How will the school prepare and support my child when joining the school and transferring to a new school? 

• Shakespeare school has a clear and detailed transition policy.

• There is a comprehensive transition plan for the children and parents including: stay and play sessions, new parents evening, a morning in school and a briefing session for parents. All families are offer a home visits either in the summer term or the first week of the autumn term. The home visit is conducted by the class teacher and EYA in accordance with good practice recommended by the LA. A brief questionnaire is completed. The children are given a book and placemat to share over the summer.

During the first 2 weeks of school, the children have a short “Getting to Know Me” project whereby they bring in photos of their family, and the children find out about the school and who’s who in school. The parents will also be able to join in with this and give lots of information about their child via a parent friendly leaflet.

• We encourage all new children to visit the school prior to starting when they will be shown around the school. We will prepare a photobook for SEND children or for children where transition will be potentially difficult to help welcome them to the school.

• For children with SEND we would encourage further visits to assist with the acclimatisation of the new surroundings. If possible, the INCo would also visit them in their current school or Pre School and ensure the previous good practice is set up before your child starting.

• When children are preparing to leave us for a new school, typically to go to Junior school, we arrange additional visits for children with SEND and those who will find the transition challenging. At our ‘feeder’ junior school, Shakespeare Junior school, we run a carefully prepared induction programme for the Summer term before they start in September. Extra hand over meetings are held for SEND children.

• Our INCo runs a programme specifically tailored to aid transition for the more vulnerable pupils and these pupils will have extra visits in addition to the induction programme. Our INCo will ensure Preschools lead a Transition Partnership Agreement meeting. As well as parents or carers, someone who knows the child or young person best and has a current responsibility for that child or young person completes the form. Area INCO’s usually support preschools with this process. At the meeting we will discuss: What’s important to the child, how have they been helped in their current setting, what are their next steps, what is affecting their progress, what plans need to be made for transition? It will be the INCo, the new class teachers and parents shared responsibility to ensure the actions on TPA are carried out.

• We liaise closely with Staff when receiving and transferring children to different schools ensuring all relevant paperwork including a Personal Plan is passed on and all needs are discussed and understood.

• If your child has complex needs then a TPA, Health Care Plan or Education Health Care plan (EHCP) review will be used as a transition meeting during which we will invite staff from both settings to attend. A mobility officer will attend the new school and set them targets if this is required.

•We run induction programmes for children when they are moving year groups. They will visit their new class and staff and have opportunities to get to know the year group staff.

We have Personal Planning meetings at the end of the year to ensure all relevant information is shared with the new teacher and support staff.

•We offer meetings for parents to meet the new year group staff in the Summer term. Here you can find out about the curriculum, trips and activities and ask any questions.