Pupils' View of Moving to Year 7

For many children, the prospect of starting secondary school is met with a mixture of excitement and anxiety. They are excited about making new friends, exploring new subjects, and gaining more independence. However, they also feel anxious about the unknown, the larger campus, and the increased academic expectations.

Moving from a familiar primary school environment to a larger secondary school can be intimidating. They worry about getting lost in the new school, not knowing anyone, or finding it difficult to adapt to the new routines. Children often worry about making new friends and fitting in with their peers. This is a time when peer relationships become increasingly important, and children may fear rejection or isolation. They may worry about the increased workload, tougher subjects, and the pressure to perform well in exams. This fear of academic challenges can lead to stress and anxiety.

Children employ various coping mechanisms to deal with these feelings. Some may become more reserved or introverted, while others may seek support from friends or teachers. It's essential for adults to be attentive to these coping strategies and provide a safe space for children to express their concerns.

LATEST: Full Pupils' Voice Audit for as little as £125

Understand your pupils' emotional wellbeing, experiences and views about school.

Discovering how powerful Pupils' Voice is in helping you to gain that understanding.

Why Pupils' Perspectives Matter

The perspectives of Year 7 pupils provide valuable insights that lead to effective impeovements. Here's why their views are integral to creating a more inclusive and supportive educational environment:

FOUNDATIONS FOR SUCCESS

Transition Factors

Knowing what to expect: This topic explores how well students were informed about what to expect when transitioning to Secondary School. It could include their knowledge about the school environment, curriculum, and other aspects.

Continuity and Familiarity: This topic investigates how students' prior experiences and knowledge about Secondary School and its surroundings contributed to their sense of continuity and familiarity in the new environment.

Changing from primary to secondary: Here we assess students' feelings about leaving their primary school, whether they were emotionally prepared for the change, and how they are adapting to secondary school life.

School Factors

Engaged and Included: Exploring pupils' feelings of engagement and inclusion helps schools enhance pupil participation, creating an environment where every pupil feels valued.

Enhanced Well-being: Assessing well-being provides valuable insights into the overall mental and emotional health of Year 7 pupils, indicating areas that may require additional support and resources. A positive emotional state contributes to better academic performance and overall development.

Teaching and Learning: Examining how pupils feel about the teaching and learning experience helps identify effective instructional methods and areas that may require improvement, ensuring a high-quality education for all.

School Environment: Assessing pupils' experiences related to commuting and being physically present in school helps improve transportation logistics and ensures a safe and comfortable environment for learning.

School Clubs and Extracurricular Activities: Understanding pupils' engagement with school clubs and extracurricular activities is essential for promoting a well-rounded education, fostering interests, and encouraging social connections beyond the classroom.

Safeguarding: Examining pupils' perceptions of safeguarding measures ensures that schools are providing a secure environment, addressing concerns related to personal safety and well-being.

Independence and Responsibility: Evaluating pupils' perceptions of independence and responsibility provides insights into their preparedness for GCSEs and their ability to navigate the challenges of increased autonomy in the secondary school setting.

Food, Health, and Exercise: Evaluating pupils' perspectives on food, health, and exercise helps shape school policies to support healthy lifestyles, contributing to overall well-being and academic success.

Getting on with people: Understanding how pupils perceive their social interactions within the school environment is crucial for fostering a positive and inclusive community. This contributes to a more supportive atmosphere for learning, where every pupil feels valued and included.

OFSTED Results: It is crucial for schools to actively engage with OFSTED's children's voice questions themselves, fostering a direct and genuine understanding of pupils' perspectives, experiences, and needs, in a way OFSTED considers important.

Pressures and Worries

Bullying and Anti-Social Behaviour: Assessing how pupils feel about bullying and anti-social behaviour helps schools implement and monitor the effectiveness of their anti-bullying strategies, creating a safe and respectful learning environment for all.

School Work and Future Pressures: Understanding the pressures pupils feel related to school work and future career expectations enables educators to provide appropriate guidance and support, fostering a balanced and realistic approach to academic and career goals.

Personal and Mental Stress: Exploring pupils' experiences of personal and mental stress allows for the implementation of targeted mental health support programs, ensuring that pupils receive the assistance they need to cope with challenges effectively.

Social Concerns: Addressing pupils' social concerns helps schools create a more empathetic and understanding community, fostering an environment where pupils feel comfortable discussing and resolving social issues constructively.

How it works

Effective surveys: Our on-line surveys are easy to implement. Schools can tailor their survey with a welcome message and additional questions. Our platform makes it easy to communicate with staff at each stage. We deliver two surveys one earlier in the year to understand areas where more support might be needed, and another survey towards the end of the year to understand the postive effects the targeted support has provided.

Tailored Reports: We provide detailed reports which examine each factor for the Year as well as for each form group. This enables form tutors to effectively target their support strategies, addressing the specific needs and priorities of their class.

Analytics area: Our platform also enables you to interrogate the data yourself, allowing for a thorough exploration of results. This enables you to generate detailed analysis in the form of tables and charts.

Factor-Specific Interventions: The platform suggests interventions and actions which you can use along with your own. This ensures a targeted approach to addressing well-being concerns. Details of any actions carried out can be described and evaluated on the platform.

Next Steps

When Year 7 pupils feel heard and valued, they are more likely to be motivated, participate actively in their education, and develop a positive attitude towards learning, setting the foundation for lifelong success.

Our aim is to help you in creating an environment where every child feels supported, valued, and able to thrive academically and emotionally. We make sure Pupil's Voice KS3 Transition is affordable for secondary schools.

This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. today to learn more about how our surveys and reports can help your school gain valuable insights into the experiences of Year 7 pupils, creating a more inclusive and supportive educational system.

Chat with us  live by clicking the 'Start chat' button in the right hand panel, we don't use chat bots, only real people but we are available to chat most of the time.

Free resources including a free Pupils' Voice KS3 demonstration

Please email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. with details of you organisation and your requirements.