Why transition?
Starting secondary school can be a daunting experience for any child, but it is particularly challenging for many children from less privileged backgrounds in the North of England.
Children who have struggled to thrive in primary school often enter secondary school already feeling left behind and struggling with their work. Those who have not reached the required level of literacy, vocabulary or numeracy by the end of primary school may struggle to access the secondary school curriculum at all, and the achievement gap can widen each year.
Several factors contribute to this ongoing struggle:
- At the start of secondary school, teachers often cannot prioritise students who are falling behind because the school’s focus is primarily on achievement at GCSE level. This lack of individual attention further hinders the progress of disadvantaged students.
- Many parents of disadvantaged children may lack the skills, resources, or confidence to provide adequate support at home. This gap in support exacerbates the challenges these children face.
- For some children, navigating a new environment, making friends, and building relationships with new teachers can be overwhelming, especially if they are already struggling academically. The pressures of secondary school can significantly impact the mental health and wellbeing of children from backgrounds of socio-economic disadvantage.
- Struggling to cope with academic and social challenges can lead to patterns of challenging behaviours, which often result in further disengagement from school, leading to attendance issues or even exclusion. Research indicates that disadvantaged children are three times more likely to be excluded from school than their better-off peers.
Disadvantaged children who were high achievers at primary school can also find themselves falling behind when they move schools.
- Research has shown that nearly two in three disadvantaged children who excelled in English and maths at primary school failed to achieve an A or A* in these subjects at GCSE.
- Many secondary school teachers are not fully aware of what their students have already learned in primary school, leading to repetitive lessons that fail to engage high-achieving students, ultimately hindering their progress.
- Without adequate space to study at home or access to books, their educational journey becomes even more difficult.
- Disadvantaged children often miss out on school trips and other extracurricular activities that build cultural knowledge and positively impact educational achievement. Their parents may also lack the resources, expertise, or confidence to support their learning at home.
- Many students are not given adequate insight into career or university opportunities, limiting their aspirations and future prospects.
Scaling impact: Vocabulous
Vocabulous is an engaging online vocabulary course designed for children in the later stages of primary education and the early years of secondary school. Created by former Latin and Classics teacher Lucy Huelin from York, the programme helps students decode unfamiliar words by using their existing knowledge of prefixes, roots, and word parts.
Lucy explains, “Secondary school students encounter 3,000 to 5,000 new words each year. As children transition from primary to secondary school, they need the skills to decode unfamiliar vocabulary. That’s precisely what Vocabulous aims to provide.”
A year-long research trial conducted by academics at Christ Church Oxford demonstrated a significant improvement in students’ vocabulary skills:
- One primary school recorded a 32% average increase in vocabulary test scores by the end of the trial.
- Another school reported record-breaking spelling scores following the program.
- Teachers observed that Vocabulous is particularly effective for disadvantaged students.
The study involved 11 schools in the North of England, assessing students’ ability to recognise and apply word roots. A baseline test was conducted before students began using Vocabulous, followed by a final assessment after 7–10 months of training. The results showed clear improvements in students’ recognition of word roots and their ability to understand and use new vocabulary.
One primary school headteacher, reflecting on the challenges faced by disadvantaged students, highlighted the programme’s impact: “Vocabulous has given them strategies to cope with challenges beyond the classroom.” She also noted that spelling scores had reached an all-time high since implementing the programme.
Vocabulous is proving to be an invaluable tool in bridging the vocabulary gap and equipping students with essential language skills for their educational journey between primary and secondary school.
Scaling impact: Science Curriculum and Training Hub
Alex Robertson of Sacred Heart Catholic High School, Newcastle, created the Science Curriculum and Training Hub after noticing many students, particularly from disadvantaged backgrounds, lacked science skills on entry. This often left teachers spending significant time helping them catch up.
Alex’s solution was a comprehensive science curriculum for primary schools, designed by secondary science teachers, with specialist resources and training. Over three years, he refined the curriculum and trained teachers.
In their first term at secondary school, 88 SHINE school students who followed the curriculum were tested alongside a control group of 126 from non-SHINE schools.
Key findings:
- SHINE students scored an average of 63.1%, surpassing the control group’s 60.8%.
- Disadvantaged SHINE students outperformed their control group peers (63.3% vs 58.8%).
- In a practical science test, SHINE schools had a smaller performance gap between Pupil Premium and non-Pupil Premium students in 7 out of 12 questions, suggesting the curriculum helped disadvantaged students.
The same pupils were also assessed in primary school, before and after the project:
- All participating schools saw progress in science.
- Year 6 students’ average scaled score rose by 7.9 points (from 58.3 to 66.2).
- Pupil Premium students at Sacred Heart RC Primary saw the biggest gains, with scores increasing by 15.1 points (from 56.2 to 71.3).
Perhaps the most significant impact has been boosting primary teachers’ confidence in delivering science lessons.
“The project has galvanised change in our primary schools,” Alex says. “Teachers are teaching science differently, and pupils are more confident when talking about science.”
Key insights
- Building the capacity of schools, rather than delivering temporary interventions, is key to achieving sustainable outcomes. This empowers schools to independently manage challenges in the long term.
- Gradual scaling – starting with a small number of schools and expanding over time – has proven highly effective. This approach enables projects to learn iteratively and adapt based on real-time feedback.
- Collaborations with external organisations bring valuable resources and expertise but can pose sustainability challenges. Projects heavily reliant on external partners may struggle to continue once funding ends. An integrated approach that builds internal capacity alongside external support is essential.
- Clear communication and goal alignment between external organisations and schools are critical for maximising partnerships. Establishing shared objectives, roles, and expectations through ongoing dialogue helps address emerging issues and adapt strategies.
- Securing sufficient resources and managing funding constraints remain persistent challenges. Careful planning and strategic resource allocation are vital to maintaining momentum and achieving outcomes without compromising other educational priorities.
- Projects must be adaptable to diverse school contexts, tailoring interventions to address unique challenges and needs. Flexibility and responsiveness are critical for success and long-term sustainability.
- While proven success factors are important, supporting innovative and potentially risky projects can yield transformative breakthroughs. Balancing rigorous evaluation with openness to new ideas is crucial for fostering innovation.
- Developing flexible, adaptable project designs ensures interventions are relevant and effective across different educational environments, enhancing their overall impact and sustainability.
- Mentoring programmes played a crucial role in addressing both emotional and academic challenges during the transition from primary to secondary school. These initiatives connected students with professionals and peers, offering support and expanding their aspirations.
- Successful transition projects rely on active engagement from primary school partners. Schools with complex feeder patterns or those outside of trusts often face greater challenges in establishing productive collaborations. Strengthening partnerships and ensuring alignment between primary and secondary institutions are key.
- Additional capacity and strong collaboration within and between schools are essential for overcoming challenges and ensuring successful transitions.
- Access to adequate resources and long-term planning is essential for project continuity and sustainability. This requires securing funding, effective budgeting, and strategic resource allocation to support both immediate and future needs.
- Curriculum innovations that leveraged the strengths and interests of high-attaining students effectively maintained their engagement and enthusiasm for learning.
- Targeting high-attaining students from disadvantaged backgrounds proved inherently complex, as their distinct needs are not easily addressed through standard educational programmes.