Providing Stepping Stones for the Future
Year 6 can be a challenging time for any child. There’s lots going on for them, from personal and physical development and growth to the challenges of transitioning to a senior school environment. We caught up with Arc School Napton’s Year 6 teacher to ask more about how the school prepares their young people for the next step of their journey.
“I love teaching Year 6. It’s all about getting the children prepared for their next steps both in school and in their wider lives.
“With lockdowns and restrictions it’s been difficult for the children to get out to visit the schools they may be transitioning to after the summer but we’ve been doing virtual tours for them and they have met teachers virtually too.
“Another transition is in their physical and personal development, and that is also something that happens in Year 6. We’ve worked on all aspects of their physical development including sex education and the changes they can expect throughout puberty. It’s really important to this is discussed with our children and we focus on appropriateness, personal safety and speaking our minds.
“From an academic and educational perspective, we have very high expectations for the children in our Year 6 class and so they have been ‘knuckling’ down in terms of their learning to prepare themselves for Year 7 and, under normal circumstances, their SATs.
“We also focus on helping the children be more independent, both in their learning and in other aspects of their lives. We’re getting them ready for taking that next step. In normal circumstances there would have been lots of trips out in Year 6 as part of building that independence, but we’ve been practising skills here at school.
“There’s been a lot of learning outside; we’ve been doing maths and science outside. Learning doesn’t always have to be at a desk – whatever activity we are doing, we try to make sure there’s some learning within it.
“Part of the Year 6 transition is also working with parents, carers and families and we have a really open, good and two-way relationship with them. They may have anxieties or worries, questions and queries about the next steps, and want to support their child positively through the challenges of being a ‘Year 6’. We understand that and so there’s lots of communication.
“It’s been an interesting year for this cohort of Year 6’s and one I’m sure they’ll remember for a very long time to come. We have high expectations for our Year 6 leavers – they are prepared and more than ready for the next step of their journey.”
Arc School Napton is part of the Kedleston Group and opened in 2008.
Arc School Napton is an independent specialist primary school based in a small village in Warwickshire, registered for children between the ages of 5 to 11. Children come to the school because the environment they provide benefits children whose specific educational and social, and or emotional needs cannot be met in mainstream environments.
The school supports children and young people with a wide range of educational and social needs, the majority of which are associated with the challenges of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, attachment disorder, autism, dyslexia and dyspraxia. Some young people have social, emotional and mental health difficulties. All of the children and young people who attend the school all have an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP).
This article is available and can be accessed in Spanish here.
