Starting Year 3 is an exciting milestone for children and their families. For many of our children, this also means joining a new school, making new friends and becoming familiar with new routines. At Sandcross, we understand how important this transition is, and we are very proud of the comprehensive programme we have in place to help every child feel happy, confident and ready to learn.

Our transition programme begins well before September. Towards the end of the spring term, our Year 3 Lead Practitioner begins working closely with Year 2 teachers at Sandcross and at other schools. This helps us build a picture of the children who will be joining us, understand their individual needs and ensure we are well prepared to welcome them.

During the summer term, the Year 3 team visit the children several times, giving them opportunities to meet us, become familiar with their new teachers and begin building relationships, both as a whole year group and in smaller groups.

At the end of June, all the children come together for a special transition day at Sandcross. This gives them the chance to explore their new environment, meet other children and begin to feel part of the Year 3 community. We also hold a meeting for parents that evening, providing an opportunity to ask questions, find out more about the transition process and hear how the children have settled.

When organising the Year 3 classes, we carefully bring children from all the different schools together. We consider friendships, gender, special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), and a range of other factors to create balanced classes where every child has the opportunity to thrive, make new friends and feel a sense of belonging.

Our support continues when the children start school in September. During the first week, the Year 3 and PE teams work together to deliver a special integration day, filled with activities designed to help the children get to know one another and develop a strong sense of teamwork. This year, the children enjoyed team games, outdoor art, parachute games and collaborative art activities within their classes.

We are always delighted by how quickly the children settle in. By the end of the second week in September, it is often difficult to distinguish between the children who have been at Sandcross since Year 2 and those who have joined us from other schools!

We know that starting a new school can feel like a big step, but our carefully planned transition programme ensures that every child is welcomed, supported and given the opportunity to flourish. Our aim is for all our new Year 3 children to feel that they belong at Sandcross from the very beginning.