Transition between schools
Transition from Key Stage 2 to Key Stage 3
Transition from Key Stage 2 to Key Stage 3 is the process of
moving from primary to secondary school. It represents a crucially
important stage in your child’s education and we regard it as
paramount that your child is well supported through this
period.
- Key Stage 2 is the overall title for the last four years of
primary school (years 3-6)
- Key Stage 3 is the title for the first three years of secondary
school (years 7-9).
Why Transition from Key Stage 2 to Key Stage 3 is
important
Secondary school represents, for most pupils, a very different
environment from the one they have experienced in primary school.
Administration, pastoral care and teaching and learning are all
organised differently from primary school, largely because a
secondary school is much bigger and has a greater number of pupils
and staff. Additionally, your child may well have a new route to
school and a more complicated journey to cope with.
Continuity is essential between primary school and secondary
school so that your child feels supported, feels safe, and is happy
and confident. It is also very important to ensure that the high
standards of teaching and learning your child has received at
primary school are maintained, and that your child continues to
make good levels of progress towards their targets.
Rochdale Key Stage 2 to Key Stage 3 Transition Policy
We have worked closely with the primary schools and secondary
schools in Rochdale to produce a policy which contains information
about what we do to support your child’s transition. The policy is
organised into three sections:
- Section 1 - Legal and statutory
requirements that schools and Local Authorities have to undertake
for all children in their care when they are transferring from
primary school to secondary school.
- Section 2 - The Rochdale Entitlement:
these are the things that the Local Authority and schools in
Rochdale have agreed will be an entitlement for all year 6 Rochdale
pupils as they transfer from primary to secondary.
- Section 3 - Processes and events which
some schools undertake to support the transition process. These are
not part of the Rochdale Entitlement so not all pupils will receive
them; they are offered as examples of good practice only.
Key Stage 2 to Key
Stage 3 Transition Policy (206kb pdf file)
Transition from Key Stage 4 to Post-16
Transition from Key Stage 4 to Post-16 is the
process of moving from secondary school to a school sixth form, a
sixth form college, a further education college, employment or a
work-based learning provider, and it represents a crucially
important stage in your child’s education.
Moving from Year 11 to Year 12, and from Key
Stage 4 to Key Stage 5 is a very important stage in your child’s
progress and we regard it as paramount that your child is well
supported through this period.
Leaflet
for parents and carers on the choices available (241kb pdf)
Why transition from Key Stage 4 to Post-16 is important
Young people turn to their parents and carers
for advice and support at key transition stages and this stage is
critical.
Throughout Year 11 and as they think about
moving into adulthood, experiencing new challenges, their future
careers and the world of work, parents and carers need relevant
up-to-date information to enable them to support their child to
make the right choices in the best way they can by discussing the
options and providing continual reassurance and support.
Rochdale Key Stage 4 to Post-16 Transition Policy
We have worked closely with Secondary Schools,
Work-Based Learning providers, Rochdale Sixth Form College. Hopwood
Hall and Connexions Rochdale to produce a policy which contains
information about what we do to support your child’s pathway from
Secondary Education to Post-16 provision.
- Section 1 lists the legal and
statutory requirements that schools and Local Authorities have to
undertake for all children in their care when they are transferring
from Key Stage 4 to Post-16 education.
- Section 2 lists the Rochdale
Entitlement: these are the things that the Local Authority, pre-16
and post-16 providers in Rochdale have agreed will be an
entitlement for all Year 11 Rochdale young people as they transfer
from Secondary to Post-16. A synopsis of Section 2, The Rochdale
Entitlement, is shown below.
- Section 3 lists some processes
and events which some providers undertake to support the transition
process: these are not part of the Rochdale Entitlement so not all
young people will receive them; they are offered as examples of
good practice only.
Further information
Secondary education
Secondary education is provided for pupils aged 11 and over in
the following types of school.
- Community schools are set up and maintained by
the Council. Religious education covers all religions and follows a
syllabus agreed by the Council.
- Voluntary Aided (Roman Catholic) schools. We
maintain the schools but the governing body employs the staff,
decides which pupils are offered places and has different financial
responsibilities. The governing bodies also control religious
education.
- Foundation schools. The governors of the
schools are responsible for running the school within the our
framework and deciding which pupils are offered places.
Some secondary schools are designated as specialist
schools/colleges. In Rochdale these are:
- Cardinal Langley Roman Catholic High School (Sports College
Status)
- Falinge Park High School
- Hollingworth Business and Enterprise College
- Middleton Technology School
- Oulder Hill Community School and Language College
- Holy Family RC and CE College
- Siddal Moor Sports College
- Wardle High School and Arts College
The Council’s policy does not give any priority for admission to
these schools on the basis of ability or aptitude for a particular
specialism.
Please note: We are only responsible for the admission criteria
and procedures in community schools.
For Voluntary Aided and Foundation schools the governing body is
responsible for admission arrangements so they may be different in
each case. You should consider these carefully before you make your
preferences. You should contact the schools to obtain further
information about their policies. You may have to provide
additional information in support of your application.
Deciding on a school
You will probably already have an
idea of some of the things about a school which are going to be
important to you and your child. You may have talked to parents,
staff and children attending particular schools.
Their ideas may be helpful but do
not just rely on these. Anything as important as your child’s
school should always be based on your own judgement, with as much
information as you can get to help you make that decision. Do not
base your decision on other people’s opinions or perceptions – they
will be based on their own child and you should think about what is
best for your child.
Find out as much as you can about what each school has to offer.
You should go to secondary school open evenings (the dates of which
are on page 17), read the schools’ prospectuses, visit school web
sites and view OfSTED reports before you decide on your
preference.
The type of school
If the school is a community
school, the admission criteria are listed below.
If the school is a Voluntary Aided or Foundation school you will
need to check with the school what the admissions creteria are. The
governing body of the school concerned is responsible for
admissions and you may also be required to provide additional
information in support of your application.
Admission criteria
If the school is a church school you will need to check if it
gives preference to church members.
The size of the school
How many pupils are there? How many pupils does the school admit
in its intake each year? How many first preference applications did
the school have last year?
Getting to school
How far will your child need to travel and how much will it
cost? Will your child qualify for free travel
Distance from school
Will the distance from your home
affect your ability to support the school and your child’s
education as fully as you would want? Will the distance from
your home affect your chances of getting a place for your child in
a particular school? Will the distance be a problem if your child
wants to take part in after school activities?
Every school produces a school
prospectus each year. The prospectus will contain certain basic
information about the school and the way in which it provides for
the pupils at the school. Individual prospectuses are available
from schools.
Visiting schools
Visit as many schools as you can.
Secondary schools hold open evenings during the Autumn term each
year.
You may have already formed an
impression of the schools you are planning to visit from the school
prospectus and perhaps from other information you have
received.
You may want to consider asking
some questions during your visit. Try to speak to staff at the
school as well as the head teacher.
Please note that the head teacher
or staff cannot offer you a place at the school or give you an
indication of your chance of getting a place at the school. It
is us (or governing body for Foundation and Voluntary Aided
schools) who decide who is allocated a place based on the number of
applications and the admissions policy.
Remember, every maintained school
in Rochdale will want to do its very best for your child.
You do not have a right to choose which school
your child will go to. You only have a right to express a
preference for a school. Our ability to satisfy your
preference will depend not only on the demand for places at an
individual school but also on the total number of places available
at that school. The fact that you name a school as one of your
preferences does not automatically mean that your child is entitled
to a place at that school. If a school is oversubscribed, the
admissions criteria explained under will be used to work out
which pupils will be offered places.