Big fish, little fish: Ideas for a Transition to Secondary School Project for Year 6 Pupils
The "Big
Fish, Little Fish" programme is based on the Writers in Schools Project
(funded by Cripplegate Foundation and supported by CEA@Islington and the
London Borough of Islington). It has been running since July 2003 at Hugh
Myddelton Primary School with children's writer, Neil Arksey, using a
drama-into-writing model. We thought it might be helpful to pass on what had
been learnt during this pastoral support/writing project to other schools in
Islington who were interested in developing work on transition to secondary
school, but couldn't afford to have a writer-in-residence. The project is
intended for Year 6 pupils, but the principles and much of the material could
be used to provide continuity and development work in Year 7 (see below).
The programme is self-activating in the sense that it provides a collection of
handouts, ideas and suggestions from which teachers can create their own
personalised programme. This allows schools to take ownership of the material,
rather than have something provided that might not always be appropriate to
the needs of individual groups of students. A large part of the programme can
be delivered through drama. As this is an area which primary teachers have
tended to be unfamiliar with up to now, more space is given to drama ideas
than to more familiar aspects of writing development.
The programme would ideally run over the whole of Year 6, lasting
approximately ten hours. This would maintain a continuous commitment to
effective pastoral work over Year 6, at the same time as supporting pupils at
key points in the transition process when they most need it, such as open
evenings at secondary schools during the Autumn Term and final preparation in
the second half of the summer term.
For the programme to have the maximum impact within the transition process,
secondary schools need to come on board, so that there is both consistency and
progression for the students. Once they arrive at secondary school, it would
be useful for key Year 7 staff to tie in the "Big Fish, Little Fish" work
already completed in Year 6 with student leadership initiatives such as
year/school council work, as this would enable Year 7s to feel supported and
valued on entering their new school. It would also ensure that they are
provided with a voice.
The "Cool it!" strategies in the handout on conflict resolution could be used
by Year 7 form tutors during the first two weeks of morning registration
activities, as could the "Stand up for yourself" handout on assertiveness.
This work could eventually become embedded into the Year 7 Pastoral Programme,
if it's found to be appropriate.
"Big Fish,
Little Fish" is based on a "before and after"
model, with new Year 7s going back on an organised visit to their primary
school two months after arriving at secondary school. They act as a panel to
answer questions from nervous Year 6 children, who are just starting the whole
transition process themselves and want straight answers from those who have
just gone through it. Setting up this panel needs Heads of Year 7 in secondary
schools to agree to release students for half a day (ideally, the last
afternoon before half term in the Autumn Term).
Students could complete some preparatory work on answering questions during
the "after" session back at their primary school, possibly using role-play
(during registration, English and/or Drama lessons). In general, using the
drama-into-writing model could not only help students with the transition to
secondary school, but also encourage them to enter into characters' emotional
worlds with empathy and understanding.
For staff at secondary school, and in particular Year 7 tutors involved in
this type of work, the benefits are that it would help them to learn something
about the students in their form group quickly. It would also support the
school in challenging conformity and peer pressure and helping children to
feel they can be themselves, linking with the PSHE and Citizenship curriculum
in exploring issues such as respect and cooperation.
I hope that the "
Big Fish, Little Fish" project will offer some useful opportunities for
developing students' emotional literacy and self-confidence, both of which are
vital for them to make the most of their time in secondary school. Ideally, it
would also help to support the wider transition work that takes place in all
schools, ensuring that this process is as settled and consistent as possible
for all involved, making important links between the work that takes place in
both primary and secondary schools in the borough.
Michael Gooch
Gifted & Talented Strand Leader
CEA@Islington