Celebrating Successful Transitions 1

The transition period into a new academic year can be an incredibly exciting time full of promise and potential… 
Post by: Prospero | September, 12, 2022
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The transition period into a new academic year can be an incredibly exciting time full of promise and potential. You get to meet your new students, build new working relationships and routines, and bring new ideas to your classroom and teaching practise. Most schools in England have been back a week at this point, meaning that we’ve not only had the chance to meet our new classes, but we’re steadily getting to know them, embed our expectations and have fun with them!  

The start of the new academic year can set the tone for the rest of it so it’s really important that we emphasise the positives and celebrate the successes that our students have had- as well as our own successes too. Taking the time to think about how stressful that first week could have been for our students is really important, and it should prompt us to acknowledge how well they’ve settled in and how impressed we’ve been with them.  

In the coming week, see if you can plan in some time where you can speak to your students about their transition experiences so far. Ask them to share what they think has gone really well, what they’re most proud of and what they’ve enjoyed the most in the past week. In the spirit of celebrating our transition successes, we’ve asked for some teachers to share their own experiences of their transition into the new academic year so far.  

Mrs Mohamed

Primary Teacher - Barking & Dagenham

“This school year has begun in a way that is reminiscent of pre-covid, which is lovely because it has brought the whole school community back together again. We are back to face-to-face staff briefings; the children are mixing in the playground and the lunch hall and I feel it is having a positive effect on morale. Teaching as a whole presents a plethora of challenges but it makes it all the more easy when you have a community to lean on.”

Test

Primary Teacher - Barking & Dagenham
Ms Briggs

Vice Principal - Ealing

“The school year has begun, and the corridors and playgrounds have filled with the joy and laughter of children. Seeing hi fives and embraces amongst staff, students feeling proud to be in higher year groups and cheers from students who have been timetabled with great teachers has been heartwarming. Tomorrow we open the gates again to welcome the early birds for breakfast in the canteen before day 2 of induction.”

Vice Principal - Ealing
Ms Brown

Secondary Teacher - Wandsworth

“It is great to be back in the classroom, but I still get that nervousness at the start of term as I get my resources ready and prepare to meet my new classes. That pressure to produce and deliver the best lessons can be consuming but seeing the passion and enthusiasm from the young people is a real privilege and a reminder of why we teach. I’m always impressed by the creativity and resourcefulness of teachers especially those working in schools with very little money.”

Secondary Teacher - Wandsworth
Miss McGuinness

Primary Teacher

“I have a boy in my class who has typically struggled with his behaviour choices, especially when it comes to change, so I knew I had to something to help him settle in a feel a sense of ownership and belonging in his new class. I treated him as a leader, someone who had a voice and ideas which were valued and respected. The “assumption” I made, and demonstrated clearly to the class through my actions, was then mirrored by his peers allowing him to see what he could achieve. By the end of the week, he was asked to lead a group construction task. They had to build models of buildings from around Britain from different time periods that represented different periods of immigration. He successfully led a group of 6 and was active in making sure everyone had a role and felt heard ( a key point from our class agreement). Though I’m sure he will have ups and downs, having this success so early on, and feeling so valued gave him a sense of confidence and a feeling of success which I hope he’ll be able to draw upon to help manage himself and grow as a person moving forward.”

 

Primary Teacher
Ms Washington

Secondary Teacher - Prospero International Teaching Candidate

“As a Jamaican teacher,  I come from an island of music, so I have used that of benefit to me in my science class. I have written 2 science songs with music from 2 popular Jamaican artists and those have gone wild with the kids. The songs promote good work ethics and the culture of our Academy. They can be heard humming them whilst working as they act as a reminder that they should only try. It’s a challenging but exciting road for me and I am taking it one bite at a time”

Secondary Teacher - Prospero International Teaching Candidate

We’d love to hear from you about your transition experiences, so don’t forget to like, share and comment! 

If you want to read more about embedding those new year routines and how to create a successful transition period, click through to our blog post where you can read all about ‘How teachers can help students transition back to the classroom’.  You can also find out more about the specific complexities of the transition from Primary to Secondary school and how to make it a success here 

For more from Prospero Teaching, head over to our website to register with us, check out our library of blogs, or find out about the CPD courses that we have coming up. As ever, the cost of our online and in-person courses is fully refundable (minus the booking fee) for attendees who register with Prospero Teaching.  

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