Secondary Transition Events & Open Mornings

Open Events for Student Entry September 2021

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.

SMHS School Tours (Year 7 Entry September 2021)

These tours are for any Year 6 student and their parents/carers. They provide an opportunity to tour the school buildings to see students and staff at work, meet senior staff, to ask questions and to get a feel for what learning is like at St Mary’s. Places on tours can be booked by phoning the school 01992 629124 or emailing admin@st-maryshigh.herts.sch.uk.

Visits to the School

There will be open mornings for parents/carers and their Year 5 children to tour the school to see students and staff at work between 9 – 10.30am on selected mornings during the Autumn Term 2021.  Dates for Year 5 tours will be published after Easter. Please contact 01992 629124 to register for a tour.

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. Our Transition Programme for students joining Year 7 in September 2021 is outlined below:

Welcome Video: Monday 8th March 2021

To launch our Transition Programme we release 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 the arrive at St Mary’s.

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 transition programme.

If you have not had the chance to visit St Marys, our Online Open Evening can still be accessed here. This will give you a great insight into what we have to offer at St Marys.

Primary School Visits: April – June 2021

Every student transitioning to St Mary’s in September 2021 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 : May – July 2021

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: Tuesday 22nd June 2021 6.30 – 8.30pm

All parents/carers of the new Year 7 cohort are invited to 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. In addition, there will be an opportunity to complete the admission administration such as providing the school with emergency contact, medical or dietary information as well as to book appointments with our uniform suppliers.

New Year 7 Transition Day 1&2: TBC

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, to 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 when they join the School formally in September.

We are hopeful to run these on Wednesday 23rd June and Thursday 8th July. However, if this is prevented by COVID related restrictions, we have already made contingency plans to ensure that the two Transition Days can go ahead at the start of September.

New Year 7 Term Starts (Year 7 only): Thursday 2nd September 2021 8.25am

We start the academic year with the school only being open to Year 7 students. This ensures that we can give Year 7 the support  needed to meet our high expectations and have a really positive beginning to their time at St Mary’s.