Transitioning to Year 7

Starting secondary school is an exciting milestone for children and their families, and we are here to support you every step of the way.

To help students and families feel confident about the transition, we visit local primary schools to chat with families and invite prospective students to experience our school first-hand.

Instead of a single Open Evening, we welcome families to ‘Open Season’ during September to visit the academy during the normal school day. We want you and your child to see our academy as it runs every day. Students will tour you, giving you the opportunity to quiz them about what it really feels like to be a part of our calm and studious academic community. You can visit any lessons you wish (no scripted tours here!) and then meet the Principal.

Once families decide to join our Academy, we continue to offer plenty of support to ensure everyone feels ready for the first day of Year 7. We are confident that our excellent transition programme ensures our Year 7 students settle in quickly both academically and socially and enjoy their first few weeks at Harris Lowe Academy Willesden. This includes:

• Close relationships with our primary schools
• Opportunities for students to visit the academy several times, for instance to watch school productions or take part in the community clubs and classes
• A full taster day during July, with an additional ‘soft start’ for any students with SEND
• A FREE summer school and an effective induction process to familiarise students and families with the Academy before and after their arrival
• Collaborating with local primary schools to design our Year 7 curriculum to build on everything students have learned in Years 5 and 6. This ensures they continue learning seamlessly as they move into secondary school.

Our Starting Year 7 page, designed for parents whose children are coming here this September, will give you a good idea of some of the ways we support our new students so they feel really ready for the first day of term.