The catch up process for students who have been missing from education is now underway – and focus must turn to pupils on the transition from Year 6 to Year 7.
The Telegraph has reported that “children in Year 7 might need to be retaught parts of the English and maths syllabus from their final year at primary school“.
Your tutoring is at the heart of producing a catch up programme which enables KS3 pupils reach their potential. But when should it start and what can be done to help? This blog post explains.
What happens when a pupil transitions to Year 7?
Transitioning to secondary schools can be a process of excitement, apprehension and nervousness in normal times – nevermind in current circumstances.
For the first time, pupils will have to:
- Use a timetable to get to different lessons
- Know where they are going around the school
- Ensure they have the correct equipment with them every day
- Manage their own emotions and navigate social situations
And this year they have the additional challenge of arriving behind where they should be in education – unless action is taken during the transition this summer or catch up is addressed with urgency in September.
Year 7 pupils will arrive behind
Schools across the country are determined to help with pupil catch up – Colin Scott of Risedale Sports and Community College said many of its pupils suffered “inequality in their learning” due to lack of access to lessons during lockdown.
During the pandemic, it has been apparent that many of our young people have suffered inequality in their education by being unable to access the online learning provided for them.
So starting in September, all of our Year 7 pupils will be issued with a personal laptop device to increase the range of high quality learning opportunities available to them, ensuring support to learning and securing rapid progress.
Should pupils be learning over the summer?
Some schools – such as Kingsbury Green Academy – are offering summer catch up specifically for Year 6 to Year 7.
Jason Tudor, School Principle said:
We really did not want any of our new pupils to miss out on what new Year 7s normally experience, so with a bit of imagination and a lot of technology and hard work by my colleagues we’ve created an experience for them and their families.
The aim is that by the end of the summer they will be absolutely itching to start their new school.
Aim of reducing pupil anxiety
In fact, many schools are trying innovative ways in order to get pupils caught up as quickly as possible – and this can help to reduce anxiety which will be felt by many pupils return in September.
Mr Welford, Headteacher at Stocksbridge High, said:
It allows them to see the staff and hear what they sound like. That’s great in terms of reducing anxiety around coming to school as they’ll already be able to recognise some teachers.
Along with this, we’ve also sent out other bits to engage parents and students such as the transition page on our website, where there is also a video tour of the school.
What has the Government said about school catch up?
The Government has said that teachers must incorporate remote learning into their lesson plans, as it may need to be an “essential component” of a child’s learning if there is a local lockdown and a school is closed down.
Schools have been told to have a contingency plan for remote learning in place by September.
Remote learning must also be delivered for children who are shielding or continuing to self-isolate at home.
To support this, a £1 billion catch up fund has been announced.
Read more about “How to teach through Covid-19” here.
How does EDClass help with transition?
In EDClass has built in diagnostic in order to help pupils catch up over the summer or during the opening term in September.
A tailored learning system means that an individualised lessons plan can be built for each student – to ensure they receive the catch up they need.
A total of 11,000 lessons are available which directly match the curriculum.
Access to live lessons is available via EDClass+ and teachers are on hand to support students via face-to-face and instant chat.
Safeguarding is ensured through a wide range of mechanisms. Find out more here.
The built in tracking system also means that your school’s staff have access to information on attainment, strengths and weaknesses and more.
For more information on how we can help with transition, call 01909 568 338.
