Year 7 transition: in your subject.
Subject specific examples of how successful departments do year 7
Hello Curriculum Thinkers,
Before half term, Success Success Researcher, Louise Ferrier, shared 8 features of transition practice in successful departments.
This week, she uncovers what that looks like through subject specific examples.
This post gives you a peek at one observation she made in each subject.
The full report reveals all observations (and resources) in all subjects.
We hope you had a great half term and that exams are going well.
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Year 7 curriculum transition practice in your subject
Successful departments celebrate the achievements of their Year 7 students, creating a positive and motivating environment.
Regular reflection on transition practices, informed by student feedback and performance data, ensures that strategies remain effective and relevant.
In this article (the second part of two), I share just a few of the subject specific examples, our Subject Success Research uncovered.
I hope you find them useful when thinking about year 7 transition in your subject. Skip down to find yours.
Powerful Transition Documentation
Both Villiers High School (subject success research focus on Maths) and Brampton Manor Academy (subject success research focus on RE, PE and Social Science) publish extensive documents on easing the transition process for parents and students including details on:
Curriculum content
Homework
Assessment
Feedback
Ways for parents to support learning
👉 Discover which schools were featured in the research
Art
At Poltair School the Yr7 sequencing stood out from the crowd is it hinges around three integral questions to understanding the foundations of art as a subject:
Computer Science/IT
In Year 7, the popular topics are e-safety and block based programming, both appearing in the sequencing for 16 schools.
Design Technology
Curriculum sequencing in Yr7 mostly beginning with Product Design (19 out of 30 schools)H&S CAD/CAM Design communication regular introductions to disciplines
English
Carefully considered ‘Pupils’ should’ statements are used in the English curriculum document at Levenshulme High School to map out how what is learnt in relation to KS3 in each unit:
Geography
Twyford Church of England High School specified how the first topic in Yr7 (about the ‘local area’) acts as a bridging topic to close the gaps in student disciplinary knowledge (from KS2); whereas St Mary Redcliffe and Temple School detailed how learning builds on KS2 content:
History
Curriculum sequencing explanation at Harris Academy Sutton was particularly clear in its progression from KS2:
RE
Of the few references to curriculum transition in RE documentation, Dixons Kings Academy was notably reflective: “At KS2, students have a mixed experience when it comes to RE. Some students may be taught about religions like Islam and Christianity at primary level, and some are not. As a result, RE is taught on the basis that many students come with little or no knowledge. A constructivist approach is taken so students have an opportunity to share what they may know and then build upon it.”
Languages
Most schools offering more than one language start Yr7 off on a pathway through one language. Interestingly, there were three schools: Bentley Wood School, Greig School and Hurlington School, teaching two languages to all students across the year
Maths
The 7 Eden schools from the Star Academy all had specific time built into the beginning of the Y7 curriculum to address KS2 gaps:
PE
St Michaels’ CofE High School provides a celebration of how working with primary partners has brought about improvements:
Science
Bolton Muslim Girls School’s maths curriculum document states: “KS2- KS3 transition Staff understand, and keep up to date with, the Key Stage 2 Science Curriculum. Strong links have been forged with local primary schools. At the start of all topics at KS3 a quiz is undertaken to assess prior learning. Starts of lessons contain consolidation questions linked to Key Stage 2. Links have been made with local primary schools to ease transition to Key Stage 3. Students come from a wide range of feeder schools and will have a summer dip in their knowledge so the year 7 curriculum is designed to consolidate and extend so no students are disadvantaged. Transition activities include sessions on Transition Day and visits to primary schools.”
🔎 Compare sequencing across departments in your subject in different schools
Read all Year 7 sequencing and transitions findings in your subject in directories like this 👇
Subject Success Directories (below) are produced exclusively for members of our paid Curriculum Thinkers Community.
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🔎 What aspects of curriculum practice are unpacking through our subject success research?
To help you get as much as possible out of our Subject Success Research, over the coming weeks we’ll bring you different slices of what we’ve found
Sequencing decisions by subject, year group and key stage
Resources like options booklets, curriculum maps, knowledge organisers, revision materials and…
…more
If don’t want to miss out on all these…
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