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?

It's difficult.

Do I think they are an immediate priority if return is started after half term? No - other year groups have greater priority for face to face education for those 6 weeks.

Do I think they are a priority for the final week or few days of term? Yes - Y6 should take priority over anyone else in the school for the very end of term.

(Actually, I would probably prefer immediate priority for face to face education to be given to those who haven't accessed online learning at home, regardless of age. But that is hugely complex to arrange, so I am resigned to a year group by year group approach)

I have a Y7 and a Y6. Both academically fine but the Y6 is finding lockdown much easier than the Y7. I think doing a bit of revision with all the support of primary school (the primary school is excellent) is much easier than having to balance lots of subjects (we've had some tears from Y7 because she's struggling with the work).

Personality plays apart as well of course and I don't know yet how they will both cope with returning to school. At least in our case my Y6 has her big sister to look out for her when she starts secondary.

My DD is in Y2. She’s not a priority so if she’s not back before the summer then that’s reasonable. Y6 are more important.

Would you say the same if you had a Y2 in an infant - junior school organisation, noble? A parent with a child in Y2 at the end of an Infant school would, like you with your Y6, say that their transition was vital.

Which year is seen as important depends not only on our own perspectives as parents, but also on the school system we are working in - infant / junior; primary; secondary with 6th form; secondary where 6th form is elsewhere (y11-12 transition really key there); first / middle / high etc

All years are important.

The cake is the education.
The icing is the transition days, the year 6s leaving their teachers and school, the year 11s who have planned for their prom, having worked hard for exams that never materialised. The yr 13s going off to Uni or college or apprenticeships without the safety net of knowing they passed the necessary exams.
All the rituals will be missed. And it is sad, but it is necessary.

We have to accept that this year it is going to be different.

Those going back to school, whether starting a new school or not, also the teachers and staff, are going into a new as yet unknown way of education. We don't know what, we don't know when, and we don't know how, no one does, yet. Everyone will feel it, and everyone will have to adapt. I think accepting this, and trying not to compare it to the way things were, will help us all in moving forward. As parents we need to support our kids through this. We can't change this reality. Wanting what was is futile.

Would you say the same if you had a Y2 in an infant - junior school organisation, noble?

I’m not familiar with infant-juniors but the one near us is on the same site and the kids move up as a year group with all their friends just from one building to another.

Y6 to secondary on the other hand - I, like many Y6 parents, had been giving my DS increasing independence to prepare for the move. Walking to and from school on his own. Leaving him at home on his own for short periods. Sending him to the corner shop for bits and pieces. He was so proud of all this. We were building up to him going to a secondary in a different town requiring a bus or train journey. And now he’s stuck at home not going anywhere. God knows how we’re going to manage that. I’m sure that those debating clubs and plays and residentials that people are dismissing as pointless would have been geared around building their confidence and independence, and increasingly complex social interactions with peers and adults.

That independence for Y6 is a big thing and something that hasn’t really been talked about. Many of these DC won’t have the opportunity to start taking those first steps of freedom as they should have.

Our Y6s have the Head of Year 7 coming in to their class for an hour a week throughout the last 6 weeks. There are 6 feeder schools to the high school and he does this for every one. They also have a 2 day transition to the High School and one sports half day. They learn the layout of the school, the ‘important’ people, where to go and what to do. We would still want this to go ahead.

There has been a suggestion that the Y6s could do some revision learning followed by CATs rather than all the ‘fun’ activities, to give the high school a better idea of where they are and what they have missed. Not a bad suggestion (They’d still have a leavers assembly, but not the Residential, prom or the school play). CATs are better than SATS because there is no ‘pass’ and no pressure. It will enable to High School to plan on filling the gaps in education, which are bound to be wider now.

Everything you've said Nobel. We were going to build up to walking to secondary or catching a bus. This is a Big Thing for her. I've already realised I'll probably end up driving her as we wont have built her up.

Noble,

I know exactly what you mean - coaching DS through all those things (outside school, with things like walking to clubs and going to a shop and catching a bus, and then walking the exact route to school in the summer holidays, giving him a house key) was a big part of preparing him for secondary.

I suppose the only 'good' thing about those aspects of increasing independence is that the independence in terms of travel etc is 'only' dependent on lockdown being lifted, not on actually being back in school. So while the duration of the preparation period will have to be shorter because of the current situation, it isn't impossible to replicate with closed schools / schools closed to his year group / in the holiday. Fingers crossed that things like slightly lifting the ban on unnecessary travel and also the opening of small shops etc DOES happen over the coming weeks, whatever happens to schools, so that you can start to do these things with him again.

I always joked about wanting to get out of the leavers assembly as I’ll be a mess ... should have been careful what I wished for.

Educationally year 6 don’t need to go back. Pastorally, yes they really do. I kept trying to tentatively suggest to mine that her last few days may be it. She didn’t get it though. None of them have.

crazycrofter
What does this ‘transition’ consist of?

I can't speak for all secondary schools but for mine

Teachers, transition leader and HoY 7 go out to schools so they meet and work with the year 6s
Pupils in yr 7, normally those that have been supported due to SEND or other problems to talk to the year 6s
We have SEND groups come in so that they know the school and have "lessons" in various departments so they are not just dumped in the school.
We have weekend sessions of fun activities with various departments for the reasons above.
When the year 10s are on work experience we have the of the new year 5 come in so that they can have a experience day.
We have another year 6 day when the year 11s have left so they can meet the tutor groups, tutors.
We have a parents evening where the parents come in and meet not only the parents but Pastoral assistants, head of houses and Head of year and various department heads.

I am fairly certain that I have missed some areas but that is most of it.

Round here the children move to a huge range of secondaries across 3 or 4 different boroughs. There's usually a coordinated transition day in July when all Y6 children spend the day at their secondary and for many that's it apart from an information evening parents are invited to. Some of them may have been visited at their primary school beforehand but others won't. Those with SEN that need support will hopefully have been discussed at the borough SENCO meeting, some children will have had ongoing transition support from the borough transition team itself, ASD outreach team or the behaviour support service. This may include social stories being drawn up, practising of the journey, meeting key people, learning how to read a timetable etc. Quite often on the coordinated visit day, the children sit assessment tests which the secondaries prefer over the results of the KS2 tests. During August, some schools offer a week or two of summer school which is aimed at pupils who may struggle with transition but other schools open them to everyone starting Y7.

What the children receive varies hugely across primary schools and depends upon the secondary they are transferring to. I know of secondaries that have their new Y7s in every week or fortnight from Easter but know of plenty where there's little more than the main visit day and an info meeting. Every year there are pupils who will be offered a higher preference school after the transition visit, or even during August but they will at least have had the opportunity to discover secondary school teachers don't eat 11 year olds.

My hope that an extended transition may take place when schools are partially open is because it would give an opportunity for every Y6 child to become familiar with their allocated school. It would also reduce the need for to-ing and fro-ing of school staff (both primary and secondary) and would provide the Y6s with some certainty in what is a very uncertain time.

That said, I wouldn't be surprised if when schools partially reopen it will be to specified year groups... but only if they live close enough to walk/cycle/scoot themselves there. Having children travel via public transport isn't going to be ideal.

Some things that the three different schools my kids went to did were

Moving Up/Taster Day/Transition Day (a full day in school including using public/school transport if applicable)

Welcome disco/parents social evening

Meeting with SENCO at new school/old school

Information evening (talks, uniform instructions, expectations, meet the form tutor etc)

Can’t. Have you ever had a child in Y6?

I don’t think you have much appreciation or understanding of what it’s like for them. These are rites of passage that they can’t have back. You can’t just remove them and say ‘oh well.’

Can't Year 6 have a reunion disco/ awards night/ whatever in the Autumn to say goodbye? Does it have to be in June or July?

Daffodil. But what can they do? Even if schools go back it will be under very odd conditions and small groups at a time. Missing end of year 6 has been devestating for my daughter , but I can't thinjnwhat on earth they can do instead. :(

I’m doing transition rn. Sans enfants

Depends on the child, on the confidence of the child.
If you have a child lacking in confidence, then I'm sure this is going to be a big adjustment.

I don't think Year 6's n Ed shy special treatment. They'll get a taster day presumably, at some point.

I can't see that they are any / much more disadvantaged than most other years. Or ok more than most in primary, but not as much as Yr11's and Yr13's.

(All by phone )

Why would it be in October if they can go back in June?

My y2 child is looking like she's going to have to transition to a completely new juniors, different site, different uniform (she's going to struggle to cope with this) with no transition prep at all if this goes on much longer. Already a child who needs a routine and to know what is going to happen when to relax, with mental health suffering dramatically - but SN and compliant and well behaved so no one's priority.

The schools normally organise transition so well between the two but this year is fucked if they don't get back. I'm going to be pushing for a phased start in September if needs be.

My kid missed saying goodbye to her nursery through serious illness, now looks like she won't get to say goodbye to her infant school - prepare for Armageddon when she's due to leave year 6 at this rate!

You have my sympathy domina. I suspect the guidelines will be subject to local interpretation and perhaps your school will have Y2 back for this reason, that would be reasonable.

One of the issues with younger children Is that they find it harder to socially distance. It must be hard to think how to get YR to comply.

The teachers I know who have been open for key workers told me that it was impossible to distance from YR and Y1, even with four children in school. Imagine if a four year old is hurt and they come for comfort? It’s natural to give them a cuddle and tell them it’s all ok. Imagine rejecting them.

I can see that some secondary schools do a lot of work with year 6s in advance. I suppose that’s easier in an area where you have a small number of feeder primaries. In a city like mine, kids from one primary canoe on to 30 odd different secondaries.

As I mentioned, my kids just had their induction day and they were fine. I thought at the time that dd would have been better without that as she didn’t find the induction day easy, didn’t make any friends and it made her worry through the summer. Yet she was fine in September.

I understand why year 6 parents are worried but I’m sure most of your children will adjust fine. Like I said, ds went from home Ed, which was fairly laid back by summer term, to full days and an hour bus journey each way and he adjusted - and he had undiagnosed special needs too.

Yeah it would be different in a big city, I can see that.

My y6 has a y10 sister who went to the same primary. She has watched her sister go through y6 and everything it entailed. The little things matter to them.

She was upset when sats were cancelled, but then on talking to her, it turned out she was upset not to carry the house flag on sports day (she’s house captain) and not to have the Y6 play. She was worried about not getting her ‘leavers hoodie.’

She’s only 10. It’s all very well us debating as adults, but when you are 10, abd you’ve been looking forward to something, then it’s a big deal. Heaped on top of cancelled SATS and living in these strange times, as well as going up to high school.

Y6 should definitely go back.