The final term of Year 6 is very busy and thrilling, but it is also a very emotional time for our students when they begin to bid farewell to their Primary lives and look forward to the start of their Secondary journey. Here at BIS, the Year 6 and 7 teams collaborate to ensure that the transition process helps our students be well prepared for this step up, and that they feel confident, ready and a lot less nervous!
The biggest challenge facing Year 6 students is the expectation of personal responsibility and a shift towards becoming independent learners and self-managers. Usually, our teachers in Year 6 will begin to ensure our students practise these skills in Term 3 by requiring them to carry their own instruments, manage homework deadlines, and walk alone to specialist classes.
To help with this transition, our team have organized a series of activities to introduce students to Secondary school life, and these plans have not changed even though we are in Virtual School. Our first series of activities took place on Friday, when Ms Shanks (current Head of Year 7) and Ms Bevan (Head of Year 7 for 2021/22) hosted an online transition meeting for Year 6. It was a very comfortable meeting where we discussed what students could expect from Secondary life. The Year 6 students were able to tell us what they were looking forward to and ask any questions they had. Mr Driver confirmed that they were all feeling a lot less anxious about transitioning after our meeting.
We also held an online parent conference that day, which was very well attended. Ms Miller (Deputy Head of Secondary starting next year) discussed with parents about our "flight path" through Secondary and how we begin with Year 7 to prepare our students for success all the way through the IB Diploma programme and beyond to University. Our students may have a very different experience in their Secondary journey because of the stimulating and personalized learning offered at our school. We also shared how parents can help their children at home by encouraging healthy habits, allowing them to take on more tasks around the house, reading more frequently and getting enough sleep. All of this leads to a child coming to school each day eager to learn. The meeting was well received by parents, and a recording was made available so that they could revisit any of the details covered in the conference.
The next activities on our Virtual Transition schedule include a “Secondary Survival Guide” organized by the KS3 Leadership team, a meeting with Year 7 buddies to ask some casual questions, and a Virtual Taster Morning where students will have the chance to attend an online Secondary lesson. Whether we return to school or not, we are assured that our new Year 7 students will be well-prepared to begin the next step of their learning journey.
Fiona Shanks
Head of Year 7 - Teacher of Mathematics
As the academic year whirls by, the first term in primary school draws to a close, marking the end of a whirlwind of learning, growth, and new experiences.
As we move towards the end of term, our Primary exit points are always a great celebration of learning that has taken place over previous weeks and months.
At BIS, in addition to the excellent opportunities we are providing in the classroom, we enrich the students experiences and learning by taking them on day trips.
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