Raising Achievement Day Year 7 Transition Mrs. Simpson

Link between Transition and Raising Achievement Day Students have gone through a big change: New teachers; new ways of learning; new rules, new canteen; less time with their form tutor; new Head of House new Head of Year and new activities. Biggest changes are: Much higher expectations particularly with regard to their own independence A bigger school that they are expected to move around in on their own. They should be congratulated on how well they have done!

How your child is feeling now: Most Year 7 students feel a real sense of accomplishment because they have faced the challenges mentioned already and been successful. They are now starting to feel relaxed and comfortable in their new Senior School environment. Two things to remember: This should be explicitly discussed and celebrated. Transition from Year to 7 is not easy and your child has overcome many difficulties to reach this point. It is still early in the Academic Year. If your child does now feel comfortable it will be a relatively new experience for them. If they do not, there is still plenty of time, don’t worry!

How can you help your child with transition: Transition issues can manifest themselves in a variety of ways. Organisation: This is the most common aspect of Senior School life that Year 7 students find challenging. Ways to help: – Have a copy of their timetable somewhere handy (the fridge door) – Make sure that they pack their bag and have their uniform and gym kit ready the night before school.. – Make sure your child is using their planner properly. Can you see the three subjects for which they get homework every night? Have they done that work? Is it in their bag ready to go back to school the next day? – Spare stationery in their locker.

Your child does not seem to have many friends. This may take a bit of time as we are still quite early on in the year. Things you can do to help. – Alert the tutor and Head of Year with your concerns. They could pair your child up with a suitable buddy. – Think about different activities that your child could take part in in order to meet students with a similar interest. – Find out who the students are who live in the same compound or area as you and see if you can organise some social activities with them. – Encourage your child to get involved in House Events, they may well meet someone through our vertical House system. – Our PSHE Programme includes extensive work on inclusive behaviour. Ask you child about these sessions and how they might apply them.

Academically you have noticed a dip in their grades. This is very common at this stage in the year because of the move to a different teacher; learning environment; different assessment criteria and higher expectations. Brand new skills and vocabulary have to be learnt before they can be applied. For example: In English, learning how to write an essay. Things you can do: Explain to your child that it is perfectly normal to experience this dip. Ensure that they understand their EBIs. E,g Targets for improvement. If there has been a drastic dip: Contact the teacher directly. Discuss ways in which you can help you child improve.

Personal, Social and Health Education …is a programme designed to support your child throughout their time at Dulwich and equip them with necessary skills such as maturity, awareness and humility to ensure that they flourish within the Dulwich community.

Your child has transitioned so well that they are now taking a key role in the 6-7 transition for next year. Night of the Notables, which is on the 16 th January. The students choose a person they really admire and create a presentation for Year 6 students about this. Year 7 gain a real sense of empowerment from this. They realise how far they have come and how much has changed, this will be reinforced by the teachers. On the day they will get a buddy from Year 6. They will: – Give adivice to Year 6 students. – Give Year 6 student a chance to ask questions about Senior School – Allay some of their fears as well as quelling inflated rumours. (about demerits for example!)

Other PSHE Projects before Christmas. Promoting inclusive behaviour. Santa Claus- charitable projects. Dealing with growth and change as a normal part of growing up. Accepting similarities and differences. Facing Challenges The importance of Relationships Confidence and self-esteem.

Next reporting sessions. Parent and subject teacher meeting in January- better understanding of your child’s academic achievement. Reports again in March and June.

Then, on to Year 8 – By the end of Year 7 your child should feel established in Senior School and understand the systems that are in place. – They are placed in Vertical tutor groups in houses with students whom they already know. – Academic groupings are organised in exactly the same way as Year 7.