Secondary School Transition
Just like starting primary school, choosing the right secondary school for your child can be a nervous time for parents. Parents must apply for a place for their child by selecting up to five schools in order of preference. Before you make your decision, it's a good idea to visit some of the local schools, read their individual school booklets or visit their websites.
The vast majority of our pupils choose to go on to South Craven School.
Parents should be aware that although Eastburn is a feeder school for South Craven, attending Eastburn (or any other feeder school) does not guarantee your child a place. South Craven have their own admission arrangements which determine who is allocated a place first. Places at the school are often over-subscribed so children living outside the catchment area are less likely to be successful. South Craven's admission arrangements set out the criteria which are used to allocate places.
A small number of our pupils elect to go to either Ermysted's Grammar School for boys or Skipton Girls High School. These schools are selective which means that pupils must sit entrance tests in order to be offered a place. Registration for the selection tests normally opens in spring (when your child is in Year 5) and the tests undertaken in September (when your child is in Year 6) before the formal admissions process starts.
Further information about Secondary School Admission is available here. A detailed guide and step by step booklet is available for parents to download.
Parents who wish for their child to apply for Ermysted's or Skipton Girls High School should refer to the schools' websites for further information.
Preparing Children for the transition to Secondary School
The transition to secondary school is an important stage in any young person's life. As they approach the end of primary school, we work closely with our Year 6 children to help them prepare for the next step in their learning journey. Our aim is to ensure that all of our pupils have the life-skills they need to feel positive about this transition.
We maintain close links with our local secondary schools. Throughout their time at Eastburn, pupils have the opportunity to work with staff from South Craven and visit the school site as part of extra-curricular events designed to help primary aged pupils become more familiar with the school. In addition, our pupils undertake a series of planned transition visits in Years 5 and 6.
During the summer term, the Y6 teachers begin transferring information to your child's secondary school and meeting with colleagues to discuss your child as an individual. In the final weeks of the summer term, all of our Year 6 pupils undertake a transition project to support them in preparing for secondary school. In addition, staff in school run a series of small group sessions to help children with practical things such as planning their route to school, understanding their timetable, packing the right equipment and what to do if there is a problem.
