Preparing to start Year 3
Moving on to Junior School
Moving on to their next school is an important step for our Year 2 pupils and we work hard to make sure each child is ready to take the next big step in their academic journey.
The vast majority of our pupils continue together at Wiltshere-Dacre, which is a great opportunity for them to experience transitioning to a new school with their friends from Strathmore. We work closely with Wiltshere-Dacre to prepare our pupils for this transition, with a calendar of events across the school year. These events can alter slightly each year depending on the cohorts, this is an example calendar of events that a child in Year 2 may experience.
Date | Event | Location |
| December | Good Deeds Week - Pupils from Wilshere-Dacre will spend the afternoon at Strathmore working with our Year 2 pupils. This allows them to get to know some of the older children at Wilshere-Dacre | Strathmore |
May | SEND & Pastoral Parents Coffee Morning – this is an opportunity for parents to meet Emma Hutton (SENCO) and Jo Vaughan (Pastoral Support worker) from Wilshere-Dacre. | Strathmore – Computing Room |
June | Year 3 teachers visit Strathmore to meet the children and speak to staff. | Strathmore |
| June | Enterprise Day - Year 2 pupils visit Wilshere-Dacre Enterprise Day. This is a great experience for the children to get to know the new school. | Wilshere-Dacre |
June/July | Outdoor Learning Lessons at Wilshere-Dacre – every child will attend one of these sessions in a group of 15, giving them the opportunity to get to know the staff and school. | Wilshere-Dacre |
July | Transition Morning – the children will arrive at Strathmore as normal and walk with school staff to Wilshere-Dacre. After lunch, the children will walk back to Strathmore. | Wilshere-Dacre |
If your child transitions to a different school for Year 3, we will work closely with their new school to ensure that they are also fully prepared for their next step.
Class Mixing Policy
When our children enter Year 3 at Wilshere-Dacre, we mix the classes to allow the children the opportunity to work with a wider group of pupils. The rationale for class mixing is:
To create opportunities for children to learn and play with a wider variety of peers
To enable greater social interaction between children as they move through the school
To encourage resilience in developing friendships in a safe, comfortable environment
To ensure that the classes remain balanced in response to pupil transfers and transition during phases
We have found that this is a great opportunity for the children to experience working with a slightly different class, before their next move to secondary school, where they will meet and work with a large group of new peers. To ensure our pupils are confident in their new classes, they will complete sessions in their new class mix in their last half term at Strathmore, preparing them for their first day in their new class.
For further information on how we mix the classes, please read our 'Class Mixing Policy' below.