand your point on a thread which is aiming to improve the process of children starting school)

Children in the three tier system moving schools have been completely forgotten. Years 4 & 8 for them need to be back to have some sort of transition like the primary/ secondary system. Our year 6s are back which is completely useless.

I feel that year 9 have been forgotten, they are starting GCSEs in September at the latest, some schools starting from year 9, ours from this term. They need to be back part time now along with year 10, then full time in September. They need live online lessons now.

This thread is really irritating me. I can't speak for primary schools but I work in a secondary school and we have organised online videos from tutors, head of year, a virtual tour, phone calls to families and there will be transition days in July for year 6s. We are doing everything in our power to help the yr 6 transition.

Lovely you are putting together some guidance for us but you do realise there are only 5 weeks left of term. If individual schools haven't organised these things by now then they are very unlikely to at the eleventh hour. If you really have any influence with the DFE then you need to focus on how best to get ALL children back into school safely in September. To me it sounds more as though you are researching for the Daily Mail or writing a dissertation.

No transition to Y7 for children with SEN. I am working full time, husband can't support with home learning very well as he's very dyslexic himself.

I'm so worried that they're not going to get any transition acitivities - their PGL and end of year prom has been cancelled and I just don't know how they're going to cope. All of their (twin boys) friends are very young for their age. It feels very nerve-wracking.

School have been in touch to say they are 'working on' transition stuff, but as @boredorboard says - there's only 5 weeks left of term!

Dc reception video showed stuff that is likely to be different. And dc was asking me where to put coat and bags. Saying about taking toys in.

bored - no, not a journalist or student. Education advisory post with a large LA, in which, as I said, HT's have asked for support. The best way of doing that is to ask parents what they feel their children need. Pity that this annoys you...but you didn't have to read and contribute, there have been so many other helpful parents.

That my child has a positive start to reception and that there could be an element of separation anxiety again even though she attended nursery at the same school from Sept- March this year.

I will add that we know it is the '11th hour' and that some schools have sorted out some aspects but up until this week government guidance was that all primary children would be returning for the last month of school.
Transition wouldn't have been such an issue, but the last minute change to government guidance has impacted on preparations for children due to start or move schools.

www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-53022369

Can you sort this please. Oh and the damage to their future GCSEs and A levels.

Transition work is all completed way before the last month where we are.

@boredorboard

This thread is really irritating me. I can't speak for primary schools but I work in a secondary school and we have organised online videos from tutors, head of year, a virtual tour, phone calls to families and there will be transition days in July for year 6s. We are doing everything in our power to help the yr 6 transition.

Lovely you are putting together some guidance for us but you do realise there are only 5 weeks left of term. If individual schools haven't organised these things by now then they are very unlikely to at the eleventh hour. If you really have any influence with the DFE then you need to focus on how best to get ALL children back into school safely in September. To me it sounds more as though you are researching for the Daily Mail or writing a dissertation.

ChildEd I get why bored has posted this. When I first read you OP I too was a bit suspicious as you could have been anyone. You didn’t state who you were from the off and posters have had to repeatedly ask on what basis you were asking for. Fine if your with dept Ed not so fine if your a Jurno or just doing it for content for something else.

My dd is changing schools in September she will be going in to Y3 my youngest will be going in their kindergarten.

We’ve been promised a virtual tour of the school. As a fee payer I’d hoped we would have had chance to at least walk around it before we financially committed.

What’s bothering me is that although infection rates are falling dramatically there are no solid guidelines about what’s going to happen in September. As working parents we need to know what’s going on as the financial impact is staggering and forcing women out of work

At our current school ( private) although only the recommendation years are back ( class sizes are ten each so could easily practice social distancing) they are blaming the local government for still not allowing a full return. When they are eventually allowed to return ( this summer term) it’s going to be on a part time basis and no actual work is going to be done. It’s purely for socialisation and play. Educational work will still be done at home because of those parents still unwilling to send their children in.

Which is ludicrous and frustrating.

The whole thing is a shambles. All my child would like to know is whether he will be going to big school in September.

Until I can answer that question it is pretty immaterial where he eats lunch.

His preschool nursery place at the school has just been removed yesterday having been delayed.