Year 6 Transition
Welcome to Co-op Academy Failsworth!
To all our new students and their families, welcome to our school community. We look forward to working with you over the next 5 years, providing your child with the best possible education opportunities.
Moving to secondary school is a significant step in a young person's life. At Co-op Academy Failsworth, we pride ourselves on making that transition as smooth and as positive as possible. Below are some links to advice for Parents and Carers of students who will be joining us in September.
Transition Day - Thursday 4th July 2024
Transition day will be on Thursday 4th July 2024.
Arrival
Our transition day will be held on Thursday 4th July:
● Students should arrive at 8.30am at the Sports Centre entrance.
● Students should wear their Primary School PE kit as they will take part in a PE lesson on the day.
● If the weather is hot and sunny please can you ensure your child has applied sun cream before arriving at the Academy?
● Pupils will experience 5 different lessons during the day. The day is designed to give them an introduction to life at Co-op Academy Failsworth.
Lunch Arrangements
Students will need to bring a packed lunch for the day and a bottle of water (this should be clear water and no juice or fizzy drinks). We will be providing a snack for break time.
End of the Day arrangements:
Pupils will have a celebration assembly at the end of the school day. They will then be dismissed at 3:15pm through the same doors that they arrived. Please ensure that your child is aware of how you want them to travel home. Make sure they know where they are to meet you if you are picking them up. Equally if you are allowing them to walk home by themselves it is very important that you rehearse the journey with them or make sure that they can do this by themselves. Please remind your child that mobile phones are not to be used at any time in school, only to and from school. Mobile phones must be turned off. We will not be held responsible for loss or damage to personal property brought into school. Please make sure your child knows how to look after their phone if they are using one for the first
time.
During the day, from arrival we will be taking a digital image of your son/daughter’s index finger to enable them to use our cashless payment system in Café Mojo. We need to have consent for this and this is covered in our online data collection form. Therefore if you know that you have still not completed this please do so before 20th May. We cannot take biometric data without consent.
Please make sure you make arrangements with your child regarding how they are to get home or where you will be meeting them.
Year 6 Transition Booklet
Transition Evening for Parents - Thursday 4th July 2024
Transition Evening will be held on Thursday 4th July 2024.
Transition information evening will take place on the 4th July and we will be sending links to book your time slot to attend. The booking links can also be found on our website. Times of presentations will be 3.30pm, 4.15pm, and 5.00pm Please arrive promptly as the times stated above are the start times. If you need to discuss anything with members of our SEND, Medical or admin team, staff will be
available to speak to on the evening. You will be provided with additional information to take home on this evening to help you prepare your child to start with us in September.
This event is for Parents and you will have the opportunity to book a time between 4.15pm and 6.30pm with a member of the Year 7 team.
This meeting will be your opportunity to ask any questions and speak to us in person before we finish for the summer holidays.
Book your slot here:
Got a place with us for September 2024?
Once you have received formal notification from your Local Authority that a place has been offered at Co-op Academy Failsworth, please complete our online data collection form.
Advice for Parents and Carers
The move from year 6 to Secondary School has always been a significant event in your child’s journey.
The move itself can be daunting and we wanted to give parents some help and advice in preparing year 6 students for the transition to Primary school. You may want to start by discussing the topics below.
How can parents help themselves?
The first thing for you to do to help yourself is to take a deep breath and let go. It is highly likely that your child will stroll into school and not look back. Give them time to settle in and be patient. You will soon be given the details of the Head of Year and your child’s family tutor. These members of staff will be the key points of contact. Keep in touch with us if you have any concerns. If you have sat with them and discussed the transition to secondary school then you are already preparing them to be more independent. You will not believe how quickly they will get used to being in a big school.
For your Parent Survival guide click this link https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/articles/zbr7rj6
BBC Resources to support Parents with Transition
The BBC Bitesize series has great support information for parents and students. Follow the links to find further information.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/tags/zh4wy9q/starting-secondary-school/1
Listen to their views on moving to secondary school
Your child may be excited and ready to start Secondary School. They may possibly feel anxious and have concerns. They may be worried about getting lost, finding work difficult, friendships, bullying and working with lots of different teachers. It is important to acknowledge their fears and give them strategies to help in the situations they are anxious about. This may include asking other pupils and teachers for help, using maps and timetables. Checking online homework for deadlines. Give them the confidence that they know what to do to help themselves.
For more help with providing emotional support click this link - https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/articles/z4k8bdm
Friendships and making new friends
Set some time aside to talk to your child about the importance of managing new friendships. Support them in finding the confidence to get to know new people. They should get to know as many people as possible before settling into their long-term friendship group. Encourage them to join clubs, as they are a great way to make new friends.
Mobiles and Money
You may have already arranged with your child to have a mobile phone on them for when they travel to and from school. (We do not allow mobile phones to be used in school and they must be switched off and remain unseen while in the building.) It is important that you talk to your child about your expectations about how they use the phone. If the phone is smart phone enabled you may want to look at how you can keep your child safe when accessing the internet and set some restrictions.
For more advice on online safety click this link - https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/articles/zhqbxyc
The Journey to and from school and new routines
Make sure your child is well-informed and confident about their journey to and from school. This is important if they will be travelling to school alone. If public transport is involved, make sure they know the timetable and know how long it will take to get to school. Once you know how long the journey will take, discuss how this will affect the morning routine. Will they need to get up earlier to get ready, have a breakfast, and then get to school on time? You may also want to plan some contingency plans of what would happen if…? This will help your child to gain confidence and emphasises the importance that they are streetwise and able to protect themselves and their belongings.
Your child may also be carrying money to and from school. How much cash will they need and how do you expect them to spend it? We use a cashless system in school and pupils can add cash to their accounts or you can upload money using the Parent Pay system. You will want to explain to your child about how much they have to spend each day.
Embracing Independence
The move to secondary school is a time that can be just as worrying for parents as children. You will find that face-to-face parental contact with schoolteachers will reduce. Your child will need to follow a new and varied timetable, manage work in and out of school to meet deadlines. The best thing you can do is to empower your child by preparing with them over the summer holidays. Encourage them, be positive, and let them know that you trust them to make the right decisions.
Preparing for increased amount of homework
You will need to think about the changes that you might need to make at home to prepare. This may include ensuring they have a space to do their homework, agreeing times that they will do their homework to get them into a routine. This is especially important if you have more than one child needing to access the internet. Do you want them to do their homework at a set time? Are there things you can do to help them avoid distractions? When should they pack their bag in preparation for the next day? It is important that you support them in checking deadlines and completing work in good time and to the best of their ability.
For more information about providing practical support click the link - https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/articles/znncpg8
Advice for Year 6 Pupils
Getting to school and back home again
This may be the first time you are travelling by yourself without an adult. There are some important tasks you need to learn to do to get to school on time.
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Getting up on time
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Getting washed, dressed and ready with all the things you need
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Leaving the house on time
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Knowing what bus to get and what time it arrives
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Being in the right place when you get to school
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Agreeing to go straight home or agreeing with parents where you will be
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Knowing what to do if you are late for any reason.
How do I need to prepare to start Secondary School?
Listen to how you can prepare to go to Secondary School. From buying uniform and equipment to planning your journey to and from school.
Following a timetable
You will be given a timetable to follow on your first day at school. This will be given to you in September. This will be very different from primary school and you will have different lessons at different times each day. When you get you timetable you will need to
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Use the timetable to know what lessons you have each day, what time and where you need to be.
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Know where the classroom is and the name of your teacher
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Get to lessons on time
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Ask for help if you need it.
How do I follow my timetable?
Watch and listen to the video about following a timetable when you start at secondary school.
Organising Homework
You will be set homework by your teachers and the majority of this homework will be online. You will need to get into the routine of completing this as soon as you get it and not wait until the last minute to start completing it. When you start at the academy you will be told your homework timetable and be reminded each day. You will also be given log in information for all the apps and websites we use so you can complete this.
We run homework clubs after school too so that we can support students to complete their work. You will need to:
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Know what homework is set each day
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Have login details for all the platforms we use in school
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Make sure you complete your homework on time
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Find a sutiable place at home to work
Meeting New People and making new friends
When you start secondary school you may not always be in the same class as some of your friends from primary school. You will meet lots new people and form new friendships. We will help you to get to know the people in your classes but you can do a lot to help yourself. Ask for help when you need it. If you want to find out more click this link - https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/articles/znhf7nb
Moving up!
Watch the video about pupils thoughts before starting secondary school and how this changes throughout the year. You will see that if you do have worries you are not alone and we are here to help.
If you have any questions about your child's admission to the school, please contact Mrs Stonehouse - cheryl.stonehouse@coopacademies.co.uk
Uniform Exchange Program
LINK