Over the last year or so I've been able to extend my role as primary deputy and leader of UKS2 (a phase which didn't exist when I joined, with our first year 5 cohort moving up from year 4 the year I started). I've been working with Directors of Learning from the secondary phase to plan and roll out a year 7 and 8 curriculum which takes inspiration from a primary curriculum model which makes explicit links between disciplines - something I really should blog about in more detail at some point.
Now the curriculum is being rolled out, I have had the opportunity to observe it in action, and in doing so have put together further ideas for how years 7 and 8 might be developed in the future to really aid transition between KS2 and KS3. At the moment, these are all at proposal stage whilst we work on possible logistics to make them happen - not all of these ideas may come to fruition.
Many of the proposals that I have shared with the academy's senior leaders are linked to changes that were initially made because of the Covid-19 pandemic but which have gone on to have unforeseen positive consequences. Such proposals I have marked with an asterisk in the following list, although some of them were on my wishlist prior to the pandemic!
In addition to the list below, there is a huge thinkpiece to be done around primary to secondary transition, especially with the removal of SATs and children being in lockdown for the foreseeable future - yet another blog post for another time.
Proposed Developments for years 7 and 8
These proposed
developments would be implemented for both year 7 and in year 8 in the 21/22
academic year.
*Children remain in a year group ‘bubble’, in a specific area
of the academy, with most lessons taking place in this area of the building. This is to reduce movement around the academy,
reduce opportunities to see misbehaviour of other year groups and to reduce
their own misbehaviour during transition.
*Children take the majority of their lessons in one classroom
(PSHCE, Geography, History, English, Maths). This is to reflect the primary experience of remaining largely in one
classroom and developing a familiarity with their surroundings. This classroom
will also be where they spend Period 1 (P1). Lessons requiring specialist rooms and
equipment will be taken in the relevant rooms e.g. music, drama, dance, PE, DT,
art, science (where necessary). This is
to ensure lessons in each subject can be taught properly, but also so that
children do begin to experience transitioning around the secondary part of the
academy.
Classroom environments developed to reflect learning across
the linked curriculum e.g. use of working walls and displays and having
resources and artefacts available to inspire and support learning. This is to provide visual links and
reminders of current and previous learning (for both children and teachers), to
celebrate good work and to further replicate the primary experience of working
in a classroom environment that is designed to support and aid learning.
Classroom storage utilised to ensure that teachers have what
they need to hand without having to transport lots of materials around the
academy. This is to ensure teachers have
what they need to hand, and so that transitions for teachers are as easy as
possible.
Develop how time is spent whilst teachers transition to
classrooms e.g. Do Nows for next lesson sent to previous teacher to leave on
screen for children to complete in readiness for next lesson. This is to ensure that behaviour remains
good during times when teachers are not present in the classroom.
Children have an advisor who also teaches a subject in their
year group. This is to develop a core
team of familiar staff who are not only available during P1 but who are around
the KS3 bubble areas for the majority of the day with the particular purpose of
developing strong relationships between children and teachers so that teachers
know the children in KS3 extremely well.
Year group teams developed, meaning that particular members
of staff teach a KS3 year group for the majority of their time. This is to develop a core team of familiar
staff who are around the KS3 bubble areas for the majority of the day with the
particular purpose of developing strong relationships between children and
teachers so that teachers know the children in KS3 extremely well.
*P1 developed as time spent with advisor with one collective
meeting per week during P1. This is to
develop relationships between children and a key member of staff in the KS3
teaching team in to ensure that each child has a member of staff who has a
holistic understanding of them, including issues relating to their SEMH needs,
home circumstances, behaviour and attitude, attendance etc.
P1 time developed to incorporate review/recall from a wider
range of curriculum subjects. This is to
ensure that children can remember what they have learnt across a range of
subjects.
PSHCE/RE curriculum developed to make further curriculum
links. This is to provide a curriculum
lesson where links across the subjects can explicitly be brought together at
the same time as exploring some of the associated wider issues that there is
not time for in other lessons.
Leadership and staffing structure of KS3 adapted to include
a phase leader and necessary middle leaders to support the day-to-day running
of the phase. The leadership structure will take in some aspects of the
leadership of UKS2 as well, creating a middle phase. This is again to provide a dedicated team who know the children in KS3
very well in order to safeguard them in all ways as they move from KS2 to KS3.
