Transition - Year 06 into 07
Welcome
Hello and welcome to The King’s School! You will be part of a house. Your form tutor will be the main contact point for you within the school. The form tutor is also an important contact for parents along with the school planner. Form tutors are not available as may have been the case with primary schools and for immediate contact, parents should use the school office on 01476 563180 where they will take a message. All contact by e-mail is via: admin@kings.lincs.sch.uk or the form tutors direct email.
Form Room
- The form room is a base for registration and form periods.
- During registration form tutors will go through important notices, check planners and other activities.
- The form tutor will record all good and bad news in the planner and build up a full picture of your son as they settle into the school. They will make mistakes and errors of judgement as they grow up but you will be contacted if any situation is perceived to be developing into a problem.
- The planner is signed by both parents and form tutors each week.
- We would also hope that you would contact us with information if an area is becoming a problem for your son. Most are easily resolved.
Expected values, uniform and dress code
- Being polite to staff and each other is expected, directing visitors, helping in departments is seen as the norm just like primary school.
- Every student is an advertisement for the school and therefore it is vital that they are smart and well-behaved at all times.
- Tie should be done up and the long end of the tie should reach the top of the trousers, shirt tucked in and jacket worn, both to and from school. A jumper is optional in winter.
- The outdoor coat should be dark in colour, no large logos, and of a weatherproof material, reflective stripes are a good idea.
- Hair – “no extreme styles” and in a dispute “the headmaster’s decision is final”: as a general rule “out of the eyes, off the collar, and therefore safe in a lab, workshop, or P.E. & games, and no “artificial colouring” please.
- Shoes should be black, leather, and capable of being polished not trainers/ trainer style. Again such footwear helps safety in labs and workshops. If these cannot be worn for any reason a note should be written in the planner for the day concerned.
- During hot weather the students will be informed when to remove ties and blazers.
Homework
- Approximately 1 to 1.5 hours per night is a normal amount of homework. This can be made up of set activities or reading, researching or revising.
- If no formal work is set, then one of the other three activities should be carried out as a matter of routine.
- Each student is given a homework timetable and they may need your help and encouragement to follow this.
Personal Possessions
- Simple rule – do not bring valuable items into school. If they must be brought into school, then the student is responsible for the safety/security of the object.
- Wallets and money usually become valuable when the blazer/bag has been abandoned for an hour. We will always do our best and missing equipment usually is found where it was left.
- Bags –please name clearly as many boys have very similar looking bags.
- Games and PE kit needs to be clearly labelled, including boots/ trainers.
- The present policy on mobile phones is that they are not required during the school day and should be turned off on entering school and remain in that state until the end of the working day.
Above all else we believe that each boy has the right to enjoy his time in the school and have a responsibility to make sure that all others can do the same. We very much look forward to welcoming you to The King’s school in September!
Useful links
BBC Bitesize - Starting Secondary School
Year 7
Transition from Primary School to King’s
The transition from Primary school to Secondary school is one of those life events which most of us can remember. More often than not it goes smoothly and parents often get more emotional about it than their children.
By the time a child reaches their final years in primary school, they will be totally familiar with their school environment. They’ll know their teachers very well, be comfortable with most if not all of the people in their class and will probably know most of the other faces in the school too. By Year 6, they are the oldest and usually tallest in their school, they will be used to being given responsibility and they tend to be looked up to by the younger boys and girls in the school.
When your son starts at King’s in September, he will once again be one of the youngest boys in the School. Change can be daunting for any of us but remember that children and teenagers can be more resilient and adaptable than adults. Within a few short weeks, their new surroundings become more familiar and they’ll be running from the Gym, to Science, to the Newton Block with no problem at all.
Constant routine becomes constant change
Perhaps the biggest change when your son comes to King’s will be the constant change in the day-to-day routine. In primary school, they more than likely had one teacher all day, probably in the same classroom. At King’s the routine will change totally. Lessons change every 60 minutes, usually with a different teacher - it is usual for a student to encounter 5 subject teachers during a typical school day in lessons alone. A good tip with this is to make sure your son writes down the name of each new teacher beside the name of the subject in their planner, not just the initials.
The majority of lesson changes will involve a change of classroom too and the second big change that new students have to cope with will be the movement between classrooms throughout the day. Getting lost is often a concern but doesn’t happen very often and procedures are in place should a student forget the way to a particular lesson. A good tip here for your son to always be with other boys in his House (form).
As parents, you can help by being supportive, understanding and encouraging, ensuring your son eats well and gets plenty of rest and ‘down time’.
The number of subjects
Another big change is the number of specific subjects taught at King’s, apart from the extra-curricular offering. Note there is a two-week timetable at King’s with different timing of subjects each week, Week A and Week B. It is important at an early stage to develop a methodical approach to learning. Discuss all the subjects at home. Getting your son to explain what they have learnt so far in a particular subject will have two beneficial effects. It will help you to better understand a subject. It also helps to get your son to consolidate what they have learnt in their own mind by explaining it to others. It is important to try to encourage a balance between all subjects. Everyone will have their own favourites and will excel at certain subjects.
The Schoolbag
The timetable will take a lot of getting used to. Part of the new routine will involve the organisation of the schoolbag before each day. It’s a new skill that some may struggle with and a little help in the early days will ensure they have the right books, and the right homework on the right day! Many students feel more comfortable each day if they bring in their books for the entire two week timetable every day. Much less strain on the back and bag if they bring only the books and equipment needed for each day.
Homework
Homework time will increase. In Year 7 we expect 3 subjects to set around 30 minutes homework each night. If a specific subject is not set, students are expected to take the initiative and either read or work on Century.
One of the best skills you can help your son to learn is that of effective time management. Your son will be given a homework timetable. It would help if you could check this each evening with your son. Help him to devise a method to spread out the workload over the 5 nights of the week. Don’t under-estimate the importance of getting a structure and a sense of organisation at an early stage of their secondary school lives. Learning how to successfully manage their time is an invaluable life skill and will make the transition into their new environment much easier.
Extra-curricular activities
Taking part in after-school activities is a great way of getting to know more students in the school. Whether it’s in the music room or on the playing field, each student should be able to find activities which they enjoy. If not, he could start a club himself. Taking part in such activities builds confidence, they get to mix with other students from other years and as a result, they settle into the school environment a lot quicker. Students should be encouraged, from both home and school, to try out new activities. Even if they may have tried something before, or even if they don’t know what an activity entails, students are encouraged to try practically everything available through the school.
Support Network
Most students do take the transition from Primary School to Secondary school in their stride. King’s has an excellent support network in place for all student but especially the new starters in Year 7. Each day starts with a form period and is the perfect time for your son to raise any concerns with his Form Tutor. Should the Tutor not be available the Head of Year 7 is also available to deal with any problems. As parents, we can often feel a little helpless but if you have any concerns, the best advice is to make contact with School. Most perceived problems can be sorted out very quickly.
