‘Transition’ is a word much bandied about in education circles. No, this is not about gender. Rather, when school staff talk about transition they mean that pivotal moment between primary and secondary school. This is the moment when a child moves from a small (average roll number of 280 pupils) and familiar place, probably within walking distance of their home, where they were the oldest and most important cohort; to a site often with five times as many pupils, where, aged 11, they are once again the pip-squeaks, braving strange new faces and routines, after most likely having travelled a long way from home (up to 8 miles in rural areas).
This step change is proving more challenging than anyone had previously suspected. According to a large national study commissioned by ImpactEd Group, as many as one in four secondary school pupils report feeling ‘disengaged’ from their secondary school. Many vote with their feet: the proportion of persistently absent students – one in four – continues to alarm government and head teachers.
Young people need help to navigate relationships in secondary school
Yet even those who do attend school seem uneasy.
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