The Impact of School Transitions and Transfers on Pupil Progress and Attainment

<strong>Transitions</strong> <strong>and</strong> <strong>Transfers</strong>: A Review
secured funding from the St<strong>and</strong>ards Fund (formerly known as GEST) to improve the use <strong>of</strong> National
Curriculum assessment data when pupils transferred from Key Stage 1 to Key Stage 2 <strong>and</strong> from Key Stage
2 to Key Stage 3. Its particular concerns were to: suggest ways in which schools might improve their
analysis, dissemination <strong>and</strong> use <strong>of</strong> assessment data; establish common underst<strong>and</strong>ings <strong>of</strong> ‘st<strong>and</strong>ards’
between teachers <strong>of</strong> year 6 <strong>and</strong> year 7 pupils; <strong>and</strong> improve target-setting for cohorts <strong>and</strong> individual pupils
as they move into year 7. Consequently the report draws attention to existing examples <strong>of</strong> good practice
<strong>and</strong> suggests, without in any way being prescriptive, a variety <strong>of</strong> additional ways in which schools might
develop their approaches.
Our own review gathered together further evidence <strong>of</strong> the various innovative approaches being adopted in
the assessment area but considered other aspects <strong>of</strong> transfer activity at the same time. According to the
many schools <strong>and</strong> LEAs that contacted us, the following approaches to transfer are in use at the moment
(we confine ourselves here to activities at the year 6/7 transfer point which generated most responses).
Approaches involving both primary <strong>and</strong> secondary schools <strong>and</strong> focusing on year 6 <strong>and</strong> year 7 pupils
* Projects started in year 6 <strong>and</strong> completed in year 7. In one school a retired primary headteacher was
employed to lead the secondary team <strong>of</strong> teachers during project work. (A potential criticism is that
pupils who transfer from different feeder schools where the project work has not been undertaken will
lose out; another is that the pupils, when they have moved into year 7, don’t want to continue with work
they started in primary school - they feel that they have left primary school behind.)
* Secondary schools pupils visit primary schools <strong>and</strong> give talks to pupils in year 6. (A criticism is that
year 6 pupils quite like to meet older students in small informal groups but their priority is to see their
new teachers; some, however, are wary <strong>of</strong> teacher visits <strong>and</strong> think that teachers are ‘being nice’ on the
visits <strong>and</strong> may really be much stricter in the secondary school.)
* Year 6s have taster sessions <strong>of</strong> ‘new subjects’ or ‘new teaching/learning styles’, particularly those that
they are anxious about (e.g. modern languages). Some <strong>of</strong> these are delivered through videoconferencing.
* Master classes or summer schools in particular subjects for the whole year group or for pupils finding
learning in a particular subject a struggle (e.g. maths, reading).
* Newsletters for year 6 pupils written by pupils in year 7 - <strong>and</strong> personal accounts put on the web by new
year 7 pupils for the next year 6 pupils to read.
* Extended induction sessions <strong>of</strong> one to five day’s duration spent by year 6 pupils in the secondary
school. (Where year 6s meet <strong>and</strong> work with pupils from years 7, 8, 9 <strong>and</strong> 10, teachers feel that the
bullying <strong>of</strong> year 7 pupils by older pupils may be reduced.)
Approaches involving both primary <strong>and</strong> secondary schools <strong>and</strong> focusing on year 6 <strong>and</strong> year 7 teachers
* Primary <strong>and</strong> secondary teachers meet to look at the 5-16 curriculum experience <strong>of</strong> their pupils, to
consider the achievements <strong>of</strong> year 6 pupils, to work on assessment levels <strong>and</strong> to observe each other
teaching.
* A secondary ‘curriculum manager’ is linked with small feeder schools.
* Investment in computer systems for the pyramid so that teachers have a common system for recording
progress.
* Visits by year 6 teachers to their former pupils in year 7; primary heads or year 6 teachers telephone
after half a term to see if there are any ‘settling in’ problems with pupils who came from their school.
* Secondary SEN teachers talk with primary heads about pupils who are very able or who find learning
difficult.
Approaches in secondary schools that concentrate on year 7 pupils
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