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Year 6 to 7 transition

Welcome from our transition coordinator

Our transition coordinator's role is to work with the head of year 7, our wider pastoral team and our feeder primary schools to make sure that your child has a smooth transition to secondary school. I also work closely with all staff to make sure that our children feel safe, settled and ready to take on the many opportunities that await them.

A great deal goes on behind the scenes between March and September to prepare for our new students’ arrival. Following the SAT assessments, the year 7 pastoral team meets with year 6 teachers to find out more about our new intake to ensure we have comprehensive information about each child, to support the transition. A number of events are held to ease any anxieties for both parents/carers and students and to support students in feeling they are a part of the Highlands School community early on. Further information and details will be shared directly with the parents/carers of children who will be joining the school in September. 

The year 7 pastoral team work tirelessly to make sure that all children feel welcome, safe and secure.

Transition events

Virtual parent/carer information evening - We host an online information evening for parents and carers to inform them of the transition process and what life is like at Highlands School. 

Transition day - All new students are invited in to attend a taster day at Highlands School. This is chance for students to experience secondary school lessons, ease any anxieties  

Solo student event - Highlands School offers a special event for students who may be the only one from their primary school joining Highlands School. This is to allow them to establish friendships early on before the academic year begins. 

Key Information

 

Uniform  

We have two local uniform suppliers, who can offer you full advice on our uniform as well as personal appointments to visit their shops. Please find information using this link

Form grouping 

We are currently working closely with our feeder primary schools to find out more about your child. This information allows me to create well-balanced form groups. Each year group has 8 form groups in it and two are placed into each of our 4 different houses (Beech, Oak, Rowan and Willow). Most lessons in year 7 are taught as a form group, with the exception of Maths, which often places the year 7 students into sets early on. 

When making the form groups we aim to make them balanced with a mixed group of students to reflect our society. We do not allocate form groups based on previous friendships for three main reasons.

  1. Students will be able to see their friends before school, after school, at break time and during lunchtime. The lesson time is focussed on learning.

  2. Friendship groups often change in year 7 as students are now exposed to over 240 students in their year group.

  3. We want to support our students in developing the skills necessary to make new friendships and work well with a variety of other students. 

If there is a student who your child has had any issues with in the past please let us know as soon as possible, and we will do our best to take that into account when we make the form groups.

We will contact you in July to inform you which form your child has been allocated to you. Please note once these forms groups are assigned it is highly unlikely we will be able to make any changes to them. 

Language choice 

At Highlands School we offer Spanish and French. In the pupil record form you will find a section asking for your child’s language preference. Please be aware that this is a chance to express your preference, but we are unable to guarantee that your child will be assigned to that language. Historically, more of our students wish to study Spanish, but we can only offer this to half of the year group. Half of the year group will study French, and the other half will study Spanish.

Special Educational Needs 

Our feeder primary schools are currently in the process of sharing their information on the students who are currently on the Special Educational Needs register with us. Our SEN team, led by Dr Tsoni and Ms Edwards, will be in touch in due course with the parents of students on that register. If you have any questions in the meantime for our SEN team please email us at transition@highlearn.uk and someone from our SEN team will respond. 

Free School Meals 

If your child is eligible for ‘free school meals’ and you register them for this, we’ll receive extra funding called ‘pupil premium’. We use this extra money to improve the educational provision and resources at the school.

What is pupil premium funding? 

Pupil premium funding from the government is given to schools to help pupils reach their full potential, regardless of their background or financial situation. 

Your child might be eligible if you access:

  • Income Support.

  • Income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance or Income-related Employment and Support.

  • Support under part VI of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999.

  • The guaranteed element of Pension Credit.

  • Child Tax Credit (provided you’re not also entitled to Working Tax Credit and have an annual gross income of no more than £16,190).

  • Working Tax Credit run-on.

  • Universal Credit, provided you have an annual net earned income not exceeding £7,400 (£616.67 per month).

Your child might also be eligible if you’re in a household with no recourse to public funds (NRPF), subject to a maximum income threshold.

Does my child have to eat the free school meals?

No. Pupils who are registered for free school meals don’t have to eat them. If you’re eligible, but you want your child to have packed lunches you should still register because the school will receive the funding which can support your child in other ways.

How do I register?

To register, please apply via the Enfield Council website or complete this application form Free School Meals application and return it to nortond@highlearn.uk

Enfield Music Service (EMS) 

EMS have launched this offer on the music store and parents are now able to book autumn term lessons by visiting the website HERE and logging into their account.

EMS are only able to offer individual lessons, so parents will be able to choose from:

  •   10 x 30 minute individual lessons.
  •   10 x 20 minute individual lessons.
  •   5 x 30 minute individual lessons (delivered fortnightly).
  •   5 x 20 minute individual lessons (delivered fortnightly).

They are currently only able to offer lessons to new pupils on the following instruments:

  • Piano
  • Keyboard
  • Guitar
  • Ukulele
  • Recorder
  • Tin Whistle

All other instruments are limited to existing learners for the autumn term.

Should you need to contact Enfield Music Service please email enfieldmusicservice@enfield.gov.ukenfieldmusicservice@enfield.gov.uk or call 020 8807 8881. 

LAMDA speech and drama tuition  

As part of the extended drama curriculum at Highlands School, students in all year groups have the option to take LAMDA speech and drama examinations. 

As well as being a globally recognised qualification, LAMDA exams build confidence, develop public speaking and acting skills as well as audition technique. Higher grades even carry valuable UCAS points, used for gaining college and university places.

Suitable for all levels of experience, ages and abilities from grade 3 (beginner/year 7) to grade 8 (advanced, gold medal, year 12/13).

Classes are every Wednesday during term time, starting after normal lessons and last for 1 hour. A full timetable will be published before term begins.

Tuition is supplied by an external provider with a team of qualified and experienced tutors and students should expect to take exams once a year, usually in the summer term. Exams take place at Highlands School.

Group lessons cost £11 per week per student and can be paid termly in advance or by monthly direct debit (admin fees may apply).

For more information or to book a class, please email Mr McGinley in the Drama department on mcginlew@highlearn.uk 

 

Contact Us

If you have any further questions please email us at transition@highlearn.uk and we will get back to you.