Preparation - What can the Primary School do?

  • Have a member of staff nominated to deal with transition and liaison with local post-primary schools
  • Foster and develop links with local post-primary schools. Get to know them in detail. What does each school have to offer? What programmes are available? What physical adaptations and resources are in the school for children with learning and/or care needs?
  • The nominated teacher should be familiar with the different options for post-primary curriculum, assessment and examinations.
  • If you have a pupil with SEN transferring to a post-primary school, make contact with the chosen school as early as possible, to allow time for all necessary provisions to be put in place for the child before they begin.
  • Meet with the parents, and discuss any issues or concerns they may have regarding the transition process.
  • A representative of the primary school should attend open evenings at the post-primary schools in the area
  • Integrate transition planning into the SPHE Curriculum during 6th class
  • Pupils with SEN will need to be taught explicitly about post-primary school, and the changes involved. This includes issues such as getting used to timetables & abbreviated subject names, moving between classes during the day, how to keep track of the different dates for homework due, using their homework journal and new facilities and routines (using your locker, what to do during lunch break, the class tutor system, etc)
  • Find out as much information as possible about the new school and allow the child to start a ‘workbook’ or ‘journal’ as part of their programme in sixth class (possibly in the final term). The workbook could cover such issues as:
    • Finding my way around the new school
    • School Map
    • School Timetable
    • Homework
    • Different Subjects
    • Having any equipment I need
    • School Rules
    • Meeting New People
    • Making New Friends

It is important that the primary school would provide as much information as possible to the post-primary school. Such information should cover areas such as:

  • Details of any assessments carried out and results
  • Identified areas of particular difficulty & any exemptions granted (e.g. Irish)
  • Results of any recently administered standardised tests in literacy and numeracy
  • Information on the pupil’s individual profile of strengths and needs, and any strategies that may have been successful in addressing these.
  • Level of additional teaching support received in primary school, if any
  • Level of SNA support received in primary school, if any
  • Details of the curriculum studied by the child – was it the full curriculum, were any adaptations or exemptions made?
  • Relevant information on the child’s social skills and behaviour

Primary schools are not permitted to pass on confidential information (e.g.: tests results, psychological reports etc) to the post-primary school, without first obtaining parental permission. However, it is very important that all relevant educational information is passed on to the new school to ensure a smooth transition for the pupil, and allow the new school to make appropriate provisions for the child, and put all necessary supports in place. Parents may choose to bring copies of such reports to the post-primary school when they enrol the child.

NOTE: Just because a child has qualified for resources at primary level does not mean that these same resources will be automatically available at post-primary level. There is no automatic transfer of resources from primary to post-primary school. New applications must be made for each child for SNA support and resource teaching hours, supported by an up-to date psychological assessment.