Welcome to St Thomas Becket Catholic School
It is truly an exciting time to be joining our Thomas Becket family and as the Headteacher it is my sole aim to make sure your time at school is the most enjoyable and academically fulfilling as it can be.
July transition days
The transition days are on Monday 6th and Tuesday 7th July, your child will join us for both days and will enjoy a full timetable of activities. Students should arrive by 08:45am each day and will be finished by 3:10pm. All pupils will be provided with a free lunch from our canteen but please ensure that your child has a water bottle which can be refilled during the day. Pupils must arrive in their normal primary school uniform, including trainers and equip themselves with a pencil case. You should collect your child from the front of the school at 3:10pm where the children will be brought out to you.
Parents’ welcome evening
We very much understand that the transition process is not only important for pupils, but for parents and carers too. This year we will be holding a welcome evening for new parents and carers from 3.30pm – 4.30pm on Tuesday 7th July. This will involve a short presentation on aspects of school life at St Thomas Becket and will give you an opportunity to meet with key staff, including your child’s Head of Year and Form Tutor, when they will introduce themselves and talk through the September start. To book your place please follow this link https://www.trybooking.com/uk/GPXU Please only book 1 space per family.
We are really looking forward to meeting you in a few weeks’ time.
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Useful Links for Parents and Students
The following links provide free resources to Year 7 students and parents to support the transition to Secondary School
Oxford University Press: Starting secondary school: hints and tips for smoothing the transition (oup.com)
BBC Bitesize: Starting secondary school - BBC Bitesize
Packed with videos, interactive games, tips and advice, Starting Secondary School will help your child during their last term in primary school and through their critical first weeks at secondary school.
Starting Secondary School has lots of content hosted on BBC Bitesize, including peer-to-peer advice from the stars of CBBC series Our School who have first-hand experience of making the move to secondary school.
It also has practical tips for you as a parent on how to prepare your child for secondary school, as well as resources to help start discussions around transition, produced in partnership with YoungMinds.
Interactive quiz for students: Are you secondary school ready? - BBC Bitesize
Oxford University Press: BTS_Starting_Secondary_School_parent_guide.pdf (oup.com)
How to make friends HACKS - YouTube
Chickens First Day at School - YouTube
Going Back to School Rant - YouTube
Find Your Feet Schools Resource - YouTube - This is a very relevant video that reassures children that they’re not alone when it comes to their worries about secondary school, that there are ways to cope with change and there are people to talk to when things get difficult.