| Unfortunately,
because of the number of pupils who join from non-feeder
schools, visits to these schools are not scheduled. Pupils
from these schools will not miss out, however, during other induction
activities.
At
these meetings the Head of Year 7 will talk to Year 6
about issues to do with secondary school and will answer
any burning questions that the Year 6 raise. Some of
the Cams Year 7 pupils will come as well so that Year
6 pupils can see the uniform and ask questions of the
Year 7 pupils.
The Head of Year 7 will
also ask primary colleagues at this stage about the Year 6 pupils
and whether there are any friendship issues to be taken into
account when Year 7 tutor groups are being decided upon.
In March/April parents will be asked to specify whether they have a preference
of a modern language for their son/daughter as this has a bearing on the tutor
group they are placed in.
Armed with certain details (language preference, gender balance,
friendship issues,
primary colleagues’ advice) the Head of Year 7 will then draw up tutor
groups, mixing all the non-feeder and feeder school pupils together.
In June, all prospective Cams
pupils will be invited to come for “taster days" at
the school where they will experience a selection of Year 7-style
lessons. This gives them a sense of what to expect and starts them
on the process
of getting to know the geography of the school a little.
Soon after this parents and pupils are invited together to a “Meet the
Tutor” evening. This will be the first occasion when the tutor group
is together and will get a chance to meet their tutor and start the process of
getting to know each other. Parents, likewise, will get the chance to meet their
child’s tutor for the next five years.
The next stage in the Induction
Programme is the first day of secondary school when the new year 7
pupils come to school before any of the other years and spend the day
with their tutors familiarising themselves with their timetables, their
planners and having photographs taken!
Once the Year 7 have been at school for half a term they complete
an Initial
Review, which is a “snapshot” of how well they have settled into the
school. Subject teachers sign them and they are issued before the parent/tutor
evening in November, which officially closes the Induction programme, although
it is recognised that “acclimatisation” to secondary school varies
according to each individual.
The parent/tutor evening
is an opportunity for parents to raise issues about how well their
children have settled into school.
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