TRANSITION TO YEAR 3
Welcome to all our prospective Y3 children, parents and their families, who will be starting at Drayton Junior in the next academic year. Hopefully you will have browsed our website to find out about our school and all the great things we have to offer.
Moving from Infant to Junior School can create anxieties for some children and here at Drayton CE Junior School, we understand that this can be a difficult adjustment. We want all our new children to feel happy, safe and secure as we know that the quicker they settle in, the more confident they become, which in turn develops independence and a greater enjoyment of their learning.
TRANSITION ACTIVITIES:
To aid this process, we invite the children into school during the latter half of the Summer Term. They spend an afternoon with Year 3 teaching staff, playing fun sports and getting to know us in a relaxed environment. The children then spend a day at school, in their new classes with their new class teacher. This gives them the opportunity to have a tour of the school, get to see how breaktimes and lunchtimes work, as well as begin to build a relationship with their new Year 3 teacher.
As part of transition, an evening Information Open Evening for parents/carers is provided. This includes a tour of the school, the opportunity to meet the Year 3 class teacher and ask any questions. If needed, a further opportunity is provided for some children to visit the school in a smaller group, further supporting their preparation to join us in September.
Although most of our intake is from Drayton Infant School, we do have children joining us from other schools and these transition activities give these children and their parents/carers the opportunity to meet their fellow classmates and their parents.
TRANSFERRING INFORMATION
We work very closely with the schools our Y2 children come from to ensure that we have a full picture of their strengths and what support we may need to provide. Our Y3 team have detailed conversations with your child’s Y2 teacher and our SENCO will speak with the SENCO of your child’s school to ensure all necessary information is passed on.
HOMEWORK IN YEAR 3
Our homework priority for Year 3 is reading. All the children are given a Reading Journal which has a fun weekly task, as well as the space to record the books they have read. This book needs signing every week and brought into school on a Monday so that we can monitor the reading they do at home. All the children will also be issued with a login for Timestables Rockstars, which we encourage them to practise at home. The only other homework we set is a Topic task once each half-term.
USEFUL PREPARATION FOR YEAR 3:
- Practise tying shoe laces if your child’s footwear requires them to be able to do so.
- Provide your child with a named pencil case with basic equipment (including a glue stick) and colours. (We obviously provide equipment at school but it helps tremendously if they have their own. We also find this encourages them to look after the equipment more carefully and take more responsibility for its ownership).
- Perhaps do a few practise runs of the journey to school so that it seems a bit more familiar that first morning!
- Go through the rest of our website with your child to familiarise them even more with our school and what subjects they will be learning.
Year 2 children – here are the answers to some questions you might have!
What is playtime like?
Playtime is at 10 o’clock in the morning and you also have some playtime during the lunch hour. At morning break you can bring in a healthy snack. There is a trim trail, a tyre trail, an outdoor classroom and a stage as well as lots of playground equipment and markings to enjoy!
What happens at lunchtime?
The lunches are similar to those you have at the Infant School. There are lots of choices, including vegetarian meals, pasta meals and sandwiches or you can bring in your own packed lunch. You eat lunch in the hall and also have some playtime.
What clubs are there at lunchtime?
There are lots of different clubs at lunchtime and after school. Here are some examples but they change frequently: book club, art club, football club, netball club, athletics, choir and Samba band.
What do I do if I am worried about starting Drayton Junior School?
Please try not to worry. You will not be alone and everyone will feel different. Some children will be excited, others will feel nervous. Some will feel a mix of both! All the teachers here are very friendly and there is always someone to talk to if you are worried about something. The children at our school are a friendly bunch too! We have buddies in the playground who you can go to for a chat and they organise games for you too!
Are the lessons hard?
In Year 3 children generally find the lessons and topics are good fun and the adults in the classroom are always there to help if you find something tricky.
If you have any other questions, there will be lots of opportunities to ask them during your visits to the school.
We really look forward to meeting all our new children and wish you all a warm welcome to Y3 at Drayton Junior School!
