Fresh Approaches to Transition
Why don’t we have ‘freshers week’ at secondary school at start of Year 7?
The most frequent telephone queries we receive at ‘Inclusive Solutions’ are from parents whose disabled son or daughter is about to make the transition from Primary to Secondary School. Typically there is a tale to be told of LA or Academy planning procedures that are too little and too late, and a severe lack of confidence from all parties that the transition will be successful. Little wonder that transfers from mainstream to special schools continue to peak at Year 7!
Because of this we have put together a different kind of support plan that aims to maximise the chances of Primary/Secondary transitions being successful. In essence our approach brings together a person centred planning tool called ‘MAPS’ https://inclusive-solutions.com/person-centred-planning/maps/ and a ‘Circle of Friends’ https://inclusive-solutions.com/circles/circle-of-friends/ recruited from within the Year 7 tutor group. Sometimes the Circle already exists in the Primary setting and then the planning tales place in the Summer Term of Year 6. The circle of friends forms the core of the MAPS session and are central in developing (with parents and staff) a Plan for embedding the focus child in the new school setting.
For anticipated concerns we sometimes use the PATH planning process – https://inclusive-solutions.com/person-centred-planning/path/ ideally at the receiving school but with all those present who really care about the young person present. #3PCPCP We also employ Inclusion Facilitators https://inclusive-solutions.com/inclusion-facilitation/ in very high profile situations to support the transition whose role is ‘to do whatever it takes’ to strengthen the inclusion of the young person in secondary education.
We are looking to pilot our Community Circle in Year 7 model https://inclusive-solutions.com/circles/community-circles/ of indirect support and inclusion – let us know if you are interested? This involves a range of students in Year 7 coming together weekly and offering an exchange of wants needs and offers to each other. The students would be a mix of high needs students and those with much to offer.
Do contact us direct if you think any of these approaches could help in the transition of a child you are involved with. Watch out for further updates on this approach to transition in further editions in our Ezine https://inclusive-solutions.com/termly-inclusive-ezines/ and on our website https://inclusive-solutions.com.
Seneca said, “Our plans miscarry if they have no aim. When a man does not know what harbour he is making for, no wind is the right wind.”
Colin Newton
Inclusive Psychologist
Co-Founder
Inclusive Solutions
0115 9556045
0775 9546402