Primary to Secondary School Transition

Policy

Schools are required to support students as they transition from primary to secondary school. This policy outlines how schools can implement effective transition programs and support for their students from Year 5 to Year 8. School leaders are best placed to determine how to implement this policy and use the associated guidance and resources to fit their local school context, considering school size, location and student cohort needs.

Summary

• Transition to secondary school can be thought of as a 4-phased process that spans across Years 5 to 8. It is a shared responsibility between primary and secondary schools.
• Where practical, primary and secondary schools should work together to implement transition programs across the 4 phases outlined in this policy.
• Government primary schools are required to share comprehensive student data with the confirmed government secondary school for every student. Secondary schools should use student data to meet the needs of new Year 7 students and to plan and deliver their transition program. Refer to the ‘Transfer of information’ section of the Enrolment – Student transfers between schools topic.
• Authorised school staff should use the Child Information Sharing Scheme (CISS) and access Child Link to review relevant information to promote student wellbeing and safety, and support positive transitions. Refer to the Child Link topic for further information.
• The Guidance and Resources tabs provide information and links to resources to help schools develop and implement effective transition programs and support.

Details

Transition to secondary school is a phased process across Years 5 to 8 and is a shared responsibility of primary and secondary schools.

Coinciding with the transition from childhood to adolescence, the transition to secondary school is a period of tremendous growth and development for students but is also a time when they are at heightened risk of disengagement, poor wellbeing and declining learning outcomes. A student’s transition experience can have fundamental and long-lasting impacts on their achievement, engagement and wellbeing.

Guided by evidence of best practice and the Framework for Improving Student Outcomes, schools are encouraged to regularly review and adjust their transition programs and support.

Students in the transition period benefit when schools work together to provide differentiated supports that respond to the unique strengths and needs of all students and families. Primary and secondary schools with shared student cohorts, and all other schools with students in Years 5 to 8, are encouraged to collaboratively design and implement their transition programs and supports. In many cases, primary schools will have students moving to several different secondary schools, and secondary schools will be receiving students from many different primary schools. In these cases, a school may wish to focus on developing relationships with the schools that have the largest groups of shared students.

If a student is transitioning from a government primary school to a non-government secondary school, or to a government secondary school from a non-government primary school, the government school should endeavour to engage and collaborate with the non-government school to provide effective transition support to the student.

It is important to build a strong sense of belonging and wellbeing for all students. This includes considering the needs of students with disabilities and students in Out of Home Care as well as providing cultural safety for Koorie students and students from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds.

Four phases of transition to secondary school

The transition from primary to secondary school is not a single point in time activity, it is a process experienced by students across the middle years (Years 5 to 8). Schools are encouraged to implement practices that support transition throughout the following phases:

1. The Preparation phase spans across Years 5 and 6 and aims to prepare students for the transition to secondary school, helping students understand what to expect in secondary school to proactively reduce any anxiety that they may experience.
2. The Transfer phase occurs at the end of Year 6 and involves primary schools collecting and sharing student transition data with the confirmed secondary school, which receives and analyses the data to inform transition program planning and tailor support for the cohorts and individual students, as required. Coinciding with this phase is the statewide Orientation Day (and any additional transition days).
3. The Induction phase supports new Year 7 students to develop a strong sense of connection and belonging to their new school and to ease into the new practices, rhythms and relationships of their new school.
4. The Consolidation phase continues to develop Year 8 students’ sense of connectedness and belonging, building on the skills, knowledge and experiences they have gained in previous phases, with a strong emphasis on supporting their wellbeing and confidence.

More detailed information about each phase, including practical strategies, implementation advice and case studies to support teachers and school leaders, is available on the Resources tab.

Transfer of student information

The transfer of student information is essential to the successful transition of students from primary to secondary school. ‘Student information’ means personal and health information about the student, including their achievement, wellbeing and foreseeable risk factors.

Once Year 7 placements have been accepted, primary schools are then required to share student information with secondary schools. Prep to 9 and Prep to 12 schools also should ensure that relevant student information is appropriately shared with and used by Year 7 teachers and staff.

For policy and guidance on the transfer of information between primary and secondary schools, refer to ‘Transfer of information’ at Enrolment – Student transfers between schools, which includes guidance about sharing information between schools (including Department Confidential Student Files held by Student Support Services teams) for student wellbeing or the safety of children, or to assess or manage family violence risk.

Using Child Information Sharing Scheme and Child Link to support positive transitions

Authorised school staff are recommended to access Child Link to review information and engagement in services for every new student enrolment. Information that can be reviewed to support positive transitions includes:

• enrolment in other education services
• sibling information
• child protection orders.

Schools can request and share information with Victorian early childhood or education services, including information displayed in Child Link, to support transition planning for each student’s wellbeing and safety. All Victorian centre-based education and care services (long day care, kindergarten and before and after school hours care services) and schools are Information Sharing Entities under the Child Information Sharing Scheme (CISS).

Reviewing Child Link and sharing information can further support smooth transitions by providing a more informed understanding of a new student’s circumstances, which can assist to identify any additional supports that may be needed.

Child Link Users in schools will have access to a child entry for the period that the child is enrolled, and for an additional 3 months after the enrolment ends, to assist in the child’s transition between services.

Refer to the Child Link and Child and Family Violence Information Sharing Schemes policies/topics for further guidance.

Contact

Schools can direct queries about the primary to secondary school transition practice to: Secondary.School.Transition@education.vic.gov.au

Related policies

• Child and Family Violence Information Sharing Schemes
• Child Link
• Enrolment
• Framework for Improving Student Outcomes (FISO 2.0)
• High Impact Wellbeing Strategies
• Koorie Education
• Mental Health in Schools
• Records Management – School Records
• School Dates
• Student Engagement
• Student Voice, Agency and Leadership
• Supporting Students in Out-of-Home Care
• Year 6 to 7 placement

Guidance on supporting a positive primary to secondary school transition

This guidance aims to provide Year 5 to 8 school staff with the knowledge and tools to support students to successfully transition from primary to secondary school. It describes the contributors to a successful transition and outlines the support that can be implemented for students from Years 5 to 8.

For the Year 6 to 7 placement process schools must follow the guidance in the Year 6 to 7 placement chapter of the Enrolment policy.

Schools are encouraged to review and refine their transition programs to address the guidance in this topic, and particularly the relevant phases.

This guidance contains the following chapters:

• Four phases of transition to secondary school
  • Preparation phase (Years 5 and 6)
  • Transfer phase (end Year 6)
  • Induction phase (Year 7)
  • Consolidation phase (Year 8)
• Contributors to a positive transition
  • Placing students at the centre of transitions practice
  • Maintaining student engagement and wellbeing
  • Providing tiered support
  • Ensuring learning continuity
  • Partnering with parents, carers and family

Contributors to a positive transition

Placing students at the centre of transitions practice

Transition program design is driven by individual and student cohort attributes and needs

Transition programs are most impactful when they have input from students and their families. Schools are encouraged to regularly review and adjust transition programs and support to meet individual and student cohort attributes and needs, which may vary from year to year.

Students are active participants in shaping transition programs

Students feel better supported and more empowered when they can participate in transition decision-making and co-design transition programs. Transition programs are also better tailored and more effective when students help shape them. This is especially important for students who may be at higher risk of a poor transition, including neurodiverse and Autistic students, students with disabilities and students from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds.

Schools will engage with students to shape the transition process in a way that suits their circumstances, including the size of the school and the diversity of the student cohort. For example, large schools with both primary and secondary campuses may choose to engage with a representative group of students to identify trends across the larger cohort.

Refer to Student Voice Practice Guide (Amplify) for a guide on having conversations, collaborating and taking actions to empower students.

Maintaining student engagement and wellbeing

Adolescent learners’ needs are met

The transition to secondary school occurs at the same time as the transition from childhood to adolescence. During this period, students experience profound cognitive, social and emotional changes that affect how they relate to, and experience, learning. Schools can consider how:

1. their transition program responds to adolescent learners' needs at each stage of their development
2. transition activities build their students’ self-efficacy and sense of connectedness and belonging.

Students know what to expect, and what will be expected of them

There is a strong link between anxiety and the unknown. In the case of school transition, the more students know about what to expect and what is expected of them as they move from year level to year level and from primary to secondary school, the less anxious they are likely to feel leading up to each move. Providing opportunities for students to learn about future expectations in transition programs can alleviate student concern and contribute to their positive mental health and wellbeing.

Students develop positive and supportive peer and teacher relationships

Schools can implement strategies to develop positive peer and student-teacher relationships that improve students’ sense of belonging and connectedness to school. In turn, this can lead to improved wellbeing and engagement, which are strong predictors of academic achievement and support positive transition experiences.

Providing tiered support

Student cohort needs, which may vary each year, are met through a tailored universal transition program (Tier 1)

Universal transition programs are designed to meet the needs of all students using evidence-informed practice. They may need to be reviewed and adjusted to meet the needs of students in each specific student cohort, which may vary from year to year. Universal transition programs are most impactful when they are informed by student data and input from students and their families. Well-designed universal transition programs that are responsive to student needs can reduce the number of students requiring additional Tier 2 or Tier 3 support.

For example, a universal transition program might be adjusted to accommodate the needs of a Year 6 cohort presenting with more wellbeing needs than previous cohorts. Adjustments could include allocating more time to minimising the unknown for students. Depending on student needs, this might include inviting past students to talk about their experiences of moving to secondary school.

Transition support and programs are most effective when they are inclusive of all students and differentiated according to cohort and individual student need. Priority should be given to vulnerable students who are identified as at risk of a poor transition and they should be provided with tailored transition support as part of a preventative or early intervention approach.

In addition to a universal transition program for all middle years students, schools are encouraged to use a tiered approach to provide additional transition support for those students who would benefit from it:

• Tier 2, targeted support for small student groups who need some additional support on top of what is provided in Tier 1. For example, some students from an EAL background may benefit from having their new Year 7 timetable de-coded (subject and teacher name codes and room numbering) and explained in more detail.
• Tier 3, individual interventions for students who need more intensive support. For example, during a Student Support Group (SSG) meeting, a Year 6 student’s individual transition plan is reviewed and adapted. Prior to Orientation Day, a series of supported secondary school visits to the student’s confirmed secondary school is arranged.

Students are identified for and receive Tier 2 or Tier 3 transition support according to need

While all students will benefit from universal transition programs and support, some students will also require additional support, on top of universal programs, in order to experience a positive transition.

The following indicators of positive secondary school transition were developed by Murdoch Children's Research Institute, as part of their longitudinal Childhood to Adolescence Transition Study (CATS). These indicators can be considered when identifying students needing additional support:

• achievement – at expected or above expected literacy and numeracy levels
• school participation – regular attendance, engagement in classrooms, positive interactions with teachers and a sense of school belonging
• emotional and behavioural development – positive mental health and wellbeing and ability to self-regulate
• social skills and peer relationships – ability to interact socially with other students and the absence of bullying behaviours
• physical health – regular participation in physical activity.

With an effective universal transition program students who are meeting these indicators are likely to have a positive transition. Students who are not meeting one or more of the indicators are likely to need proactive and preventative support. In addition to using the predictors to identify students, their socioeconomic status, disability or family circumstances also can increase the likelihood of a student being among the substantial minority who may experience a poor transition. Students with disability and additional needs and their families may find transition more challenging and would benefit from additional support.

School transition teams, teachers and education support staff are encouraged to collaboratively use their judgement, supported by student data, to identify students who would benefit from additional targeted group (Tier 2) or individual (Tier 3) transition supports. These judgements should be informed by multiple sources of evidence, including data available on Panorama dashboards, the Staying in Education Tool, Child Link and student transition data shared from primary to receiving secondary schools.

Diverse learners and students with disabilities are considered and supported according to need

Students with a disability or diverse learning needs may benefit from transition support being clearly planned over a longer duration, and for schools to recognise the impact that the transition may have on the student, their family, peers and teachers. Students with a disability may have more complex transition requirements beyond adjustments to the curriculum or their immediate environment. Schools need to actively engage students and their families as part of the planning process.

When planning transition support for students with disabilities, and or diverse learning needs, it’s important to consider the:

• nature of a student’s disability and diverse learning needs
• impact of a disability on a student’s access to and participation in the educational setting
• modifications the primary school implemented to accommodate the student’s disability and diverse learning needs
• extent to which existing transition programs take account of the individual needs of the student and their family and arrangements at the confirmed secondary school.

Student Support Groups are convened for students receiving Tier 3 support

A Student Support Group (SSG) has a crucial role in planning and monitoring a student’s transition from primary to secondary school. An SSG is a partnership between schools, parents and carers, the student and relevant agencies. The SSG works together to plan and support the educational, health, social, cultural and emotional wellbeing of students with diverse learning needs, recorded in an Individual Education Plan (IEP). Schools must establish an SSG for students supported by the Program for Students with Disabilities (PSD) or Disability Inclusion and for every student in out-of-home care (OoHC). An SSG is strongly encouraged for any student with diverse learning needs and may include students:

• with disabilities or additional learning needs, including, but not limited to, students supported by the PSD or Disability Inclusion
• in OoHC
• who are Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander
• from refugee or migrant backgrounds
• who attend 2 schools (for example, a mainstream and a specialist school)
• on youth justice orders or having transitioned from the youth justice system
• who are identified as young carers.

See here for more information on Differentiated Transition Support (staff login required). This resource contains more extensive guidance including strategies and examples of how to implement differentiated support across the 4 phases. It also contains extensive resources relevant for students from priority cohort backgrounds, including for students with disabilities and diverse learning needs, Koorie students, students who speak English as an additional language, and resources to support student mental health, wellbeing, engagement and safety.

Ensuring learning continuity

Students are met at their point of learning need and continue to build on their skills, knowledge, interests and experiences

A student’s learning can be best supported when they are taught at their point of learning need from their first day at secondary school. Students can be at risk of disengaging from learning when they are not sufficiently challenged or are challenged at a level for which they are not yet ready. Meeting students at their point of learning need continues their learning without interruption, avoids loss of learning time and can ensure they remain engaged.

Educators can best support adolescent learners when they understand and respond to their unique developmental attributes and needs – specifically, their heightened need for connectedness and relationships, self-definition and voice, and a sense of purpose, autonomy, and achievement in learning.

Primary and secondary schools can create transition teams to collaborate in planning curriculum and pedagogical approaches and improve continuity of learning.

Partnering with parents, carers and family

Families are active partners in supporting their child’s school transition, including their wellbeing and learning at home

Parents, carers and the broader network of family or guardians have a profound and formative impact on their child and can play a major role in a successful transition. Students will experience better wrap around support when families are actively involved in their transition, attuned and responsive to their needs, and are supported in learning at home.

Schools can actively engage and partner with families from the start of the transition process, to enable them to support their child’s wellbeing and learning at home.

Four phases of transition to secondary school

A student’s transition from primary to secondary school is most effective if it is planned and implemented across a 4-year period, from Year 5 to Year 8. This period includes 4 phases that make up the transition to secondary school.

Preparation Phase (Years 5 and 6)

The aim of the Preparation Phase is to prepare students for the transition to secondary school and help students understand what to expect in their new learning environment to reduce any anxiety that they may experience. Research shows that Year 5 transition programs are most beneficial when they build general transition-related skills and capabilities in students, for example, providing opportunities for students to develop their organisational and friendship skills. Year 6 transition programs can be more specifically focused on preparing for secondary school, for example, students researching and planning their travel route to their confirmed secondary school.

Sample strategies for the Preparation Phase:

• Placing students at the centre – co-develop a menu of transition program activities with members of your student representative council or Year 5 and 6 student leaders.
• Maintaining student engagement and wellbeing – primary schools provide students with direct and vicarious experiences of secondary school.

Refer to Preparation Phase (DOCX) for practical things to do during this phase. This is a short, action-based resource that contains sample strategies for each contributor. Schools can choose and adapt strategies to best fit their local school context.

The audience for Preparation Phase guidance is Year 5 and 6 teachers, primary school leaders and education support staff.

Transfer Phase (end of Year 6)

In the Transfer Phase, primary and secondary schools work together to meet the needs of their shared cohorts. Primary schools can continue to support Year 6 students to feel confident and prepared to transition to secondary school, while secondary schools can begin to welcome, orient and connect with incoming Year 7 students and their families through initial communications, welcome information sessions, Orientation Day and additional transition days.

In the Transfer Phase, primary schools will share comprehensive student transition data with the confirmed secondary school to inform transition program planning and support for the cohorts and individual students. This must include relevant personal and health information about the student, information about achievement, foreseeable risk and wellbeing information. For policy and guidance on the transfer of information between primary and secondary schools, refer to ‘Transfer of information’ at Enrolment – Student transfers between schools.

Sample strategies for the Transfer Phase:

• Maintaining student engagement and wellbeing – secondary schools design Orientation Day and further transition day programs to:
  • focus on developing incoming students’ personal and social skills
  • enable students to make connections with new peers and the Year 7 teaching team.
• Providing tiered support – primary schools share, and secondary schools analyse, transition data to inform Tier 2 (targeted) and Tier 3 (individual) transition support.

Refer to Transfer Phase (DOCX) for practical things to do during this phase. This is a short, action-based resource that contains sample strategies for primary and secondary schools. Schools can choose and adapt strategies to best fit their local school context.

The audience for Transfer Phase guidance is Year 6 and 7 teachers, primary and secondary school leaders (particularly for Year 6 and 7) and education support staff.

Induction Phase (Year 7)

The aim of the Induction Phase is to support new Year 7 students to develop a strong sense of connection and belonging at their new school and to ease into the new practices, rhythms and relationships of their new learning community.

Sample strategies for the Induction Phase:

• Maintaining student engagement and wellbeing – provide opportunities for students and teachers to build positive and supportive relationships and create a sense of student belonging.
• Ensuring learning continuity – use data to inform learning at the outset, including from: Orientation Day activities, information students provided about themselves, and transition data from primary school.

Refer to Induction Phase (DOCX) for practical things to do during this phase. This is a short, action-based resource that contains sample strategies for each contributor. Schools can choose and adapt strategies to best fit their local school context.

The audience for Induction Phase guidance is Year 7 teachers, secondary school leaders (particularly for Year 7) and education support staff.

Consolidation Phase (Year 8)

The aim of the Consolidation Phase is to continue developing students’ sense of connectedness and belonging and building on the skills, knowledge and experiences they have gained in previous phases, with a strong emphasis on supporting their wellbeing and confidence in their learning environment.

Sample strategies for the Consolidation Phase:

• Maintaining student engagement and wellbeing:
  • run regular activities that build on and reinforce Year 7 personal and social skill development, with particular focus on developing healthy relationships
  • identify students who appear isolated and struggle to make and maintain friendships; provide early intervention support.
• Placing students at the centre – establish a feedback group representing a diverse cross-section of the cohort to evaluate and improve the Year 7 and Year 8 transition programs and the end of year Step-Up to Year 8 program; incorporate feedback into future programs.

Refer to Consolidation Phase (DOCX) for practical things to do during this phase. This is a short, action-based resource that contains sample strategies for each contributor. Schools can choose and adapt strategies to best fit their local school context.

The audience for Consolidation Phase guidance is Year 8 teachers, secondary school leaders (particularly for Year 8) and education support staff.

Resources

Resources to support positive primary to secondary school transition

• Indicators of a positive primary to secondary school transition (DOCX)

Transition phases on a page

The phases on a page, with one for each transition phase, are short, action-based resources that contain sample strategies for each contributor, as well as a planning template. Schools can choose and adapt strategies to best fit their local school context.

• Preparation Phase on a Page (DOCX) – the audience for Preparation Phase guidance is Year 5 and 6 teachers, primary school leaders and education support staff
• Transfer Phase on a Page (DOCX) – the audience for Transfer Phase guidance is Year 6 and 7 teachers, primary and secondary school leaders (particularly for Year 6 and 7) and education support staff
• Induction Phase on a Page (DOCX) – the audience for Induction Phase guidance is Year 7 teachers, secondary school leaders (particularly for Year 7) and education support staff
• Consolidation Phase on a Page (DOCX) – the audience for Consolidation Phase guidance is Year 8 teachers, secondary school leaders (particularly for Year 8) and education support staff

Examples of transition practice in schools

There are examples of excellent transitions practice across the school system. Following is a selection of examples, including case studies and some examples highlighting specific aspects of transition practice.

Case studies

• Albanvale Primary School case study (DOCX)
• Dandenong High School case study (DOCX)
• Mansfield Secondary College case study (DOCX)
• Mordialloc College case study (DOCX)

Aspects of transition practice

• Crusoe College Advisory Program (DOCX)
• Footscray High School connectedness to school (DOCX)
• Footscray High School use of data (DOCX)
• Hume Central Secondary College – collaborating with primary schools (DOCX)
• Pakenham Secondary College family orientation day letter (DOCX)
• Reservoir High School direct and vicarious experiences (DOCX)
• Reservoir High School – student co-design (DOCX)

Contact

Schools can send further examples of primary to secondary school transition practice to: Secondary.School.Transition@education.vic.gov.au

Providing differentiated transition support

The Differentiated transition support (DOCX) resource contains more extensive guidance including strategies and examples of how to implement differentiated support across the 4 phases. It also contains extensive resources relevant for students from priority cohort backgrounds, including students with disabilities and diverse learning needs, Koorie students, students who speak English as an additional language, and resources to support student mental health, wellbeing, engagement and safety.

Student Transition and Resilience Training

Student Transition and Resilience Training (START) includes:

• information on adolescent learning and development
• key predictors of positive resilience in young people
• strategies to enhance students’ learning and resilience during their transition from primary to secondary school.

The activities are intended to support students' ongoing reflection and personal development throughout their transition period, including students who may not have used the resource in primary school.

• Student Transition and Resilience Training full resource (PDF)
• Student Transition and Resilience Training full resource (DOCX)
• Teacher resource (PDF)
• Teacher resource (DOCX)
• Student workbook (PDF)
• Student workbook (DOCX)
• Student handouts (PDF)
• Student portfolio (PDF)
• Student portfolio (DOCX)

Amplify

The Amplify Toolkit provides access to a collection of purposefully created Amplify professional resources, and a curated and growing selection of external student voice, agency and leadership (SVAL) resources.

Student data transfer

A range of additional support materials have been developed to provide schools information and assistance with the student data transfer process.

• Support Services Tab: Quick Guide (DOCX) provides a summary of the information schools are required to enter in each field.
• CASES21 Restrictions/Risks Tab: Quick Guide (DOCX) provides a summary of student information schools are required to check and update in the Restrictions/Risks Tab prior to transferring to a school.
• Transferring 'foreseeable risk' Information Sheet (DOCX) provides information relating to identifying and, where appropriate, sharing and transferring information about foreseeable risks for students transferring to a new school.

For CASES21 support queries contact Service Desk on 1800 641 943.