TP-14.4

How do you prepare Y6 pupils for secondary during the lockdown? Here’s how I’ve solved the problem… EMI LY WESTON I ’ma Y6 teacher and the hardest thing about this lockdown has definitely been losingmy leavers early. The last year in primary is always that little bit different: hoodies, yearbooks, parties, performances, SATs. It’s a fast, fun-filled time that is both exhausting and extremely rewarding. When schools closed the first thing that dawned oneme was that none of this was going to happen. Even if the children do come back before the end of this academic year, it won’t be the same. We’vemissed that pivotal moment when they sit their tests; the build-up to any performance would be very different; transitions will be rushed at best, or, at worst, not able to go ahead. Transition to secondary has always been something I am passionate about. I want to enable Y6 children to not only be academically prepared, but also ready emotionally and socially for such a big step in their educational journey. Terms five and six aremy favourite of the school year. This is when I normally run ‘secondaryweek’, ‘Y7 ready’ lessons and a careers week to help enablemy class to feel prepared and excited for what’s ahead. Last year, the children loved the transition activities we provided. They told us that it helped them organise themselves, learn more about how secondary works and understand the importance of homework and equipment. I even received letters fromex-pupils (see panel, right) tellingme how glad theywere to have received 42 | www.teachwire.net this preparation and how it helped themto settle in. Virtual careers week Recently I began thinking how I can helpmy Y6 pupils get ready for secondary despite the circumstances we currently find ourselves in. One evening I was struck by the idea of a virtual careers week. I asked some friends if they’d be happy to contribute and the idea began to take shape. Friends and family members were so generous with their time and knowledge andwrote Powerpoint slides packedwith information about what their specific job involves. I created amatching activity for each career which children could complete, linking to the curriculum in various ways. It has been really exciting to see the project come together. It’s turned into a really useful resource that can be used by children at home but also utilised in the classroomonce we get back to normal. Collaborative project The success ofmy virtual careers week gotme thinking again. Could I do something similar to aid transition? I wanted to develop something that would help children learning fromhome to understand the process. It was important that they got an insight into a range of subjects: the teaching they might see; examples of activities theymight be expected to complete. Themost important thing I wanted to provide was work fromreal secondary teachers – this needed to be a collaborative project. This year I’ve become even more aware of the importance of what happens both before and after transition. In January I spent twomornings at our local secondary, observing Y7 English andmaths lessons. It’s something I would recommend to all Y6 teachers. It was really helpful to see teachers’ expectations and witness the kind of lessons my pupils would experience once they’dmoved up. The staff were really helpful and showedme some fabulous new lesson ideas. Now that my pupils will potentially not be back before transition happens, I realised we needed to be more collaborative than ever to ensure that the children feel Moving ONUP Dear Miss Weston, You were right when you said secondary was harder than primary. There’s SO much homework. It’s not hard or anything but there’s a lot. I miss primary so much – it was hard to leave it behind. On the night before I started secondary I was so nervous, but then I remembered I had nothing to worry about. Thank you for letting me know what secondary is like. If you hadn’t told me I would have ended up crying on my first day. Dear Miss Weston, I am now a few weeks into secondary and it’s not as scary as I thought. I’ve settled in alright so far. When I left primary I was very nervous because it was going to be different. On the first morning I was very scared but found it was OK as the day went on. I enjoy PE and Spanish but am still getting used to everything. My form is great and has a few familiar faces. I just wanted to say thank you for helping me move from primary to secondary. You built up my confidence a lot. I wouldn’t have settled in so well if it wasn’t for you.