Prepare your pupils for the transition to a new class or a new school with the selection of resources we have pulled together from a range of different resource providers.

Starting School

• Explore the Starting Reception website to find expert-led webinars, examples of practice and resources to share with parents to help schools strengthen their school readiness strategy. Resources include the Starting Reception booklet and a Potty Training Guide. The Starting Reception website was created by a coalition of organisations from across the early childhood sector and outlines a set of personal, social, emotional and physical skills that parents can practise with their children to prepare them for school in September.
• Share this Starting Primary School toolkit from BBC Bitesize with new parents.
• Anna Ephgrave, former Assistant Headteacher, consultant and author of The Reception Year in Action shares some tips on how to ensure a successful Transition to Reception in this blog.
• Booktrust and Books for Topics both have Starting School booklists featuring a selection of picture books for children starting in reception or nursery.
• Scottish BookTrust’s Bookbug programme has a range of resources that teachers can access to support pupils as they start school.
• Mentally Healthy Schools is a mental health information and resource hub for primary and secondary schools. It offers access to a range of resources to support transition across all ages.

Class transitions

• Books for Topics has a comprehensive list of recommended books that can be used for Class Transition days in primary schools. The list is grouped thematically and covers starting a new class, being yourself, making new friends, as well as books that can be used for art and icebreaker activities. You can also explore the New Beginnings booklist for more recommended books to share with children at the start of a new school year.
• The National Literacy Trust’s Hot Topics: New Beginnings resource has reading recommendations, creative writing prompts and ideas to promote oracy skills that can be used with pupils aged 4-14. Available to download with their free membership.

Moving up to secondary school

• Find recommended reads for Year 6 pupils preparing for the transition to secondary school from primary book recommendation site Books for Topics.
• BookTrust has a list of recommended reads to prepare young people for the transition to secondary school.
• Mentally Healthy Schools is a mental health information and resource hub for primary and secondary schools. It offers access to a range of resources to support transition across all ages, including a My Moving up to Secondary School booklet for pupils, parents and carers to work through together.
• Share these five top tips with pupils moving up to secondary schools from Christian Foley, former teacher, poet and author of Moving Up: How to Ace Secondary School.
• LGBT+ charity Just Like Us offers free resources to support LGBT+ pupils through transition as part of School Diversity Week. All resources are free to download with registration.
• Moving Up! provides a short animation and free teacher toolkit that explores common fears and potential solutions for pupils about to move or newly arrived at secondary school.
• The BBC, in partnership with mental health charity Young Minds, has created a series of films and ‘Find your Feet’ activity packs to help schools support pupils as they transition from primary to secondary school.