Transition

The Brian Clarke Church of England Academy aims to be a microcosm of the town, bringing together young people of all faiths and none from across the borough. There will not be named feeder schools and the pattern of entry is likely to vary significantly from year to year.

Our principles for transition:

• Prioritising and investing in school visits and induction programmes. All children are visited; all children to attend an evening with their parents to meet their form; all children have at least one induction day in school and a range of online resources, which parents can use with children, to normalise transition.

• Vulnerable students including students with EHCPs, students who are in care, or children in need/on the Child Protection Registers are identified by the end of March, so that transition plans can be put in place.

• Communication: parent meetings prior to the start of the academic year, followed by an early information meeting for Year 7 parents and for a parent meeting for each child in the first half of the school year. Our ICT strategy will support parental involvement from the start by giving parents ready access to their child’s attendance, progress and behaviour and the curriculum and the work students are doing.

• Curriculum transition: because we are a cross-phase trust, including nursery, primaries, secondary and post-16, we are wired into the primary curriculum and pedagogy and can build on students’ upper Key Stage 2 learning.

Academic Transition Skills

Students will have Academic Transition Skills sessions (ATS) once a fortnight in Years 7 and 8.

Students will come to The Brian Clarke Church of England Academy from a variety of primary schools and will have been taught a variety of ways to structure extended pieces of writing, learn new vocabulary and analyse texts. It is vital that a consistent approach to these skills is developed so all pupils understand the language and techniques they will encounter across the secondary curriculum.