Year 6 to Secondary Transition Guidance for Children with SEN Support

• Check that your current school has the young person on the SEN Register which identifies them has having SEN and being eligible to SEN support.
• Has the current school had their planning meeting with the new school where they talk about the needs of your child and what support will need to be put in place.  You can ask to be involved in this meeting.
• Support plan, learning levels and SATs scores – has this been forwarded?
• Obtain printed versions of the support plan prior to leaving
• Contact details for the SENCo/Pastoral support within the new school

It’s helpful if your child’s primary school compiles a profile of your child which can be passed on to the secondary school. This could include details of:

• Your child’s particular profile, such as with mobility, communication, concentration, etc.
• The special measures that support their learning, like extra time for tasks, one-to-one support, visual timetables, handwriting aids.
• Strategies that help them cope with school life, such as movement breaks, time out, or a buddy system in the playground.

• Check what transition activities they already have planned for the Year 6 pupils. Transition schedules will normally be published on the secondary schools website and may include things like SEND tours, SEND visits, induction days and summer schools.  Find out how to book onto these activities if you think it will help your child.
• Obtain a social story Social stories and comic strip conversations (autism.org.uk) including any pictures of the setting and key staff members such as their tutor, year lead, pastoral or support staff they will be interacting with.
• Consider how they can make the school accessible to your child, for example by providing them with a colour coded map to look at over the summer break with clear markers for pastoral/support areas, toilets and lunch areas.
• Have they received pupil profile, and any materials supplied by you, their current school, or other professionals involved in their care.
• Can you arrange a meeting with you and your child to get to know them better and discuss their needs and how they can be catered for.
• They should prepare all the staff who will be involved with your child so they understand their needs and can make them feel welcome and included.
• Ensure they have observed your child on induction days to see how they cope with the new environment and teaching practices.

• Try a walk or drive by to familiarise your child with the busy start and end of day.
• Rehearse the expected travel route to and from school together at first, then following them at a safe distance.
• Spend time with your child looking at the school map learning where everything is
• Practice wearing the uniform/ PE Kit and if there any sensory concerns are there alternatives that could be discussed with the school.
• Create a checklist for all the equipment your child will need. This could be laminated and used daily as a tick list.
• Your child is likely to have their own questions about starting secondary school, so encourage them to write them down and ask a member of staff at the induction days or for you to email to the contact at the new school.
• Finally, try working through this booklet or one similar to look at what moving up to secondary looks like for your child – My moving up to secondary school booklet : Mentally Healthy Schools

• Continue to refer back to any transition resources your child used to help prepare them for the move.  For example, remind them of who they can talk to if they need more help, continue to talk to them about their worries and what they can do help themselves solve these worries.
• Make sure you know who to contact if your child starts to experience difficulties with school.  There may be areas of concern that emerge that were not considered during the transition period and it is important to raise these with the school as early as possible to address them.
• Ask for a meeting to be arranged in the first term to review the support plan for your child, so that you can talk about any concerns early on, and make any adjustments as needed.