Transformational transition

Seven Kings School & Sixth Form ; Jane Waters ; Yusuf Mohammed ; Khadijah Ahmad ; Amann S. ; Bradley Mizon ; Angie Charitou ; Sharleen Gadiano ; Farah Khan ; Michael Whitworth ; Abrial

One of the many pleasures of our new role is that we can go and visit schools that we absolutely love.? And that is what we did today, went to visit Seven Kings all through school.? As practitioners we are very interested in transition, particularly the transition from primary to secondary, and how to best assist parents to support their children. This particularly interests us in the light of the current narrative around the broken social contract between parents and schools, and its fragmentation at the move ?from primary to secondary. ?

We were looking for a school to partner with whose work around transition is incredibly good, and we found it.? Seven Kings School understands that a smooth transition is about the cultivation of the child’s sense of themselves as a learner and expert from Reception to Year 13. Their children understand that they are authors and critical thinkers from four years old and they experience a learning environment which provides consistency from entering schooling to exit.? This is what Seven Kings calls ‘safety through pedagogy.’ The children are safe because safeguarding systems are followed rigorously and ?because the school’s culture is one of kindness and care.? But they are also safe because learning at key stage 3 is a genuine extension of learning from key stage 2, so pupils are accomplished, confident independent learners in Years 3 - 6, and continue to be so from the get go in Year 7.

And a rare thing! Teachers from both primary and secondary stages properly and deeply learn from each other.? It was a joy to hear about a summer writing morning, when colleagues all through the school got together to discuss and delight in children’s writing from every school year group.?

We are looking forward to working with Seven Kings, now that the first cohort of children who started in the primary school are in Year 8, ?on ensuring that the social contract between parents and school, that has been battered ?across the country by the pandemic, regains strength, and is a force for good in supporting all Seven Kings’ pupils to be their best selves.??