EDUCATION EDITION
In addition to helping pupils learn what makes their new schools tick, there are also ceremonies and traditions to celebrate their arrival and ensure they feel welcomed. New senior school pupils at Gresham’s and their families are invited to a welcome day during the summer term. Just as the autumn term begins, there is also a special service of entrustment where new pupils are ‘formally welcomed into their designated houses and into the care of the school’, according to Gresham’s. At Stoke College, meanwhile, an action-packed two-day induction event – this year linked to the school’s river festival – featured group activities and had a strong pastoral dimension. Coordinated by Jill Groves, the goal was to ensure new pupils got to know each other and their peers. Tours of the school were led by sixth formers, part of a specially trained listening group. They weren’t just informative and expert guides, but also reassuring, as they were briefed to talk about how starting school had felt for them. Stoke College is also big on small touches such as regular emails to parents
and handwritten postcards to pupils. New students are also asked to complete an All About Me booklet. Including likes and dislikes, plus what they have learnt about Stoke College, it is shared with their form tutor and provides a discreet way of sharing any concerns, suggests Jill Groves: “These can then be addressed without being shared with the whole class.” Local schools naturally appeal to families in the area, but those that also welcome international or boarding students face their own hurdles. They must plan transition programmes which address not just the change of school, but also coping with a new location, country, education system and sometimes even a language barrier. Pupils at Abbey College Cambridge join from year 9, when most are based in the UK. From year 10 upwards, an increasing number come from a range of countries including Poland, Spain and the Czech Republic. Helping students settle in successfully is down to cleverly designed activities that deliver crucial information in a memorable way, but also tackle students’ biggest concern: making friends.
DREAM TEAM Abbey College (above) and Gresham’s (bottom left) encourage teamwork
“They are all worried about whether they will manage their studies, find their way around and like their teachers. But they are most anxious about relationships with their peers,” admits Abbey College principal Ellen Hesse. “They want to fit in.” Like other schools, Abbey College doesn’t rush things. As Ellen points out, students need time to take everything in, so the main induction programme runs over several days. The college designs its induction events to include plenty of opportunities for students to work together. Sample timetables introduce students to their teachers – and lessons are challenging, but fun too, involving collaboration and feedback. There are quizzes to help learn the school rules, cookery challenges and even mug decoration. In addition to planning impactful, fun programmes that make the move to a new school or phase of education as seamless as possible, local educators are also a fount of wisdom when it comes to getting parents fully prepped for school. When it comes to preparing for that move to senior school, for example, Alice Heywood suggests practising new routines and routes to and from school (you absolutely don’t want to be late!). Check you have everything your child needs, they know where to go on the first day of term and who to talk to if they’re not sure. Importantly, “be positive about new experiences,” Alice stresses. “It is a new step and they will need to do something that they haven’t done before. This may be separation from parents, finding their own way to school or navigating different teachers, tackling formal exams and following a timetable.” And if you have any questions, do ask your school. Whatever a student’s age – from nursery newbie to senior school starter or sixth form sophisticate – local schools are there to make that transition as smooth and worry-free as it can possibly be for everyone.
Students are most anxious about relationships with their peers . They want to fit in
CAMBSEDITION.CO.UK SEPTEMBER 2024 69
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