Transition Tips Week 1

Dear Parents/Carers,

Schools within Maidstone are running a transition project for all year 6 pupils – therefore you may already have some support from your son’s current school being provided in a similar way.  However, if that is not the case we thought it would be helpful to have a similar program of activities for your son to work through to help prepare him for transitioning to Oakwood in September.  We have adapted the Maidstone project slightly to suit it specifically to Oakwood, however the content of the booklet and activities will be broadly the same. The booklet attached contains various activities which we will guide you through across the summer term.  It is not designed to be completed in a single sitting, or even necessarily in order, but we will direct you to the relevant pages in our instructions.

Each week we will be sending home a tip and/or activity for you to discuss or complete with your son, to support their move to Secondary School, and some activities for your son to undertake as well.  It is more important than ever to support your son through this, as they will not be able to complete these discussions with their year 6 teachers at school.

Activity/Tip for Parents/Carers

• If you haven’t already done so, think about how you can help your child to be more independent at home: Do they put clothes away/complete simple jobs like making their own bed or sandwiches/make hot drinks etc.?
• Questioning – activity for Red and Green Questions (pdf attached)
• Ask your son if they know who else is going to the same school and encourage friendships; can they have an online chat with some?
  • These may not be the children your child usually socialises with but it is always good to have a familiar face in the first few weeks.
  • Remind your child that they will make new friends when they start their new school.
• Ask your son to complete the Pupil online questionnaire and the activity on page 8 of the transition booklet. 
  • Try to find a quiet time to discuss these activities once he has completed them.

Pupil Activity

• Complete the Pupil Questionnaire. 
  • Follow the link and answer the questions: https://forms.office.com/Pages/ResponsePage.aspx?id=nhh1x0qyo0qgd6C5j47Rwx8NW_iX9aRNmRZGBt7JIMlUNlhFVDYxRE4xVFhLSDRLR0NWTTVTVzNYUC4u
• Page 8 Activity: Going to Secondary School – How do you feel? 
  • Use two different coloured pens to ‘sort’ the things you are worried about, and those you are confident with. 
  • Discuss these concerns or worries with someone you trust.

Red and Green Questions Activity

OPGS Transition Project Booklet