Secondary Transition
“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
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. SMHS School Tours (Year 7 Entry September) 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 2023. Please contact 01992 629124 to register for a tour. 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 is outlined below: Welcome Evening: Spring Term 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 they 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. Primary School Visits: April – June 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 : 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 transition. 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, transition process information from the Assistant 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 transition days. 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. The new Year 7 Students will spend the transition 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. Uniform Uniform can be purchased from our supplier, Smiths Schoolwear. Please see price list below:The Transition Programme
