School Transition Support « Openminds in Calderdale

For most children moving from one school to another can be an exciting opportunity but for others, it can bring worry, pressure and stress, which can impact the whole family.
Schools understand the vital role of ensuring effective and successful transition for all children joining and leaving them.
In this section you will find information about local and national transition support.

Local Support

Calderdale’s Primary to Secondary School Transition Toolkit

This toolkit offers a bank of resources for school staff that support the emotional health and wellbeing of students during the transition period. The toolkit has been developed by school pastoral staff.

Calderdale Transition Support Project (TSP)

The Calderdale Transition Support Project (TSP) is a FREE service which provides support to pupils, parents/carers, and staff in years 5 & 6 around the emotional impact of transition to high school. In light of coronavirus, the project has reviewed its offer to support pupils currently in year 7. Schools can request support by emailing transitionsupport@northpoint.org.uk .

PHSE Association

Free membership to an abundance of resources including transitions to support the effective delivery of PSHE lessons. Calderdale’s Public Health Team support local schools to deliver high quality PSHE education for all children and young people. As part of this project, all Calderdale schools will receive FREE membership to the PSHE Association until November 2020.

Teachers supporting transition: Transition from primary school to high school presents a challenge to young people. This document offers helpful advice to teachers to help young people with the process.

Teachers and transition Download

This session covers transitions and considers what they might look like for young people and families in light of the implications of Covid-19 restrictions.

This session focuses on the transition journey from primary to secondary education.

This video talks about what it might be like when schools go back and the possible concerns, fears and anxieties that surround this.

National Support

Anna Freud, Mentally Healthy Schools, Transitions

Mentally Healthy Schools is a free website for schools, offering school staff information, advice and practical resources to better understand and promote pupils’ mental health and wellbeing. Most of the resources are free, and all have been quality-assured by experts.

Moving Up! A transition to secondary school animation

This animation and accompanying toolkit for teachers is aimed at supporting pupils who have recently started Year 7. They were developed in collaboration with young people, teachers and mental health experts.

Anna Freud, Schools in Mind

Schools in Mind is a free network for school staff and allied professionals which shares practical, academic and clinical expertise regarding the wellbeing and mental health issues that affect schools.

Childline, Moving Schools

This is a great resource to share with students who are transitioning to a new school.

YoungMinds, Find Your Feet: Transition Activities for Year 6 Pupils

Download our classroom activities to help your Year 6 pupils transition to Year 7.

YoungMinds, Find Your Feet: Transition Activities for Year 7 Pupils

Download our classroom activities to help your Year 7 pupils cope with transition.

YoungMinds, Transition Tips For Pupils With SEND

Ensuring children with SEND feel safe and have appropriate people and places to go to if they need help is essential.

YoungMinds, Hope Clouds Activity

This activity fits well with the beginning of the new academic year and is a good way to encourage staff and pupils to think about their aspirations, especially in relation to mental health and wellbeing.

ELSA Support, Worry Cards for Year 6 Transition

Download this set of worry cards for transition. There are 63 cards and are real questions that children have asked. Pupils do worry about things and if you can address these worries it can be really helpful and make transition so much easier for them. There is a set of cards and a useful board game to play with your pupils to encourage them to talk but in a fun way.

Creative Education, Support a Safe & Successful Return to School

The videos and the accompanying guided discussion template aim to enable teachers/chools to use the SWAN framework as a springboard for thinking about the return to school for children and adults.

This course is an on demand video course that you can watch at a pace to suit you. The content is delivered in bite sized videos that will take less than an hour to watch in total. Whilst the videos are designed to be watched as a series, you might choose to come back and dip in and out of particular modules to refresh your knowledge. At the end of the course there is a short activity to help you reflect on what you’ve learned and consider how to take it forwards.