Moving to Vale of York Academy!
Hi,
My name is Mr Orr and I am the Director of Community here at Vale of York Academy. I am absolutely delighted that you will be joining us in September. I have the privilege of being your main point of contact when it comes to transition from primary to secondary school.
I have put together some information that may be helpful for you and your family as you continue your journey to become a Vale of York Academy pupil. Having been at the school for 20 years, there is not too much I don’t know about Vale of York Academy.
I will be coming to visit you at your primary school very soon but in the meantime, if there is ever anything you are unsure of or wish to know, I’m available via email using hello@voy.hlt.academy.
I look forward to meeting you.
Mr Orr
Director of Community – Transition Lead
Year 6 Open Evening: Tuesday 23rd September 2025 - Time and further details TBA soon...
Transition Timeline
This is when you will find out which secondary school you have been allocated. For more information about this, please visit – https://www.york.gov.uk/SecondarySchoolAdmissions.
Mr Orr will visit your school and explain step by step everything you need to know about transition throughout the summer. There will be a chance for you to ask any questions you may have too about joining Vale of York Academy. You will also be given an admission pack to take home that will need to be completed and returned to your primary school by Friday 16th May. This can also be dropped off directly at Vale of York Academy.
If you are at a primary school out of our traditional catchment area, Mr Orr will contact your family and school to arrange a visit to come and see you.
This is the deadline for getting your admission packs back to your primary school or dropped off at Vale of York Academy.
We know that some pupils require a little bit of extra support when it comes to transition and our Peer Support Transition Day is an opportunity for such pupils to come and spend the day with us, looked after by Year 7 pupils who went through the same process only 12 months beforehand. This day is part of our wider Enhanced Transition programme (details further down the page) and isn’t open to all pupils. The day will be organised and coordinated in liaison with primary school colleagues.
This is an excellent opportunity for pupils and parents to come and listen to presentations from key staff a Vale of York Academy. Details of the two transition days will also be shared at this event.
On this day, every Year 6 pupil across the city will go to their allocated secondary school. At Vale of York Academy, we will have a fun packed day planned where you will get to meet your new classmates and teachers. Any nerves you may have will quickly disappear during this day!
We like to keep the positive momentum going at Vale of York Academy and and as such, we put on a second Transition Day for our new Year 7 cohort
Year 6 and 7 BBQ
For the first time, we are inviting pupils and their families from Year 6 and 7 to join us for an evening of fun, food and entertainment! This will be a great chance to talk to other Year 6 pupils and families and also pupils in Year 7 and their families about moving to Vale of York Academy.
Another new edition to our transition process, this informal session is aimed at parents who are new to Vale of York Academy. During the workshop, Mr Orr will go through all the day to day processes and jargon we use, as well as explain things like how reports work and how do you access Edulink, Parentpay and Google Classroom. Times to be confirmed and advertised.
Our three day summer school is there as a final layer of support for pupils who, through conversations with primary school and parents and carers, would benefit from attending. Invites to this will be sent out during the summer term, when dates will also be finalised.
An exciting day as you officially become a Vale of York Academy pupil! There will be plenty of support throughout the day and beyond to make you feel very welcome and get you off to a flying start.
Enhanced Transition
We work very closely with our colleagues at the primary schools and have regular conversations about pupils as individuals to ensure that transition can be as smooth as possible. We have Enhance Transition that we put in place for pupils who are identified as requiring extra layers of support to ensure they are happy and confident when making the move to secondary school. Our Enhanced Transition package can be very bespoke for individual children, however the standard offer includes –
- A Visit with family and friends after 4pm when the Academy is quiet
- A visit with family and friends during the Academy day
- An opportunity to come in and spend time in a classroom completing activities in small groups
- Attendance at our Pre-Transition Day a week prior to the main Transition Days
- Attendance at both Transition Days
- An invite to summer school
Enhanced Transition isn’t for everybody and we work with pupils, parents and the primary schools to identify who would benefit and to shape the package of support.
Parents/Carers – How You Can Help
It can be a worrying and stressful time for parents when their children make the transition to Secondary School, particularly if it is the first experience of this process. Any questions or concerns that you have, please do not hesitate to contact Mr Orr via email using r.orr@voy.hlt.academy and he will be more than happy to invite you in for a cup of tea and a chat.
There are some things that you can do with your child which will benefit both and help make transition less stressful.
- Regularly talk to your child about how they are feeling about the transition. If they have questions you can’t answer, use the email above to ask Mr Orr.
- Walk/travel the route to Vale of York Academy together on a fairly regular basis throughout the summer, gradually encouraging them to do this independently. This will help to make this journey the norm by the time September arrives.
- Create an organisation list to go up where your child is likely to pack their bag every day and practice together making sure that everything they need at school is packed. Equipment required will come out with our transition booklet in the summer.
- Spend time looking through the website with your child so they become familiar with names, faces and terminology we use at Vale of York Academy. This video is a great snapshot of what to expect in a day at Vale of York Academy.
- Try to complete and return the admission pack by the deadline to to give your child the best chance of being placed in a tutor group with one or more of their friend preferences. Your attendance at out transition events for parents will also give you a better understanding of the process, which in turn will help you support your child more effectively.
Additional Information
Differences between primary school and secondary school
- The school site is large and students will need to move around independently to each lesson
- There will be new rules to learn
- A full and new school uniform
- Students will have many different teachers rather than just one or two
- Students will move from room to room for different lessons
- Students will be expected to carry bags and equipment from lesson to lesson, and will have the chance to get a locker
- Students will be responsible for a planner to record homework
- Students may have different subjects than they had at primary school
- Students may need to travel further to get to school, perhaps by bus or bike
- Students will need to be more independent at breaks and lunchtime
- Students will become more self-organised and independent
Partner Primary Schools
We are proud of our local partner primaries and work closely with them to ensure that the transition process for Year 6 students is a positive and comforting one.
This transition process incorporates our staff holding fun and inspiring lessons within the partner primaries. We also have target events and activities within our school to ensure that the young students are given an insight to the school environment developing their confidence.
Burton Green Primary School - 01904 552380 - bgp.hlt.academy
Clifton Green Primary School - 01904 627270 - www.cliftongreenprimary.co.uk
Clifton with Rawcliffe Primary School - 01904 555230 - www.cwr.york.sch.uk
Lakeside Primary School - 01904 691473 - www.lakeside.ebor.academy
Skelton Primary School - 01904 555170 - ske.hlt.academy