Welcome Event Headteacher Presentation March 2024

Year 6 into 7 Welcome Event March 2024

Purpose of this evening

For the students:

- Thinking positively about change

- Meet house captains and your new classmates (carousel of activities)

For the parents:

- Admissions this year

- What has changed at LHS

- Our culture and approach

- Transition calendar (what happens next)

- How to support your child through transition

TRUST

Admissions trends

- Oversubscribed for September 2024 (300+ for 180 places)

- Entry into Year 7 for September 2024 - our combined parental preferences increased this year from 311 to 328

- Distance to the school has therefore potentially become a factor in admissions

- Appeals last year: 25+

Primary school intake - Sept 24

Our ‘blueprint’

Our school - changes if you have been through transition here before

- Pastoral Leadership changes: non teaching pastoral managers as first point of contact

- New SLT Sept 24: Mr Elliott (DHT), Mrs Hay (AHT) & Mrs Maughan (AHT)

- New SEND leadership - Amy Blackburn is our Deputy SENCO with responsibility for Year 7

- Lunch and break is split - Y7 & 8 are together separately to Y9-11

- Updated culture, rules and consequence system

KIDMAP

KINDNESS INTEGRITY DETERMINATION

MANNERS AMBITION POSITIVITY

Differences from primary to secondary

➔ Multiple teachers and therefore points of contact vs one teacher/one room

➔ Channels and hierarchy of communication

➔ Communication comes in different forms - primarily through MCAS

➔ MCAS to monitor real time behaviour (house points, homework, detentions)

Existing parents will be familiar with this via Class Charts

➔ Email is the best form of contact in the first instance unless urgent

➔ Note - staff can sometimes be teaching all day

Our approach: 5 pillars of practice

1. Consistent, calm, adult behaviour

- Avoid responding emotionally

- Make responses rational and planned

- Team effort - we keep modifying and improving our own behaviour / systems as a school until we get it right

- Our approach at LHS is purpose not power; to be warm AND strict

- PACE approach to supporting student dysregulation

2. First attention for best conduct

(Our school rule: Listen in silence when somebody is talking)

➔ You will get more of the behaviour you notice the most

➔ School culture should be about the 95% who come every day, do the right thing, who are honest, disciplined and diligent

➔ Recognition methods in every lesson (praise; house points)

3. Relentless routines

➔ Meet and greet at the door

➔ Non-teaching positioned strategically through the school; corridor sweeps

➔ 3 simple rules

➔ Classroom routines to make transitions easy for everyone (lesson start and end routines)

➔ KS3 Line ups end of break and lunch (school rule: on time, every time)

➔ Intervention ‘Scripts’ / PACE to help students regulate emotions

4. Scripted interventions

To help enforce this rule: Always do what is asked the first time of asking

➔ Rational steps to address emotional behaviour including scripted interventions and planned conversations / PACE

5. Restorative follow up

➔ Restorative conversations for incidents that need it

➔ Relational paths out of difficult events

➔ Students get what they need not just what they deserve

Transition March-April

National Offer Day: school places offered. North Tyneside handle our admissions. Timeline is here: https://my.northtyneside.gov.uk/node/31527

Welcome Event: An opportunity for students to meet their new Year Leader and other students starting in Year 7; to outline the transition process with parents.

Transition Calendar April-May

Primary School Data Collection: A spreadsheet will be emailed to primary schools in order to collect data on pupils transferring to us. This data collection also includes details of any vulnerable students (something we call ‘enhanced transition’). Our SENCO will make contact with primary school SENCOs by the end of April with a view to collate information on SEND students.

Primary School Data Collection meetings: One-to-one visits with primary teachers to get further information on each student transferring to LHS.

Group Work Session: A small group work session with our Y7 Pastoral Manager with the aim of getting to know pupils feeling anxious around transition.

Transition Calendar June-July

Welcome Morning: An opportunity for individuals to have a tour and to meet other students who are coming from primary schools to LHS with smaller numbers eg fewer than 10 children

Students coming to us in smaller numbers

Transition + Day: A shortened transition day at LHS for a smaller groups (eg SEND and/or vulnerable students) that focuses upon familiarising students with the school and its routines, alongside team-building. Students to be escorted by primary school staff.

Identified students agreed between LHS and primaries.

Transition Calendar June-July

Transition Day: A full day focused upon familiarising students with the school and its routines, team-building and sample lessons. (NB - students wear their primary school uniforms on this date) last Monday in June

New Intake Parents’ Meetings: Individual meetings for students and parents with a senior member of staff. Appointments will be sent to parents - July

Period 6: option to join our extra-curricular timetable 2.45-3.45

September 24 start: The first day of term is Year 7 only at LHS. Students do not need to worry about older year groups as they are the only ones here. Staff can therefore concentrate on getting to know the new cohort.

Important contacts

Uniform

➔ School Blazer with Badge

➔ Optional - Plain black V neck jumper

➔ Plain white shirt with collar

➔ Black trousers or black skirt, underwear should not be visible

➔ Black or white socks or black tights

➔ Black shoes, this can include all black trainers with no white markings or logos, low heeled black shoes and flat black ankle boots

➔ Striped clip on tie, this will be matched to the students house

Supporting your child with transition

Most adapt well and respond well to the change to secondary. Others will need more reassurance and preparation - they will look to you. Try not to share your own worries and concerns incase this is mirrored.

Sometimes children who have enjoyed primary school and are expected to make a smooth transition may unexpectedly struggle with the change and vice versa.

★

Encourage them to explore their feelings;

★ Help them build friendships and relationships (and monitor online conversations closely)

★ Empower them by building their confidence and independence

How will you know if it’s going well?

➔ Your child is developing new friendships

➔ They maintain good self-esteem and confidence

➔ They are showing an increasing interest in school and school work

➔ They get used to their new routines and school organisation (usually by the end of the first month)

➔ They are experiencing continuity in learning (no big dip in accessing the curriculum)

Next steps

Transition information - data collection details and permissions

If you need SEND support or want to alert us to informationcontact send@longbenton.org.uk

If you are worried about transition or have a child worried about transition, contact transition@longbenton.org.uk

Speak to your child’s primary about the option to come to Period 6 extra-curricular activities