Transition into St Mary’s
‘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
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.
Please click below to download the following transition documents:
For information about admissions into year groups other than Year 7, (inlcuding into Year 7 after September of the academic year) please CLICK HERE
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. The dates shown below are for the academic year 2020/21.
Welcome Meeting: Thursday 12th March 2020
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.
Primary School Visits: April – June 2020
Every student transitioning to St Mary’s in September 2020 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 2020. 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 23rd June 2020 6.30 – 8.30pm
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 1: Wednesday 24th June 2020
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.
New Year 7 Transition Day 2: Thursday 2nd July 2020
This will be a second day spent at St Mary’s preparing for the start of the next academic year. 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.
New Year 7 Term Starts (Year 7 only): Thursday 3rd September 2020 8.25am
Parent / Carer Welcome Tea: Thursday 3rd September 2020 12pm – 1pm
New Year 7 Student Team Building Day*: September/October 2020
This is a very important opportunity for students to experience their first offsite visit. They usually visit an activities centre where they will take part in a range of different challenges such as raft building or climbing aimed at developing the ability to work with different groups and try out new activities.
*Please note there is usually a request for a voluntary contribution of £25 for this activity.
