Primary to Secondary Transition

Education Learning Trust's Step up to Secondary

Our innovative programme is designed to build partnerships that help young people, parents and staff navigate and overcome the common challenges that arise as pupils move from Year 6 to Year 7.

A programme that supports:

  • Higher attendance rates 
  • Stronger academic progress 
  • Increased confidence in routines and familiarity with new environments
  • The creation of stronger relationships between practitioners and students  

At the Education Learning Trust, we have developed the pioneering Transition Programme ‘Step Up to Secondary’ (SUTS) which is designed to support pupils and their families in building confidence and maintaining momentum during the transition from primary to secondary school.

Grounded in research, and informed by partnerships with the University of Manchester and Nottingham Trent University, the programme aims to create space for curriculum continuity and a more unified community by fostering strong relationships and collaboration between secondary schools and their feeder primaries.

The Education Learning Trust's STEP UP TO SECONDARY (SUTS) Programme offers partner schools the following:

  • Access to a sector leading 10-week fully resourced bridging curriculum delivered in both Year 6 and Year 7. The scheme links to the RSE and HSE curriculums and focuses on building skills and strategies that foster confidence and belonging. Unlike other programmes, it also includes tailored experiences for parents/carers to participate in alongside their children.
  • Support in creating relational curriculum ‘outreach’ and ‘in reach’ experiences delivered to Key Stage 2 pupils in their own primary schools
  • Guidance on developing ‘Step Up to Secondary’ events at secondary school, where pupils and parents  engage with their future form groups and form tutors through activities like escape rooms, scavenger hunts, and wellbeing sessions focused on emotional regulation
  • Support in creating transition processes that improve data gathering efficiency and communication with parents
  • Access to research partnerships, academic expertise and CPD to support practitioners and schools 

CASE STUDY: 

The Education Learning Trust has been working with one of its schools, The Kingsway School, and eight of its feeder primary schools (six of which are non-ELT schools) over the past two years and through this partnership, they have created a sector leading offer called 'Kingsway POP (Primary Outreach Programme)’ 

It was felt that building stronger relationships between school staff,  pupils and their families prior to their arrival at the school would support:

  • All pupils from all groups become more confident in how to manage routines and adapt to the new environment
  • Academic progress and continuation of the momentum gained at the end of KS2
  • Positive upticks in attendance
  • The lowering of suspensions and exclusion rates

 After working together with the ELT Step Up to Secondary programme facilitators, The Kingsway School is now able to offer eight local feeder primary schools:

  • Full Access to the Step up to Secondary Y6-Y7 Bridging Curriculum
  • 15 weeks of ‘outreach’ curriculum experiences  in Years 4,5 and 6 in PE, Reading and Transition Workshops where  pupils meet secondary based staff and build solid relationships 
  • 9 individual bespoke ‘In reach’ experiences where pupils spend time in the secondary school experiencing the creative arts, sport and STEM curriculums
  • An efficient pupil and parent focused transition pathway, where form group creation is informed by high quality data collection and information is communicated to parents as early as possible – the school was able to inform all pupils and parents of the new form groups and teachers at the start of June, a full month prior to the Local Authority move up day
  • A full week of form group transition activities in July that allow pupils to build relationships with peers and new form tutors prior to their first day at secondary school

All elements of the programme are delivered by ELT staff who will follow the children from primary to secondary school and this allows pupils to begin forming relationships with new trusted adults; become familiar with the new environment; and benefit from a continuity of connections and curriculum elements that build confidence.  

Early outcome data suggests:

Higher attendance: Pupils who accessed the Kingsway Primary Outreach Programme had attendance on average 2% higher than those who did not

Stronger academic progress: The number of pupils making better than expected progress was 12% higher among those who accessed the Kingsway POP offer 
 
Increased confidence: Pupils who accessed Kingsway POP displayed confidence levels on average 20% higher across social, academic, personal and environmental domains compared with those who had not

Pupils who do not access the primary sessions in Year 6 display significantly elevated confidence levels after completing the specially designed Year 7 sessions.  

Additionally, as part of the Trust’s Unified Community Programme, termly ‘Talk About Transition’ breakfast meetings are held. These bring together primary and secondary colleagues to help shape the ongoing development of the programme and share best practices for cross-phase collaboration.

If you would like to find out more about this new and innovative programme, please contact: SUTS@educationlearningtrust.com