As we emerge from the incredibly intense challenges of the last 27 months and attempt to establish a 'new normal', all of us working in education are acutely aware that the pandemic has had wide-ranging impacts on our children and young people.
It's vital that we help and support them to limit the negative impacts on their long-term futures, however we must also be cautious and avoid creating a sense of them being victims or allowing them to be labelled as 'the Covid-generation'. Therefore, it is critical that we base the support that we provide on data and strong evidence to maximise the benefit.
So, I welcome this new research from ASCL Premier Partner, GL Assessment, and YouGov which explores the impact of the disruption caused by the pandemic on the crucial transition from primary school to secondary.
All of us working in education are acutely aware that the pandemic has had wide-ranging impacts on our children and young people.
It is critical that we base the support that we provide on data and strong evidence to maximise the benefit.
The research findings show that school leaders and teachers, in both phases, have deep concerns for pupils making the transition this year, both in terms of the impact of the disruption to their learning and their emotional and social preparedness.
This reflects what our own members have been telling us particularly in relation to the pastoral support that leaders are finding huge demand for across all key stages.
Our members tell us that because the time that most pupils spent in bubbles and learning at home obviously greatly reduced their contact with a broad range of adults and peers in other class or year groups, they have missed out on a number of experiences. These experiences, in normal times, would have presented them with opportunities to engage with unfamiliar people and activities, in turn developing their confidence, understanding of others and broader social knowledge and skills.
We have heard from school and trust leaders about the many challenges that this has presented in relation to behaviour and the additional support needs required to help children and young people in relation to their emotional and social wellbeing.
GL Assessment and YouGov's findings highlight the work that schools and trusts are proactively doing to address many of these issues with the cohort transitioning this summer. It illustrates the determination leaders and teachers have for ensuring that these children have the best possible start to their secondary education.
We know that the most successful transitions happen where there are strong relationships between primary and secondary schools. Where colleagues who are the experts in those children, the Year 6 teachers, primary school teaching assistants, support staff and leaders, have the opportunity to strongly engage with Year 7 leaders and the wider secondary teaching, support and leadership teams. Engagement which provides a depth of knowledge and understanding not only of each child's academic ability, but also their emotional and social development.
These relationships are critical if secondary colleagues are to have a full picture of each pupil, truly understand the whole child and support them most effectively. That's a picture that a KS2 SAT result can never provide.
We know that the most successful transitions happen where there are strong relationships between primary and secondary schools.
So, we again say thank you to colleagues across primary and secondary schools who will be working collectively to ensure the best possible transition for the pupils making that move over the coming months.
So, we again say thank you to colleagues across primary and secondary schools who will be working collectively to ensure the best possible transition for the pupils making that move over the coming months. The mutual respect and collaboration that we so often see, working in the best interests of children, has never been so important.
From the research findings it is evident that teachers and leaders are being even more innovative in relation to the transition support that they are deploying this year. I have no doubt that the innovation that they are developing, although born out of crisis, like so much of what we have seen in schools and trusts over the last two- and a-bit years, will have huge benefits. Not only for this cohort, but for pupils and students in years to come.
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