Never Say Goodbye

Our year one children held their graduation ceremony. This year group have faced many challenges with Covid interrupting their education in 2020 and again this year. However, this is a year group filled with resilience and fun. They have taken every challenge and turned it into an opportunity to grow and learn. They are enthusiastic, lively, fun and ready to take on anything the new school year brings to them. Most of the children will continue at Wellington, some will move to new schools- Wherever they are, they are Wellingtonians through and through. They take with them a set of values that they can use throughout their lives.

We wish all our year 1 children good luck, and we know they will continue to always try their best, never give up and work hard to achieve everything they deserve. We are proud of you all.

Well done to our graduating class of 2022!

Transition from Year 1

Formally, the transition from the Wellington Nest refers to pupils having completed all the learning goals of the Early Years phase and the readiness of children to move to the Junior School. This process includes the sharing of information on pupil attainment between parents and the school. However, all teachers and parents of children this age know that there is so much more involved. It could well be said that the move from year1 in the Nest to year2 in the Junior School is the beginning of a journey into formal education. 

Various studies have concluded that the opportunity for positive transition experiences can predict future success in terms of social and emotional outcomes and educational ones. With this in mind, the management and teaching staff of the Nest and Junior School have worked together with children and parents to offer this experience. 

As of last year, the teaching staff have agreed that an essential aspect of our plan was to create positive relationships in an exciting and familiar environment. Play is the international language of childhood, so it was a fitting starting point. Unfortunately, with all the interruptions to our campus life by the repeated lockdowns, many of our activities have had to be adjusted and rearranged.

On their return to school during the Lent Term, year 1 children were taken to the Nest dining hall, where they were responsible for dishing out their own food, assisting their peers and clearing away their dishes. They also shared a snack with year2 and were introduced to the big playground. To adults, this is a sports field where children run and play. To our year 1 children, this was the first time they were being treated like Junior School children, and that meant that they were finally, no longer little children. This was the first successful step in the transition plan; the feeling of accomplishment and belonging in our children moving up to the Junior School. 

Year 1 Open Morning in the Junior School

The key ideas of good practice in successful transitions include recognising that all children are unique and that even confident children may feel vulnerable and nervous in new surroundings. By sharing experiences and opportunities for collaborative learning over the Summer term, we have encouraged positive relationships between adults and pupils. The year 2 team has demonstrated to our children that the next phase here at Wellington will be a natural and comfortable continuation of the child-led and enquiry-based learning with which they are so familiar from the Nest.

Children will cope better in environments where conditions are similar, where communication is encouraged, and new teachers are welcoming. We trust that the gradual process of adapting to a new learning area that our pupils have experienced over the term will help them successfully manage all the emotions which come with change.