SUPPORTING THE TRANSITION TO SECONDARY SCHOOL

BY ALEX MCKELL, INNOVATION MANAGER
INNOVATION

Alex shares her experiences of the Transition to secondary school, and why Leap’s programme supporting schools in this area is so important. Get in touch with us if you’d like to partner with us and support Year 6/7 children through their Transition.

remember my first day of secondary school like it was yesterday. I remember getting ready with my new uniform and making sure I had no jewellery on, having my sister do my hair, getting on the bus and making that first solo journey. I also remember the feelings of excitement about being put into my form group and meeting my classmates (there were some nerves too).

Most of that first day went well. That is until I started the journey home where I remember being bullied by another student about my hair. I remember crying sitting at the top of the Number 2 bus and having thoughts like “what’s wrong with me? Why are they calling me weird and picking on me? Why are they making fun of my hair? What did I do wrong?”

I also remember my actions following that event – wearing my hood and covering up my hair whenever I could to avoid being picked on for the rest of that year. In my mind, if no one saw my hair, no one could say anything. This kept me hidden and stopped me from getting involved in a lot of things the school were running which affected my confidence. It was made worse by the fact that I didn’t know who to go to for support or how to help myself feel better.

Supporting young people through the transition into secondary school is something I am passionate about. At Leap, we believe that conflict is inevitable in life. Conflict can take different forms. It is not just about confrontation or violence you hear about in communities. In my case, conflict was about my struggles with insecurity and self-identity and my experience in secondary school.

Unfortunately, I’m not an isolated case. Research shows that in addition to worries about being bullied, young people going through this transition can also experience worries about making friends and being accepted, as well as emotions ranging from excitement to sadness. In addition, moving into secondary school often coincides with children going through adolescence, which brings its own set of challenges. There is no doubt that this is one of the biggest changes a young person will go through.

A negative transition can have a devastating impact on a young person, resulting in a range of negative outcomes including poor wellbeing, challenging behaviour, low education and attainment.

It can also have long term consequences such as poor mental health with some students developing depression and anxiety.

But, when support is provided, the transition can be a positive experience.

When supported adequately, young people can have a positive experience in secondary school, through feeling a sense of belonging to school and being academically engaged in school (Nuffield, 2011).

This is why it’s vital that students are supported through the transition.

All of the activity within the programme is fully funded, however we will require a champion within the school who can assist in the coordination of key activities and provide support around the project.

We have a limited number of schools we can partner with to deliver this amazing work. If you’re interested, please get in touch.