NOA Schools' Transition Brochure
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Transition Spring 2020: A guide to current practice in Norwich Opportunity Area schools Norwich Opportunity Area Centrum, Norwich Research Park, Norwich NR4 7UG Contents Foreword 3 Why have we produced this guide? 4 City Academy Norwich 6 Sewell Park Academy 8 City of Norwich School 10 The Hewett Academy 12 Catton Grove Primary School 14 Lionwood Junior School 16 Edith Cavell Academy & Nursery 18 George White Junior School 20 Valley Primary Academy 22 Avenue Junior School 24 Heartsease Primary Academy 26 West Earlham Junior School 28 Magdalen Gates Primary 30 St Michael’s VA Primary School 32 Bignold Primary School 34 The Wherry School 36 Mile Cross Primary School 38 2 — Transition Spring 2020 Foreword from the Chair of the Norwich Opportunity Area Partnership Board Schools in the Norwich Opportunity Area This provides another way for their teachers are collaborating on a range of projects to to understand the level of work that children ensure no child will miss out on the great have previously been used to achieving. opportunities primary and secondary schools They have also set up more opportunities offer. Nowhere in the programme is this more than before for teachers and leaders in evident than in the work being done around secondary schools to visit their counterparts improving Y6-7 transition, the move from in primary schools, and vice versa. primary to secondary schools. For example, headteachers have agreed on a single week This work represents a very strong in July 2020 for transition events between commitment from local education leaders Year 6 and Year 7, ensuring every child can to help all children succeed as they move get the best start in their new school. between schools. This guide provides more detail about the work that many of these Headteachers have also agreed that despite schools do to prepare and welcome children the different approaches they may have to and their families as they move between Key collecting and sharing data on children’s Stages, Year groups or schools, and I hope progress, this year they will use common that you will use it as a stimulus to continue measures to transfer information between to share good practice – many thanks to all primary and secondary schools to ensure who have contributed to it and inspired us all children start Year 7 with their teachers to make children’s experience of transition in understanding where they got to in their Norwich as good as anywhere in the country. work by the time they left primary school. Schools are also committing to developing Tim Coulson common ‘bridging work’ that starts while Independent Chair of the Norwich pupils are in Year 6 and continues in Year 7. Opportunity Partnership Board A guide to current practice in Norwich Opportunity Area schools — 3 Why have we produced this guide? In 2016 Norwich was identified in the practitioners has looked at the ways that we Social Mobility Index1 as 323rd of 324 local can collectively make children’s transitions authority districts in England in terms of the within the Norwich school system more chances that a child from a disadvantaged effective. As well as improvements to the background will do well at school and get way that we record and share information a good job. The Index examined a range about a child’s journey through education, of measures to shed light on which are the and work to bridge the curriculum between best and worst places in England in terms of key stage 2 and 3, the working group agreed the opportunities young people from poorer upon the importance of collaboration – backgrounds have to succeed. sharing examples of what each school does and taking the time to visit other schools, to In response Norwich was designated as an see what they do, and discuss ways that we “Opportunity Area” and has benefited from can take the very best practice and continue funding to address key issues that affect to improve how we work together. children’s success in school, and beyond. Across a range of priorities for education, This guide is designed as a starting point a key aim has been to improve the support in this process. Some of our schools around children as they move between have shared their current practice around schools and key stages, in the hope that transition in this guide, and you will find this will enable them to achieve better, and contact details for each example. Please do will reduce levels of fixed and permanent contact the staff identified who are leading exclusions in the city’s schools. on transition in their school, and make A working group of school leaders and arrangements to visit and share your ideas 1. https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/social-mobility-index 4 — Transition Spring 2020 and experiences. “It has been a real pleasure to have primary colleagues visiting and Funding will be provided for cover costs working with us in our Secondary to enable schools to release staff from Academy setting. In return the offer Opportunity Area schools, and the schools of sharing practice within the primary that feed into or from them, to allow settings has been a powerful insight colleagues to share their practice and work into collaboration around transition together to make transitions really effective and understanding of the barriers across the city. created by lack of connections across the curriculum, but also the For details on how to make a claim for great practice that both primary funding, or to find out more about the and secondary have to offer. This Norwich Transition Project visit: is key to moving our young people norwichopportunityarea.co.uk/transition forward across Norwich. Together we CAN provide a clear pathway to our students learning, divided we are working alone. It is with shared understanding, collaboration and new learning that we are able to be the best versions of ourselves. Every child, same chance.” Paul Collin - Headteacher City Academy Norwich A guide to current practice in Norwich Opportunity Area schools — 5 Boot Camp Transition between: Year 6 and Year 7 At City Academy Norwich we call our week in July and this information is shared transition programme the Year 7 ‘Boot with staff before Boot Camp. Camp’. This is a two day event. The new Year 7 pupils start a day earlier in We decided to run this programme as September than the rest of the school and it has been successful in other schools on the second day they are joined by Year and we have found it is be a great way to 11 only. Boot Camp is in addition to a week support students at the start of their time of transition in July, because we believe with us and to develop the culture that we that Boot Camp gives the students a really want as a school. strong grounding of our core values and ethos at the beginning of the school term. It has been written by members of our SLT and is adapted year on year. Our SLT Our senior leadership team (SLT) teach deliver the programme so that students a range of lessons that demonstrate our get to know important members of staff. core values of Enjoy, Respect, Achieve. We measure impact through student voice This aims to give students a really good questionnaires. Powerpoints are shared understanding of the expectations and with all staff. There is a link between Boot values of our school. To ensure we are Camp and the PSHE curriculum resources aware of any student concerns, we which are used at form time. conduct our own tests in our transition For more information contact: Hannah Boag, Lead Practitioner, [email protected] 6 — Transition Spring 2020 City Academy Norwich is a secondary school and sixth form in the south west of Norwich and part of the Bohunt Education Trust. Transition between: Year 6 and Year 7 A guide to current practice in Norwich Opportunity Area schools — 7 Transition between: Family Interviews Year 6 and Year 7 During June and July we run family knowledge we have of the child the more interviews. We found that families began likely they are to be successful. to worry about what will happen after the Summer holidays and want to make sure The meeting is informed by the concerns the right information about their child has of the student, which are shared within the been shared, so we created our family meeting. Students can attend if they wish. interview programme. The time spent with each family depends Each family is given the opportunity to on their need, and the meeting is book in a meeting slot with a member implemented collaboratively by our SLT. of the Senior Leadership Team (SLT). There is a prompt sheet for the SLT to We monitor the percentage of parents use to guide the conversation but equally who take up the offer. Information from the families can lead the meeting. This is in meetings is shared via the pastoral team to addition to school to school transition Directors and House Leaders, who use it meetings. Parents need to be given the to inform planning and understanding the time to share their knowledge of their child. best interaction with parents, which is then They can share strengths and talents as also useful for form tutors. well as worries and concerns. The better For more information contact: Amanda Barwick, Director, SENDco and lead for transition, [email protected] 8 — Transition Spring 2020 Transition between: Year 6 and Year 7 Sewell Park Academy is a secondary school in the north of Norwich, and is part of The Boudica Schools Trust.