Secondary Transfer
“Transfer 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
Open Events for Student Entry – September The School has one Open Evening in the Autumn Term each academic year when students and their parents/carers are invited to tour the facilities and hear the Head Teacher speak about the school. Visits to the School for Year 6s (Year 7 entry in September 2025) School in Action tours are available for any Year 6s and their parent/carers who would like to visit the school in February and March 2025. They provide an opportunity to meet the Head Teacher, see the school buildings and facilities, see students and staff at work, ask questions and experience St Mary’s on a normal school day. The dates and booking information can be found on the Home page. Visits to the School for Year 5s (Year 7 entry in September 2026) School in Action tours for all Year 5s and their parent/carers will be available in the Summer Term 2025 during June and July, and also for these children – who will then be Year 6s – in the Autumn Term 2025 during September and October. Dates and booking information can be found on the Home page nearer the time The transfer 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. Our Transfer Programme for students joining Year 7 in September is outlined below: Welcome Evening: Spring Term To launch our Transfer Programme we released a Welcome Video on the school website. This provides an opportunity for new students to become familiar with key staff, the school building and what to expect when they arrive at St Mary’s. The Secondary Transfer Welcome Evening for Year 6s and their parents/carers who have been allocated a place at St Mary’s for Year 7 in September 2025, takes place on Wednesday 12th March 2025 at 6pm. We also release a Parent/Carer Booklet sharing all the key information you need to know about the school, as well as Frequently Asked Questions. In addition, there will be a letter to all families allocated a place at St Mary’s from the Head Teacher, giving details of the transfer programme. Primary School Visits: April – June Every student transferring to St Mary’s in September will be visited in their own primary school by a member of St Mary’s Transfer 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 : May – July 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 transfer. New Year 7 Parent / Carer Information Evening: Summer Term All parents/carers of the new Year 7 cohort are invited to a join a virtual event presentation. This will be a welcome speech from the Headteacher, transfer process information from the Deputy Headteacher and a presentation on school systems and processes ahead of the start of the new Academic Year. New Year 7 Term Starts (Year 7 only): Summer Term We start the academic year with the school only being open to Year 7 students for two transfer days. This ensures that we can give Year 7 the support needed to understand and meet our high expectations and have a really positive beginning to their time at St Mary’s. The new Year 7 Students will spend the transfer 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. Students will take some very basic tests and experience some taster lessons so that they feel more confident about what to expect. Uniform Uniform can be purchased from our supplier, Smiths Schoolwear.The Transfer Programme for new Year 7 students awarded a place at St Mary’s in September 2025
