At Cansfield High School we understand that the move to secondary school can be a daunting and overwhelming one. To support you and your child in preparing for the move to secondary school, we have an induction programme of events to make sure that the move is successful and happy. We ensure that students are given plenty of opportunities to visit our school on transition days, guided parent and child tours, open evening and new intake days so that they can familiarise themselves with their new surroundings.
We have, for many years, sought to develop meaningful and effective links with our local primary schools. We have found our system of transition from Primary to Secondary school to be effective, productive and rewarding for all concerned. Each part of our transition programme is in place to ensure that you and your child have a great start with us. We cannot wait to welcome you to our school.
Year 5 Links
Cansfield High school has an established Year 5 link. Throughout Year 5, primary students have secondary school experiences within all our Faculty areas, Maths, English, Science, Humanities, Languages, Creative and Performance. This culminates with over 500 Year 5 students visiting Cansfield for a secondary experience day. The feedback from these days is always positive with students leaving saying ‘I want to come to Cansfield after today’.
Cansfield Buddies
Once students have been offered a place at Cansfield, our Year 7 students write a letter to congratulate them and welcome them to our school. The students will then receive a letter from some of our current Year 11 senior students, they write a letter to their Year 7 self, to tell them about their experience at Cansfield, to reassure them about the transition to High School and reflect on how they felt five years ago when they were in the same position. This is a chance for Year 6 pupils to establish relationships and make connections with our older students.
Transition Visits
Our transition team visit each Year 6 student planning to transition to Cansfield High School before transition day takes place. During this visit student data is gained that helps teachers plan to meet individual needs in all lessons from the outset of Year 7. The information discussed includes: academic levels in English and Maths; the language studied in primary school; information on behaviour and effort; details of intervention received at primary school; specifics of family circumstances and recommended groupings from primary colleagues.
Transition Day
Cansfield highly values transition days as an opportunity for students and parents to have a positive introduction to the school. Students are invited to spend the day with us ensuring that they are fully prepared for the start of secondary school in September. It gives students the opportunity to meet key staff, find their way around school, experience a variety of different lessons and make friends with their fellow Year 7s. This time spent with us provides each student with a realistic experience of what it is like to be a student of Cansfield High School. It is a perfect opportunity to settle those nerves and answer any questions that they may have. We hope our transition programme makes the pupils excited about the prospect of becoming a Cansfield High school student. If you have any further questions about our transition package please feel free to Mr Forshaw (d.forshaw@cansfield.wigan.sch.uk).
