Transition occurs in many parts of our school as we prepare our children for the educational changes they will experience.

Entry into our Nursery

Choosing a Nursery is always a big decision for parents and it is one all parents should do after careful consideration. We always welcome prospective parents into school to see us at work and play so you can meet the staff and the children. Parents can visit the whole school or just the Nursery to meet the team there. We can answer any questions you may have and discuss any concerns or worries you may have. We will guide you through the process of applying for a place.

Transition from Nursery into Main School – starting in Reception

The vast majority of our children start school after having been in our Nursery so there is a lot of familiarity for the children with transition and it is very fluent and natural. We of course have parents with children for other providers and we work with the provider to gather information as to the needs of the child so we can build upon the progress they have made there.

We have meetings with parents to support them with the process and again support them with any questions they may have.

Our curriculum leaders and teachers work in partnership with each other so that learning is sequenced and is built upon children’s needs and their different starting points.

Transition across school

We work in collaboration across the whole school so that teachers know their pupils and we plan transition days for staff so they can discuss as professionals the needs of the children in their classes. We have designed our curriculum to be sequenced so learning is built upon as children move through the school. Children have transition opportunities to meet their new teacher and work with them before the start of every academic term to alleviate any anxieties they may have.

Transition to Secondary School

As we belong to the NPCAT family of schools we have strong partnerships already with these schools and transition is planned to enable our children to start their secondary education as smoothly as possible. We adopt the Step7 approach so that parents and pupils are supported in their journey from Year 6 to Year 7 in one of our NPCAT secondary schools.

In September, your child will make the important transition into secondary education – and we hope that journey will continue within the NPCAT family of schools.

NPCAT is keen to work with parents and carers of our current Year 5 pupils to ensure that every child who would like a place in one of our rapidly improving secondary schools has the best possible chance of getting one.

Your local council is ultimately responsible for allocation of secondary school places and applications will, as usual, be submitted to them in the autumn term of Year 6.

The NPCAT Step 7 Pathway will run prior to and alongside that application process to ensure that we can support all our primary school pupils in securing a secondary school place that best meets their needs.