Year 6 to Year 7 transition

Dear new Year 7s and parents/carers,

We are really looking forward to meeting you soon. Ordinarily, this week would see our annual Year 7 induction day; due to current circumstances, we are having to do things a bit differently! We are currently making lots of plans for your start with us in the new term. Until then, there is some information as well as some activities for you to take part in over the summer. There will be lots of important announcements via this page in the coming week; including some online activities for you to be involved in. Please keep an eye out for updates.

Please read the information in this guide and this benefits policies document to check your child’s eligibility for free school meal provision. If you are resident in another borough (Islington/Haringey) you will still need to make an application to Hackney Learning Trust, even if your child was in receipt of free school meals in Year 6. You can also apply to Hackney Learning Trust for a uniform grant - the same process applies for residents in Hackney and other boroughs.

Parents/carers – you may want to follow us on Twitter (@StokeySchool) or Instagram (@StokeNewingtonSchool) to see what we have in store.

Have a watch of our fun video welcoming you to the school!

Take care,

Ms Byrne

Head of Lower School

English

Welcome to English at Stoke Newington School!

We very much look forward to welcoming our new Year 7 to English.

We understand that English is essential for helping students to become empowered communicators, to become critical readers and thinkers, and to help nurture their creativity. We know how important it is that students have the opportunity to read and write a variety of texts, both literary and non-fiction, so our Year 7 curriculum includes a range of different topics such as: reading a novel, creative writing, studying and performing a Shakespeare play, exploring poetry, and exploring journalistic writing. In Year 7, we teach in mixed ability classes, where there are opportunities for both independent and group activities to help students develop their ideas and build up their confidence for writing. In the Autumn, students will get to read a modern fairy tale and explore how the writer brings the characters and settings to life for the reader. Students will also get to explore how such folklore can help to teach us inspirational lessons such as how to find courage and believe in yourself. To help introduce students to this topic, we encourage them to complete at least one of the English tasks below - good luck!

Maths

At the heart of maths teaching at SNS is a belief that all students can be successful mathematicians. When they are given the tools and the confidence to access the material and supported by engaging teachers who love their subject, they can truly achieve.

We teach maths creatively using a balance of collaborative and independent work. In Year 7, students will focus predominantly on number and algebra - the building blocks of maths - to ensure they have a strong base in the subject prior to working on its applications.

Students are taught in mixed-attainment classes, building resilience and confidence in the subject using a range of problem-solving activities. We encourage students to try multiple approaches and to not be put off by a wrong answer, but rather see it as part of the learning journey.

Hegarty Maths is a site used by the department for home learning. It is a useful tool for students since within each task set, there is a video clip explaining how to answer questions on the topic and a short quiz to complete. The video is crucial to understanding the work, particularly when it is new content. Students take notes on the video and then answer the quiz. Those answers are fed back to their teacher who analyses their work and feeds back on any misconceptions that the students may have. Full functionality of the site will be explained to you when you join the school. For now, Hegarty Maths have created a section of the website called ‘Numerise’. This is aimed specifically at students transitioning from Year 6 into Year 7 in light of the recent closures. Create your own login and spend some time practising the skills required for secondary maths. Certificates will be available for students who complete the course of 12 lessons. Have fun!

We look forward to welcoming you in the new school year.

Science

At Stoke Newington School, we look to develop all our students as outstanding scientists. We place practical skills at the heart of the curriculum, with pupils given the opportunity to plan, carry out, and evaluate different investigations. We also look to develop pupils’ critical thinking skills as well as an awareness of the Science’s importance in society. Pupils are taught in mixed ability classes; we aim to challenge all our pupils to make outstanding progress in the subject. We look forward to meeting you all in September.

Complete this Science transition activity!

History

History Department Time Capsule Project

We want to help future historians by telling them what life has been like in 2020. There have been lots of world events that will be very important for future generations to know and understand.

We need your help! We would like to bury a time capsule under SNS playground, and include one piece of work created by each of you - our new Year 7s. This could be anything that reflects your experiences of 2020. It could be:

• a diary detailing what life in lockdown has been like
• a poem
• a newspaper article you have written about events
• a drawing
• a cartoon or comic strip
• a short story
• photographs (that we can print out)
• lyrics to your favourite song…or anything else creative you can think of!

Living through lockdown worksheet