Tagtiv8 and Transition - Moving On Up - A New Chapter

by Bryn Llewellyn

What happens after Key Stage 2 SATs? An enterprise project? Or more likely, rehearsals for the end of year leavers assembly, whereby children look back on their time at primary school - remembering the good times and looking ahead. For many children, transition can be exciting! We often hear teachers saying, “They’re big fish in a little pond” or “They’re ready to move on.” However, for some children, moving on can be especially difficult and challenging - especially those with attachment issues or who may be deemed vulnerable. Minor worries, wobbles and concerns can quickly escalate and the ‘move to big school’ can be foreboding. Research shows that, for some young people, it can negatively affect their social, emotional and academic outcomes leading to less engagement, lower attainment, reduced confidence, increased anxiety, loneliness and behaviour issues.

Children often ask:

“How will I get to and from school?”
“How many teachers will I have?”
“How strict will they be?”
“Will I get lost?” How will I ever know where to go?
“Will I be able to cope with all the homework?”
“What about the big kids? What will they say to me? What will they do to me? Will I be bullied?”
“How do I make new friends?”

All schools will have a Transition Day - whereby children visit their new schools en masse and learn a bit more about their new school and its expectations and routines. For most, this day will be enough. However, for some children, those questions will rattle around in their heads and anxiety will kick in. How do we help these children?

Ways Forward - Pilot 1

With this question in mind, a group of teachers set about piloting a transition programme. Ravensworth Terrace Primary School kindly volunteered to host Year 6 children from 5 other schools from the local area. The event was curated by Animate 2 Educate, a well-known figure from the world of edtech in the North East. His aim was to blend technology and physical activity in order to help the children make friends and share their concerns so that each child knew that they were not alone - that others were also experiencing similar thoughts and feelings.

The children were able to experience 2 immersive experiences led by Now Press Play - one dealing with transition and empathy, while the other looked at anti-bullying strategies. Using i-pads, the children were able to mind map their thoughts and feelings and build up a word cloud of key phrases. These same words and phrases were then created by the children using letter tags grabbed during the ‘move & learn’ session led by ourselves

The pilot project was deemed a success by school leaders and children alike.

Denise Thompson, Head Teacher said,

“The children were buzzing after their morning yesterday. It was lovely to see more quiet children grow in confidence over the morning. It was a great opportunity for the children to experience change in a non-threatening way and realise that although change can make us feel uncomfortable and a little scared it can also be exciting.”

As to the children’s views on the session:

“Very helpful and fun.”
“It was relieving because I got to see what it would be like before doing it.”
“I really enjoyed it and I think it really helped me.”
“Now I feel more confident.”
“It was fun and I enjoyed the active activities the most.”
“It was fun and I got to meet new people.”
“It was very fun, the children from the other schools were very kind as well.”
“I had fun and I found it very relaxing.”

Martin Bailey Director of Animate 2 Educate said,

“Wonderful Year 6 Transition Event with my friends from Now Press Play and Tagtiv8 with Year 6 pupils from around the North East at Ravensworth Terrace Primary School (Gateshead) today. Transition can be difficult for many pupils and hopefully this event helped to allay some of their fears.”

Ways Forward - Pilot 2

The second pilot took place in Leeds and again featured ourselves and Now Press Play. This time, we added another dimension:

Participate in Now Press Play's transition experience.
Discuss the experience.
Collect letter tags to create vocabulary related to thoughts, feelings and emotions.
Sort the vocabulary.
Discuss what the words mean.
Share strategies to overcome negative thoughts, feelings and emotions.

Cue a fascinating conversation...

Child A: "If you feel anxious, you could try a breathing technique?"
Child B: "What do you mean?"
Child A: "I learned about it on YouTube."
Child A models and Child B follows.
Child B: "It reminds me of that song by Ariana Grande, "Breathin'".
Child A: "I can see what you mean. Sir, can we sing it to the rest of the class?"

The boys duly rehearsed again and again, encouraging each other and they duly performed their version to the rest of the class. There were definitely a few wobbly chin moments. The TA responded - with a tear in her eye - "I never knew they could sing like THAT." A genuinely beautiful moment.

Helping at Home

Transition programmes such as these are invaluable in helping certain children in pioneering schools, but what about children and their parents/carers in other schools?

We would definitely recommend talking - or more to the point, listening. Reassure your children that what they are feeling is only natural. Remind yourself what it felt like when you made your own move to secondary school, but please don’t tell them tales of heads being flushed down the toilets or other urban myths.

Think of practical advice:

Talk to your child’s primary teacher
Accompany your child on a practice journey to the school
Check the secondary school’s website and social media channels for information

Resources & Support

The GO TO site for secondary transition has to be BBC Bitesize’s Starting Secondary School. The website provides resources for 10 to 12 year olds, teachers and parents to help support transition. Bitesize has a host of video content. Their #StartingSecondarySchool campaign provides first-hand experience from children who have made the move and, not only survived, but thrived. There are also practical tips for you on how to best support your child and support for children in their final term of primary school through to their first few months in secondary school.

Ways Forward - Pilot 3+?

Would some or all of your children benefit from a transition experience similar to the ones above? If so, let's jump on a call.

Email: hello@tagtiv8.com

Call: +44 7506 523354