Supporting children and young people with change at every stage
Guidance and lesson packs to help you support children and young people with the move to new key stages and schools/colleges.
For most children and young people, the move to a new key stage or school/college is an exciting milestone in their learning journey. But it can also be a potentially daunting time, with new questions, concerns or worries about what is to come. Learning to manage change is a crucial life skill that can empower our pupils to approach new contexts with confidence.
It's important that we prepare pupils for the opportunities and challenges they may face — academically, socially and emotionally — as they progress through the key stages. And dedicated learning in PSHE lessons, before, during and after school transition, should be complimented by a whole-school approach to supporting pupils.
Jump start the academic year
At primary
Start with our Ground rules, rule lesson pack for key stage 1 to introduce pupils, who’ve made the move from reception to key stage 1, to the purpose and importance of PSHE ground rules. These will help you to lay the foundations for safe and effective PSHE education lessons on a range of other PSHE topics. Although this pack has been designed for key stage 1, the lesson plan includes adaptations for key stage 2 pupils who are unfamiliar with ground rules, or have yet to be taught the lesson at key stage 1.
At secondary
Our Developing learning skills: Helping students thrive in a new key stage lesson pack will help your new Year 7 starters to adapt to and thrive in the secondary environment; helping them set goals and establish new skills and routines around studying, teamwork and organisation.
The other lesson in the Developing learning skills pack is intended to be delivered shortly after students start key stage 4, or prior to them taking internal examinations. Here, students learn about, apply, and assess the impact of the study skills needed to succeed at this higher level of learning — evaluating their own strengths and areas for development and using these to set meaningful targets for this period.
Evidence suggests that students who have confidence, self-belief, motivation and the ability to effectively retrieve learning will be better equipped to succeed in school[1].
For colleagues in further education:
Key stage 5/post 16 education brings a new set of challenges for many young people, due to a combination of having higher aspirations and finding this next level of education challenging[2]. Stubbs et al. (2022) identified that education-related problems are consistently among the most frequent reasons for 16-18-year-olds to contact Childline. This suggests that students will benefit from support that is specifically focused on their post-16 studies and which includes specific strategies to help them tackle or manage stress.
Our Thriving in post-16 education lesson pack is designed to help students apply some of these research-based strategies successfully, with opportunities for reflection and activities around problem-focused and emotion-focused techniques — to help mitigate stress and anxiety and manage feelings around school work.
Looking ahead: supporting transition throughout the year
And effective transitions don’t just take place at the start of the school year. To support children and young people to prepare for the next stage, many schools will also be thinking about how they can support pupils next summer to be ready to take on new challenges.
At primary
As pupils approach the end of key stage 1, there will be much to look back on, and achievements to celebrate. Ahead of the next transition to key stage 2 (year 3), use our Embracing change and new challenges lesson pack, which focuses on identifying the different feelings that might arise ahead of this move, and begins to give pupils some basic tools to help them manage any difficult feelings associated with change.
Arguably the most significant transition for young people happens between key stage 2 and 3. Research from UCL and Cardiff University’s School Transition and Adjustment Research Study (STARS) suggests that the top concerns for pupils before moving to year 7 and/or a new school include: getting lost, being bullied, discipline and detentions, homework, and losing old friends.
Based on this research, our additional KS2 (year 6) lesson in the Embracing change and new challenges pack includes scenarios to help you address these worries, alongside activities that promote the development of vital help-seeking skills.
For colleagues in further education
Reaching the end of sixth form is a significant milestone for all young people, often accompanied by much celebration and excitement for the future. And with many students moving out of the family home at the end of this stage — to go to university or start training or employment — it’s vital they have the knowledge, skills and attributes to make decisions and advocate for themselves.
Our Independence and safety in adulthood lesson pack will help older students identify and manage some of the risks and challenges someone might encounter after leaving home, including the development of relevant personal safety strategies. The lessons also explore how to travel safely independently, both within the UK and abroad.
[1] Jones, K., 2020. Retrieval Practice: Research and Resources for every classroom: John Catt Publication
[2] Stubbs, J. E., Dorjee, D., Nash, P., and Foulkes, L., 2022. A completely different ballgame’: female A-level students’ experiences of academic demands, stress and coping’.