How Startingpoint Supports Stronger Transitions

The start of Year 7 is a big moment — not just for pupils adjusting to a new environment, but for teachers who are setting the tone for learning, building routines, and beginning relationships from scratch. One of the biggest challenges? Getting to know your new pupils before they even walk through the door.

Traditionally, transition information is limited. You might receive some academic data, a short summary from the primary school, and perhaps meet a few pupils during a brief visit. It’s a starting point — but often one with gaps, particularly when it comes to understanding the whole child.

This is where Startingpoint makes a difference.

Seeing the Whole Child — Not Just the Scores

Startingpoint is a platform designed to give secondary schools richer insights into the pupils joining them from Year 6. It goes beyond test scores and basic profiles, helping teachers understand each child’s skills, interests, and aspirations before the school year begins.

Before leaving primary school, pupils complete a simple, structured activity that encourages them to reflect on:

  • What they enjoy
  • What they’re good at
  • How they like to learn

The result? A personalised profile that paints a fuller picture of each child — one that’s shared with their future teachers.

What This Means for You

Instead of starting September with just a list of names and attainment levels, you’ll enter that first week with a clearer sense of who your pupils are as people.

You might find out that:

  • One pupil thrives when learning outdoors or through hands-on activities
  • Another has a quiet confidence in public speaking
  • A third loves numbers but struggles with self-belief

These insights can inform how you structure group work, assign classroom roles, tailor support strategies, or simply start conversations — all before the pupil has even introduced themselves.

It All Comes Down to Relationships

Secondary schools already do a great deal to support Year 6 to Year 7 transitions, but time and information are often limited. Startingpoint helps bridge that gap. It doesn’t replace your existing transition work — it adds depth to it.

Sometimes it’s the smallest details — a favourite hobby, a personal goal, or a dream job — that make a pupil feel seen. That sense of being understood can lay the foundations for a more trusting and confident start to secondary school.

Supporting Staff and Saving Time

Secondary staff are incredibly stretched during the start of a new year. Trying to learn names, spot potential challenges, and build trust simultaneously is no easy task. Startingpoint doesn’t add to the workload — it lightens it.

Instead of piecing things together from scratch, you have pupil-generated profiles ready to inform your planning and interactions. It helps you hit the ground running.

For Heads of Year, Form Tutors, SENCOs, and Subject Leaders, it offers a shared understanding that can guide consistent support across departments.

A Thoughtful Step Forward

Startingpoint is already helping schools strengthen the bridge between primary and secondary, making transitions more personalised and meaningful. If you’re thinking about how to give your next Year 7 cohort a stronger start, this could be a simple yet powerful way forward.