Supporting the Primary to Secondary School Transition
Curriculum Lead
Life Lessons
New Resources from Life Lessons – get access to one free lesson
Life Lesson’s latest release is a series of lessons to support schools with the transition between primary and secondary school. Able to be used by either primary schools or secondary schools, these resources help young people to understand the emotional and practical changes that they are about to experience.
Read more about the new unit below and get access to a free lesson here.
Why Supporting Primary to Secondary Transition Matters
The move from primary to secondary school is a huge moment in a young person’s life, and it’s easy to underestimate how many emotional processes are happening at once. If we can support young people to understand what is happening to them internally, as well as prepare them with practical advice for the change, we set them up to have a safe, smooth and joyful transition to their new setting.
What’s Included in the School Transition Lesson Pack?
We have broken this unit down into four areas:
| Lesson number | Lesson title | Coverage |
| 1 | Reflections:How does it feel to finish primary school? | This lesson helps students to reflect primary school experience and express their feelings. Consolidating memories is an important part of developing a sense of self, and doing this with their peers will add to a feeling of belonging. |
| 2 | Change:What will change when we go to secondary school? | Dealing with change is an important life skill. It’s important to help children understand that, parallel with feelings of excitement about new opportunities, there will be a sense of grief for what they are leaving behind. Some students will also experience anxiety, which should be validated, at the same time as providing strategies to regulate powerful emotional states. This lesson provides an opportunity for young people to describe the changes that they are going through and gives them practical strategies to regulate their emotions during periods of change. |
| 3 | Readiness:How do I prepare myself for secondary school? | This lesson focuses on some of the practical challenges for students as they move from year 6 to year 7, such as getting to their new school and organising themselves in a new environment. In their EEF article about the transition from primary to secondary schools, Kirsten Mould points out that healthy peer networks are a vital part of the process. This lesson explores the importance of having curiosity about new people, and how to make new friends by accepting differences and noticing similarities – building on the skills developed during the Life Lesson Identity and Community unit. |
| 4 | Independence:How do I take responsibility for my own wellbeing? | In primary school, good PSHE lessons give students an understanding of their own needs and strategies that support wellbeing. This lesson encourages young people to develop agency in this area, and make good decisions about their own wellbeing as they become more independent. |
How Can Schools Use These Transition Resources?
These lessons are designed to be used in the Summer term before students go to secondary school, to support the transition from Y6 to Y7. They can either be delivered by their existing primary school teachers, or by secondary schools as part of their transition process (or a mixture of the two).
To find out more about our curriculum for primary and secondary, book a demo or ask us a question, please go to www.lifelessons.co.uk.
