Admission To Year 7
Transfer into Year 7 from primary school takes place at 11 years of age. The standard admission number for the School is 240. All admissions to the School are made in accordance with the Governors policy for admissions agreed with the Diocese of St Albans and the Local Authority. The Transition Programme The transition programme for students joining St Mary’s runs for over a year and aims to provide opportunities for new students to become familiar with the building, staff and other students as well as the standards and expectations of the school. Place Allocation Day: On 1st March, all parents/carers with children who are transferring to secondary school will receive notification of the school in which their child has been allocated a place. All parents/carers allocated a place at St Mary’s will receive a welcome letter and an invitation to attend the Welcome Meeting as detailed below. Welcome Meeting All students who have been allocated a place at St Mary’s will be invited, along with their parents/carers, to come along to the School to share a welcome drink, meet key staff, hear more detail about the transition programme and have the opportunity to ask questions. There will be a letter to all families allocated a place at St Mary’s from the Head Teacher following the Welcome Evening, giving details of the transition programme. SMHS School Tours (Student Yr 7 Entry September) These tours are for any families who did not have a previous opportunity to visit St Mary’s and/or to see the School at work. Parents/carers of students with SEN or who may need additional support during the transition process may also choose to visit the School again as part of a more intensive transition programme. Primary School Visits: Every student transitioning to St Mary’s in September will be visited in their own primary school by a member of St Mary’s Transition Team. This is a demonstration of our commitment to knowing every child well by the time they join our school. This is an opportunity for students to share their aspirations and other information about themselves as well as for St Mary’s staff to meet with Year 6 teachers. New Year 7 Targeted Parent / Carer Meetings : These meetings will take place for any parent/carer whose child has special needs or if there is any additional support that is needed to support transition. New Year 7 Parent / Carer Information Evening: All parents/carers of the new Year 7 cohort are invited to the School to see a presentation about the curriculum provision that will be delivered to students. Staff will provide information about how to support students with their learning and how to actively promote excellent study habits as they start secondary school. New Year 7 Transition Day: The new Year 7 Students will spend the day at St Mary’s to start to familiarise themselves with the buildings, the routines for using the dining room and facilities, get used to moving about the School, as well as spending time with their tutor team and other staff.‘Transition arrangements with feeder schools are excellent; every child is visited by a member of the pastoral support team before they join St Mary’s’ Ofsted
