TRANSITION AT FAIRLIGHT

UPDATED FOR 2024

Moving to a new class can be a daunting time for children however at Fairlight we have worked hard and continue to work hard to ensure that this is planned and is as supported as we can make it. 

As a school that is proud to have children joining us throughout the year we have many pupils who have positive experiences of being "new" and have then shared what made it work for them.

TRANSITION DAY- Friday 5th July 2024

On this day our new Reception children join us for the afternoon.

Our Year 6 pupils all spend the day at their new schools.

And all of the other children get the chance to meet their new teacher and go to their new classroom.

TRANSITION INSET- Twilights this term

Each year the staff spend time preparing for the return to school in September.

This involves teachers spending time talk to the previous teacher and staff about each of the pupils as well as looking through their learning from the previous year.

MEET YOUR CHILD'S NEW TEACHER

On Transition Day (5th July) the children will get to meet their new classteacher for September.

On 17th July there is a chance for you to also meet them more formally in their new classroom.All you will need to do is collect your child at the end of the school day from the playground and then get them to take you to their new classroom.

This is often a very exciting time for children who are moving floors- from Reception to Year 1 and from Year 2 to Year 3.

Sadly for parents this will mean more stairs!!!

CREATING NEW CLASSES

From September 2023 we started a new plan for Transition.

This now involves creating new year groups for:

• Reception- all of the children joining us from our own Nursery and other local Nurseries
• Year 1- the children have spent their first year in school and move from Early Years to Key Stage 1
• Year 3- the children have completed Early Years and Key Stage 1 and are moving to Key Stage 2.
• Year 5- the children have 2 years to go before they move to Secondary School. 

To create a new class a number of staff from across the school work together to look at a range of information about their children including their learning as well as their additional needs.

Pupils in all of the classes in preparation are asked to choose a couple of friends who they want to be with- we however cannot promise they will be with all of them.

Classteachers give their opinion of who should be in which class using their observations from across the year.

We do speak to some parents of children with additional needs and those with multiple children in a year group to find out their thoughts and opinions however often this information is captured in additional meetings they already have. 

And lastly we use a scientific process that we have worked on with the University of Sussex looking at children's learning styles and interactions. 

WHY DO IT THIS WAY? 

Prior to 2023 this has taken place for a number of years with our Year 4 pupils moving in to Year 5.

This was for a couple of key reasons.

Firstly we were seeing increases in mobility in some classes. The children they started school with in Reception where not the ones they were now with in the class. These changes meant that classes that may have started at balanced had become less balanced.

We also were becoming aware that a very simple skill was being lost. Making friends. Children had forgotten how to make new friends. We needed to remind them how to make friends and what you might do when you are Reception is different to what you might do as a 7 year old or a 9 year old.

Lastly as a popular school for inclusion we were becoming more aware that over a period of time children's needs changed. And that this has an impact on the children themselves but also the other children in the class. 

IT DOES WORK

It has been extremely successful over the last couple of years. 

For some it can be a big worry and causes anxiety however pupils, teachers and parents all agree it works for the children.

They still have their old friends.

They still have many old friends.

But they also have a whole new group of friends. 

As well as a new group of pupils to learn with in class. 

Reports from Year 7 once the children have moved to secondary confirm that the children who have experienced this have a wider network whichever school they moved to however also have retained many of their Year 6 networks as well as those from Year 1. 

TRANSITION FOR 2024

Below is the information about the classes and teaching organisation for September 2024.

Your child will on Friday 5th July have been to their new classroom base and met their new teacher.

If your child in moving with their current class you can see who their new teacher is and what their new class is called.

If they are moving to a "new class" you will get a School Ping before you pick them up to tell you.

Or you could just wait until they come out of school and ask them.

This is a very exciting time for them however also for some quite challenging as they will be moving from their safety and security this year to somewhere they are less familiar with.

EVERYONE copes with this and needs to get used to this.

Some children will take a bit longer than others.

This year it will impact on more of the school and we will be doing lots of work on this in September.

As teachers it is always that time where children leave us and move on to the new teacher.

The children tell you that you are their favourite and they love you.

And then by mid September they don't even say hello and some can't even remember your name.

As parents it is better not to heighten their worry but talking about the negatives.

It is normal for children to be anxious about changes to their class and class teacher.

This will be heightened further at this time.

As a school we will be spending a significant amount of time when we return discussing this with the children and reminding them that this is normal.

We will however, be asking them to think back to this time last year or to their first day at school and to then look at themselves now, reflecting on how this feeling was only temporary.

It would be good if you could share your feelings and thoughts on your first day at school or the first day in your new job to further reassure them that this is something we all experience.

Positive sharing however and not how you worked hard, didn’t get paid enough and hated the place!!

Focus on the positives.

How exciting this all is.

How they will be amazing. 

How this is good practise for the future- secondary school, University, new jobs and new friends.

TEACHING ORGANISATION FOR SEPTEMBER 2024

OUR PRINCIPALS FOR ORGANISATION OF CLASSES

As a school we use a lot of data, evidence and research to inform our practise in Teaching and Learning.

For a number of years we have mixed up our classes at the end of Year 4 and create two new classes for Year 5 and 6.

The reason for this was due to a number of factors:

• Mobility- as a school we see a number of changes of pupils in classes,
• Friendships- these change for children,
• Identification of SEN- children's needs change and are continually identified,
• Preparation for Secondary- Fairlight pupils go to a number of secondary schools.

We have also for a number of years started our Reception children as one group and then during the year we have created the classes that will eventually move in to Year 1.

Many 2 or 3 form entry schools mix classes. Some as often as the end of each year.

We have feel that every couple of years is the right thing for our children.