A question for teachers re year 6 please?

[Blackdog19]

I’ve heard that first to go back to school are likely to be year 12, 10 & 6. I can understand 12 & 10 as they’re obviously pre big exam years but why year 6 particularly? I’m just curious. Do you think may still do Sats to allow for progress reviews for secondary achievements?

Y12, Y10 and Y6 is my opinion as priorities, but it is purely an opinion. (That said, I've experienced secondaries prioritising and rotating year groups due to capacity issues connected with fires and building work issues so there is precedent to my musings)

Those halfway through qualifications for obvious reasons.

Y6 normally spend the year preparing for SATs then June and July are lighter with transition days and events at secondaries. We know that this year's y11s and y13s have struggled with the abrupt ending of this phase of school life, and 10-11 year olds in y6 would find it difficult to move on without closure and preparation for the next stage.

There's no SATS this year. I think my DC who's is Y6 would love to go back just to get the Leavers Assembly, Leavers BBQ, Leavers Dance, signing of shirts etc..every other Y6 get to have but if they don't go back there's nothing that can be done and they'll be the Y6 that didn't do it.

I wouldn't worry about year 6. If it's a phased/part time return in September this will act as a transition anyway. I'm more concered about the current year 7s and above who are missing a whole third of their current year. All year 6 do in the last term is trips, fun days answer some revision.

I cannot imagine a transition day into secondary happening - especially where it has to be co-ordinated across all the secondaries that a primary feeds into.

I think year 5 would be a MUCH better year group to bring back first - old enough to do social distancing, but an opportunity to close some of the gap already opening up between those children who are doing loads of educational stuff at home and those doing none before what is already a pressured Y6.

Year 6 could be brought back for a final week in July, maybe, if whole classes are in by then (not much point in a big 'goodbye' if half the class has to be absent), or maybe for a final day when nobody else is there, to allow for all the Y6s to be in but decent social distancing.

As a non-Y6 teacher, I would genuinely be very upset, and angry, that children in Y6 were being brought back in to do a play, an end of term assembly, lots of 'fun' stuff, spend time with friends while those in other years in very deprived but non-keyworker families were struggling at home with 'home learning'.

Much better to bring children from other years back for education, and then for primaries and secondaries to work together to create a decent transition package for September, with maybe a 'goodbye day' for y6 at the end of the term in July.

The transition back to school from lockdown is going to be stressful and confusing as it is. New rules, phased returns, potentially supply teachers. It’s not going to be a great quality of education for any of this kids.

It would be so much better for Y6 to take these tentative steps back into the outside world surrounded by friends, teachers who know them, and familiar places than as part of an already stressful transition to an unfamiliar place where the teachers don’t know them and some won’t have any friends at all.

Noble maybe considering that it might be best for everyone to repeat their current year and delay reception new starters for another year. It would benefit the current year 7s enormously who will have missed a full term of their first year in secondry, far worse than year 6 missing a few fun activities.

We are planning to home ed my DS in September for year 7 onwards.

He really could do with going back to school, even just for a week. To see his mates. Say goodbye to the school. He is really upset, he left with a cough 4 days before schools shut. None of us realised that that was it. He needs to go back for his own mental health.

As a non-Y6 teacher, I would genuinely be very upset, and angry, that children in Y6 were being brought back in to do a play, an end of term assembly, lots of 'fun' stuff, spend time with friends while those in other years in very deprived but non-keyworker families were struggling at home with 'home learning'.

This. "Transition" to secondary is best done in the secondary school and in September. Missing "fun stuff" in Y6 is the least of our worries with regard to the educational experiences children of all ages are missing.

These are exceptional times and all children and young people are missing out.

Noble, I agree that the transition back into school for all children will be stressful.

i also agree that next year's Y7 cohort will have to be one that will have to be exceptionally well supported by their new secondaries, including an extended and completely new induction period.

I don't think that it can. or should, be the primary school that supports this transition, except by the provision of information to secondaries.

I certainly don't think it puts them ahead of all other years in the primary school that they are leaving, except as i say for perhaps a single week or so in July.

Just to reassure those worried about potentially losing the transition day, my daughter's school don't do one. She started her first day in September (y7 and y12 only on this day), not knowing anyone and was absolutely fine.

If ever there was a year group that would find social distancing impossible its reception. Can see that working even less than the other years.

They won’t be the first - reception will go back first but there may be additional support for those deemed at risk with transition. All schools have been asked to identify those children.

No, they haven't.

I’m a year 6 teacher and I’m gutted for my kids that they don’t get to do that final term at the school. Musical production, residential, getting their shirts signed, leavers assembly, leavers lunch. A day or two at their new school. Most schools will do some lessons about what secondary school is like, A chance to ask questions - lots of children are very anxious about the change as they’ve heard they’ll get bullied for sure, teachers will shout if they get lost, they’ll be in a class with no friends at all, the lessons will be impossibly hard etc etc.

However most of these fun ‘rite of passage’ activities not be happening if we go back in June anyway. You can’t put on a production when anyone might need to self isolate with a cough at any time, and you can’t cram 100 parents in to the hall to watch. There’s no way we will be going off in residential the week we go back. I feel so bad for them but that’s the reality.

I do think for some of them, some sort of ‘closure’ and goodbye would be good though.

I don't think that it can. or should, be the primary school that supports this transition, except by the provision of information to secondaries.

cant as a parent of a Y6 with SEN who will be going to a totally different school in September from all his peers, I obviously have skin in this game.

He is going to struggle with the transition out of lockdown. He is going to struggle with the transition to secondary school. Putting them both together and saying Y6s will simply have to cope in secondary while secondary teachers are also supporting other key year groups and so can’t have one main focus (unlike a Y6 teacher) worries me.

Our high school goes into our feeder schools from about now usually to meet the EHCP, Sen, vulnerable students in their setting in year 6. Then we have them up as a big group for a day. Then we have the whole of year 6 up for a day in July for a taster day, get to know your form tutor, have lunch, have assembly with the Head, etc.
I can't see any of this happening this year. Even if, and it's a huge if, some students return in June, I can't imagine any groups of students from other schools coming to us or us visiting them.

I think they'll start in September and it will all be very new and different for us all, but they'll be ok, they won't know any different and we'll be ready for them.

Shame, but if needs must, we will adapt this year and as always make transition as smooth as possible, lots of pastoral support, Prefect buddy system, etc. Even with all the transition we usually have, it always takes the first half term for them to settle. By Christmas, they feel like they've been with us forever.

Ditto yr 6 asd child going to grammar school so away from friends. Lots of extra transition was planned and social support and a small group in juniors.

We also finished a week early due to a cough with no knowledge that was it. I think its the leaving without even knowing it, no goodbyes or last day or any rite of passage. It really has been awful here.

I genuinely dont know what going in with social distancing in place would be like either.

saying Y6s will simply have to cope in secondary while secondary teachers are also supporting other key year groups and so can’t have one main focus (unlike a Y6 teacher) worries me.

Of course.

In an ideal world, primaries would have everyone back, and provide all the transition, and enhanced transition, activities that they normally would.

However, as Cary says:
I can't see any of this happening this year. Even if, and it's a huge if, some students return in June, I can't imagine any groups of students from other schools coming to us or us visiting them.

Secondary schools are not prioritising 'rites of passage' or 'transition' for Y11 and Y13, but instead considering the needs of Y10 and Y12 as being the priorioy, if there must be 'rationing' of on-site educational and pastoral activity, the priority. My belief is that primary schools should prioritise the educational needs of years below Y6 over transition for Y6, especially because normal transition activities, visits, residentials etc cannot happen.

Yes, it will require extra work from secondaries, yes, it is not ideal, but if provision is rationed, then not everyone can have everything.

I think it’s right for yr6 to go back , and have that primary school closure/ transition etc.

I’d much rather they took my yr1 child but that ain’t going to happen!

I'm hoping that Y6 might be one of the groups to return earlier but my hope is that they don't return to primary but have a prolonged transition to their secondaries instead.

If they return to primary it's unlikely they would get to take part in the usual rites of passage activities such as residentials and productions, signing shirts won't promote social distancing and nor will emotional goodbyes. Moving to secondary early, perhaps for half days could be a huge support as they'd get to know the layout, some staff etc whilst the school was mostly empty. And without the pressure of homework.

As part of my job I've been looking into Y6's worries about starting Y7. This year, just as for the past 20ish years I've been teaching, their worries are all related to detentions, getting lost and making friends. Not one has mentioned missing out on end of Y6 stuff. In contrast, every parent has said how worried they are about their child's transition to secondary school being undermined by missing out on the end of Y6 stuff. I find that really interesting; surely it's the children who need to be prioritised rather than the disappointment of their parents?

N.B. I am also a Y6 parent and was looking forward to seeing my DC enjoy those traditions but I'd far rather the move to secondary was positive.

However, i do think that getting Y6 in for a final few days WOULD be good IF social distancing can be relaxed enough to allow e.g. proper time for the children to spend time with one another and their class teacher, maybe a final assembly (even if on screen rather than 'live' for the audience) etc.

Handovers from Y6 to Y7 pastoral staff could form the main priority for the final weeks of term for these groups, if not all year groups are in school - Y6 teachers need not p[rovide any more online schooling, but spend the same time meeting Y7 staff virtually and in much more detail than is normally possible with a full Y6 timetable.

transition

The main / only transition activities in the summer term are visits, which bring the Y6s together in large groups in the secondary with children from across a wide range of schools. The COVID risks of this are obvious, and as a result I think it is very unlikely that these will happen in the summer term.

Enhanced transition in September - absolutely.

Not one has mentioned missing out on end of Y6 stuff.

My DS cried himself to sleep every night for the first week and on occasional nights after this because of this.

But if you asked him about his worries about starting secondary, he wouldn’t mention this because it’s not about transition to secondary. He is actually devastated about it, and this is a child who I didn’t think cared that much.

I’d like my Y6 to go back sooner to get some learning in before secondary school. Even a few weeks. I think the ‘fun’ stuff (end of term musical) wouldn’t be as fun in the current situation, a little bit of saying goodbye would be good, but I worry that he’ll be ill prepared for lessons at secondary school. I’m working full time so can’t monitor what he’s up to!

Yes, when I’m talking about getting Y6 back in, it’s about transitioning them back to being around other people, in an educational setting with routines and expectations. It’s not about them putting on a play.