The transition from primary to secondary school is an important milestone in the lives of children and their families. At Belvidere School, we pride ourselves on providing our new students, parents and carers with a smooth and extensive Transition programme; students arrive on their first day in September excited about the next chapter of their education, rather than feeling apprehensive. We try to build our transition process around a range of enjoyable activities during Years 5 and 6, so that by the time students join us in Year 7, they have already spent some time getting to know the school, its staff and students. 

• In Year 6, students and their parents and carers are invited to attend our Open Evening in October. Here, families can tour the school, participating in activities in each department and even have the chance to sample the delicious food prepared in our dining hall! In their final term at Primary School, students will be visited by our Assistant Headteacher, Miss Revell, or the Head of Year 7 who will give an introductory talk and answer any questions that the students may have. Members of the pastoral team and SEND team also gather information from the Primary Schools through talking to teachers about individual needs. 

• Later in the summer term, students spend two full days at Belvidere School and attend taster sessions. This helps them to acclimatise to the school environment alongside their new peers.  

• Transition evenings take place in July, allowing students and parents/carers to meet key members of our school staff.  

• During the summer holidays, all of our new students are invited to attend our Summer School. 

• On their first day of school in September, new Year 7 students arrive before the other year groups. They spend the first part of the day with their form tutor who will offer additional tours of the school and ensure that new students have all the information they need for the new term ahead. The rest of the day is spent participating in Finding Your Feet workshops. Students also participate in a team building event on the school field in their first week, to have fun, make friends and get to know their House Captains.

• A few weeks into the new term, we will host a Settling-In Evening, where parents and carers can meet the Year 7 form tutor team.

We hope, through this programme of activities, to make transition as smooth and enjoyable as possible. We will keep you informed about the different stages of the transition process, through face to face discussion on transition and settling-in evenings, and also through the information booklets sent home in the summer term.  If any parent/carer would like to find out more, please do not hesitate to get in touch.