Social position

Many children and young people will not be transitioning back to their current school but preparing for a major transition from Primary to Secondary School. Schools are working hard to ensure as far as possible that some of the traditional rites of passage associated with ‘saying goodbye’ are still able to take place. It is important that children in Year 6 and other key transitions such as Year 11 and Year 13 do have an opportunity to engage in activities that enable them to process the endings in their relationship with their school and teachers as well as classmates. The Anna Freud Centre have produced this useful resource: Managing unexpected endings and transitions A practical guide to support pupils and students to manage change during periods of disruption

Research indicates that going to a new school is a time when children of colour may particularly experience racism and bullying. It is a time when it is especially important to develop a sense of belonging and to be able to make friends and become part of new groups securely. The Back to School Assembly produced by Into Film is a brilliant set of short film clips with discussion points to support transitions, most suitable for children in Year 6 and Year 7 but could be adapted for many transitions across a broader age range(7 - 14). It features positive characters from a range of backgrounds and covers topics such as Making New Friends, Believing in Yourself and Working Together. All the film clips include children of colour in significant roles. This is a very rich set of ideas and discussion points that would be well used across a number of sessions. It would be a great set of lessons to use as part of a back to school programme for a range of ages.