News | Friday, 7th August 2020

Coronavirus: Transition to secondary school will be harder for most year six pupils

Dr Steph Ainsworth says that pupils have missed the usual rites of passage but schools are working hard to support children

By Dr Steph Ainsworth, Senior Lecturer in Primary Education

For most pupils in year six, the last few months of school leading up to the summer holidays is about enjoying their last moments as a primary school pupil and preparing for their transition to secondary school.

The shift is often significant as it symbolises growing up and becoming more independent.

But this year, due to the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, the transition has been very different.

Many children this year have been cheated of the usual  ‘after-SATs’ period, where they traditionally get to do lots of fun, practical activities and school trips after having focused so heavily on SATs preparation for the rest of the year.

These events, along with the traditional celebratory events, such as swapping and signing each other’s shirts and leaving proms and assemblies, are things that we go on to remember as adults, as well as a way to celebrate the end of a school and a key phase of childhood.

It is also about saying goodbye to teachers who have been an important part of children’s lives and friends who might go onto different schools.

It is often the busiest yet most exciting time of the year for this age group but this year with the disruptions from COVID-19 these children will miss out on these important events that prepare them for the next step. 

Difficult transition

In June, year six pupils were given the opportunity to return to school for the remainder of the school year in the hope to start some kind of transition; but while some were keen to get back to school, some did not due to health concerns.

And even for those that did return, school life was not back to ‘normal’  because of the bubble system, which placed a limited number of children working together with dedicated members of staff, meaning they may not have been with their friends or usual teacher. 

The disruptions from lockdown are inevitably going to make the transition to secondary school harder. 

Although schools will be doing everything they can to prepare pupils, some of the usual transition opportunities, such as taster days where year six pupils would experience what it feels like to follow a secondary timetable and get used to the building before the summer, may not have been possible given the current circumstances.

Concern for vulnerable

The pandemic is having many different impacts, and research suggests that those impacts depend on the specific circumstances of the children and their families.

There is particular concern for children who are classed as vulnerable, for example due to a particular additional need or a mental health difficulty, because the tailored support that they would normally receive in school may not been available; others simply do not have access to resources and devices, so may have fallen behind while others continued to engage with online resources.

Research has shown that the  transition to year six can be especially tricky for vulnerable pupils, who in normal circumstances might have received additional transition support including transition support groups and multiple visits from key workers.

The pandemic has also been particularly difficult for parents of children who are of primary age or younger because many of them have been torn between trying to work full time while also providing full time care and home schooling for the children.

There are concerns too over limited opportunities to socialise for some children during this period, particularly for children without siblings. We know that children develop through playing and spending time with other peers and so the lockdown has taken away these opportunities for many children.

The benefits

However, it is important to note that although many children have missed out on structured learning over the past few months, formal approaches to learning are not the be all and end all and many parents and children have reported some positives from being at home.

It has provided an opportunity for children to engage in lots of other activities with their families, which might not be badged under formal learning, but are highly beneficial and could help to support their confidence and develop new skills and interests.

It has also served as an important reminder that there is much more to life than becoming literate and numerate and that we often forget about the joy and learning that comes from engaging in other activities such as cooking and making, designing and just playing which tend to be marginalised within the curriculum.

Again though, the picture is varied depending on specific circumstances. Not all families have the same resources to support children with a range of creative activities at home, and there are some children who have struggled to access safe open spaces to play in.

Supporting the transition

Schools have been working hard to support children through the transition as best they can during these difficult times. While not all rites of passage have happened in the way they normally would, schools have found other ways for children to say goodbye to teachers and children outside their bubbles.

Parents have also found creative ways to support their children in saying goodbye.

As we look forward to September, we need to think about how we might best support children as they begin the next phase of this transition. Schools will need to be flexible and sensitive to children’s needs. Children have always entered year seven from a diverse range of starting points; but this year these difference are likely to have been amplified both in terms of the types of learning and knowledge that different pupils will have engaged with since March and also in terms of the family circumstances that they are in.

Wellbeing should always be of the upmost importance to those supporting children in schools, but now more than ever, schools need to think carefully about how to make the first few days and weeks of high school feel as safe and supported as possible.

Many secondary schools are already busy supporting this next phase through online activities designed to foster a sense of belonging and develop relationships with teachers and other pupils even before they walk through the door.

Parents can also support their children by providing opportunities for them to talk about their feelings about changing schools and by being positive about this next phase. Parents can also take practical steps to support their child in feeling ready, for example by trying out the route to school with them or encouraging them to do this with a friend.

There are no easier solutions to the challenges that this year’s primary school leavers are facing, but the first step towards supporting them involves understanding what these challenges are and being sensitive to children’s individual needs as they find their way through.

The government also needs to play its part by supporting teachers through these difficult times, through increased resourcing and a sensitive and appropriate approach to accountability practices, such as school inspections, in the coming months and years.