Transition

We hope that Hartford Junior School is your first choice and would love to welcome your child into our Year 3 class in September. If you would like a tour of the school* to see our classrooms and facilities and to meet some of the staff, please contact the school, we will do our best to facilitate a convenient time.

*please note these bespoke tours take place after school, children are welcome and take approximately 30 minutes, please book through the school office.

Year 2 in the Infant School (Key Stage 1) to Year 3 in the Junior School (Key Stage 2)

Parents must apply to attend the Junior School via the Cambridgeshire Schools Admission Service. The deadline for the applications is in January and parents/carers will be notified in April on the success of their application.

The Infant and Junior Schools work well together to guarantee that the transition between the two schools is seamless. This involves meetings between the staff over the school year, including teaching and pastoral staff to support the individual needs of all children.

The staff from the two schools meet during the Summer Term to share current information on children’s leaning, progress and attainment in Key Stage 1 and their original starting points from EYFS. The junior school staff are invited to attend Summer moderation meetings to ensure they can see how the infant school assess the children’s writing. Together, judgements and next steps are created to ensure that the children reach their targets by the end of the summer term.

Each year a bespoke package is created between the staff at both schools, including visits, correspondence and projects to suit the needs of the cohort. This always includes a morning visit on the July Change Over Day. The children are also invited to watch various plays performed by the children in Key Stage 2. Other activities have included a science project that began in the infant school and was concluded in the junior school. The children have emailed each other with questions and on occasion the Key Stage 2 children have popped across to speak to the Year 2 children. Visits for individual children are arranged on a needs basis so that, despite the six-week break, the children are familiar with the environment of the junior school.

Parents are encouraged to attend a new to Year 3 Meeting at the junior school in early July and receive a package of information.

Children are admitted to school at the beginning of the school year (September - August) in which they are 8 years old. The online application process opens in September and closes in January. Parents are advised if they have been successful in securing a place in April.

We hope that Hartford Junior School is your first choice and would love to welcome your child into our Year 3 class in September. If you would like a tour of the school* to see our classrooms and facilities and to meet some of the staff, please contact the school, we will do our best to facilitate a convenient time.

*please note these bespoke tours take place after school, children are welcome and take approximately 30 minutes, please book through the school office.

Junior School Applications for September 2025

If your child/ren was born between 1.9.2017 and 31.8.2018 and are due to start a Junior School in September 2025, applications can be made via the Admissions website.  More information is available on how to apply and Admissions Guide for 2024-25 guide is on their website.

Year 3 to Year 4, Year 4 to Year 5 and Year 5 to Year 6

Before our annual Change Over Day in early July we ensure all children have met the Year group adults (Teachers and Teaching Assistants) through visiting their classrooms and working with them for a short time e.g. reading a story at the end of the day. Then on Change Over Day itself the children spend the whole morning with their new teacher(s) and teaching assistant(s), getting them feeling comfortable with coming to their new year. This will include investigating the toilets and their new cloakrooms. Each child will complete a piece of work for the new classroom to see in September and have their photograph taken. 

Our Lower Key Stage 2 (Years 3 and 4) classrooms are set up in a very similar way to the Infnat School, with different areas of learning including a bespoke reading corner, writing, phonic and maths displays. All resources that children can use are consistent so that as a child moves from each classroom/year group they can locate word mats and equipment that they are familiar with easily and continue their journey as an independent learner.

There is extensive liaison between staff via termly moderation meetings, so everyone knows and agrees whether children are working at age related expectations for their year group or need support/challenge to ensure they reach or exceed their full potential from original starting points. We therefore can cater for individual needs and ensure all children are suitably challenged and make progress.

At the start of the academic year Parents/Carers of children joining/working in Key Stage 2 are invited to 'meet the teacher' to discuss the parents’ views on their children’s strength and barriers to learning and see their child's new classroom. 

Year 6 to Year 7 Transition (Primary to Secondary)

Hartford Junior School is a feeder school for St Peter’s School. St Peter’s School offer a comprehensive transition programme to assist Year 6 students with the move to secondary school. All parents will receive a letter from St Peter’s School detailing the events. Alternatively, click here to find out the dates for their Year 6 Parent’s Evening dates. If your child opts for a different secondary school, you will need to liaise with them directly regarding their transition programme once your child's place has been confirmed. However, we will liaise with the staff to share vital information about your child to help them in their change to Year 7.

On-going: On St Peter’s School website you will find some transition tasks for the children before embarking on their Year 7 journey, click here.

St Peter’s School teachers visit Year 6 students here at Hartford Junior School. In recent years we have organsied Science, French and Drama programmes of work taught by Staff from St Peter’s School in the Year 6 classrooms. Our children have walked to the Secondary School for special events including trips to their school library. Hopefully Year 6 swimming sessions in the nearby One Leisure Centre will also help familiarise them with the site.

We aso organise weekly visits (normally from the Spring Term) by St. Peter's School Student Support Manager in the Y6 classrooms, these meetings enable a good relationship to build over time with key children who need further support and this continues in Year 7.

SEND representatives will attend Annual Review meetings for pupils and will discuss pupils' needs with their current teachers. St Peter’s School Nurture Staff will be in contact with our Hartford Junior SENDCo to discuss and support individual children e.g. bespoke visits to the school in the Summer Term. They will often be able to support parents with any concerns as the end of term draws near. Together we will try to make the transition as seamless as possible.

Transition Days: These will take place for pupils every July.  They are two consecutive days where the children will attend St Peter’s School.  The children are to make their own travel arrangements on these days and do not attend Hartford Junior School. There will be additional days for pupils identified as having additional transitional needs. For each transition day St Peter’s School will send out individually named invitations directly to the pupil's home address.

Further Support: We appreciate that transition to secondary school is daunting for some children and will support them in school with a variety of Nurture activities. Below are some useful links to support you and your child at home with this exciting new chapter of their lives:

Young Minds has some useful transition tasks and a video that children may wish to watch to support them further in this important phase of their lives.

BBC Bitesize is a useful website for the children to become familiar with to support them not only in transition but with future learning.

Third Space Learning is a website that can support parents and carers at home regarding transition.

Anna Freud website although aimed at Teaching Staff does have an animated video for the children to watch that may provide some comfort in knowing that any child’s concerns about transition are perfectly okay and valid.

Please don’t hesitate to contact the school for further support.

Transition for SEN children with an EHCP

In preparation for phase transfer work (moving to a new Key Stage in a school e.g  Y7 in St Peter's School or Hinchingbrooke Secondary School), the Local Authority have produced a leaflet for parent/carers. This relates to children with an EHCP in the following year groups:

• Year 6

These phase transfers are significant milestones in pupils’ educational journeys, and the leaflet supports the process by reminding families that admission to schools for children with an EHCP is via the statutory consultation process.

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