Quick Links

Quick Links

Claydon High School

  • SearchSearch Site
  • Translate Translate Page

Year 7 Transition

Welcome future Year 7 students!

Meet some of our staff...

Ms Taylor - Headteacher

Dear future Year 7s

I have met many of you at Open Evening, Open Morning and through the Primary Schools and cannot wait to meet you all and welcome you to Claydon High School. I hope my welcome presentation video and the information on the accompanying slides and on this website will answer any questions you may have, but if not, please do not hesitate to get in touch.  I look forward to meeting you all soon!  

 

 

Ms Martin - Head of Year   

Hello future Year 7s!

I would like to introduce myself to you as your new Head of Year. I am really excited about meeting you, your families and getting to know you all.  My job is to help and support you in your next stage of learning. Please watch my virtual assembly where I introduce myself and explain in more detail what you can expect when you start with us at Claydon High School.

We will meet every week for assemblies which are a great opportunity for us all to be together as a year group and explore different themes and celebrate success. 

We love to give praise at school and one of the best parts of my job is sharing your successes and being a part of celebrating your achievements as much as possible. We issue certificates for a variety of achievements and it gives us a chance to celebrate your individual and collective successes.

As part of the Student Standards Team, I am here to look after your pastoral needs. To make sure you are settling in well and to help support you. Your tutors will see you every morning and as a team we help you to ‘be the best you can be’.

 

Mrs Steele, Senior Student Manager    Student Standards Team (SST)          

My name is Mrs Steele and I am one of the Student Standards Team at Claydon High School. At this time of year I would be contacting your primary school to come and visit each and every one of you to introduce myself personally, answer any questions you may have about high school and to let you know all of the support that we can offer. Things are very different at the moment so I will be reaching out to you by way of the school website and the booklet you have been sent.  

Starting high school is a very exciting time for new students so please do not worry. Many of you will be wondering about if you might get lost, make new friends and homework but these are all questions that I hope will be answered in the next sections. In addition, the BBC have published an online guide to starting secondary school which contains several different 'child friendly' videos and articles aimed at alleviating the most common worries.  

One of the most exciting parts of high school is meeting new people. This will be made a lot easier by being placed into your tutor group. Your tutor group is the most important class that you will have at school. You will stay in the same one for 5 years and build a strong positive relationship with your tutor. You will meet every morning to register and prepare yourself for a day of learning. Your tutor will always be there to support you as well as your fellow tutees, many of whom you will form strong friendships with. 

We will keep in contact with your schools to try and find out as much information about you as we can which will help us to offer the best support possible. We also want to hear from you too,  so we have put together some little projects (please go to the bottom of the page) that you can do at home and send back to us, so we can build a picture of who you are.  

If you have any questions, you and your parents/carers can email the school via transition@claydonhigh.com and either myself or a member of the team will get back to you. 

 The rest of the Student Standards Team (SST)

Mr Sim - Assistant Headteacher

Mr Sim leads the Student Support Team. He will work closely with the team and the Senior Leadership Team in order to provide the best support for all students whilst also maintaining the highest standards of attitude to learning and behaviour in order to help students ‘be the best they can be’. Mr Sim is also a point of contact for families that may seek financial support and who qualify for free school meals. 

 

Mr Pope - SENDCo

Mr Pope helps to organise support for any students who many find it more difficult to learn. This could be through the use of one of our Learning Support Assistants (LSAs) who may sometimes join you in class for extra help if needed. It could also be in the form of small group work first thing in the morning or by working with your teachers who will offer advice and guidance on how best to support you in the classroom. Your parents/carers are able to contact Mr Pope and have a conversation about how we can meet your needs.

Mrs Rodd - Student Manager (Online Safety and Mental Health)

It is Mrs Steele and Mrs Rodd’s role to look out for students and provide support to you and your family when needed. They do not teach in the classroom which makes them an excellent port of call for students and parents/carers as they are easier to locate. Students are welcome to come and see them before school, during school, at break and lunchtime and after school (if you are not getting a bus home). You can speak to them about anything that is worrying you.  It may be a friendship issue or something that you are finding particularly difficult to deal with at home. 

School Uniform

You will be required to wear a school uniform and details of what you will need and where it can be purchased from is listed on our uniform page. 

Please read the information below which relates to uniform ordering during the Covid 19 pandemic.

         School Uniform Covid 19 Update             PMG Update              Coes Information   

Timetable

High School is very different from primary school. You do not stay in the same classroom all day and will move around to your different lessons. Here is an idea of what your day could look like:

Did you know that we have a school minibus that can take students home after extra-curricular clubs for only 50p! Please note that the minibus only drops off in rural catchment areas and not Ipswich town postcodes that are served by regular public transport.

  Planners

On your first day of school you will be given a copy of your timetable and a school planner. The planner is to help you keep organised. You write your homework in it, parents/carers can write messages to your tutor and teachers can write messages to your parents/carers.

There is also a lot of useful information the planner which will help you including a map of the school and key hints and tips for helping you to improve your learning. 

You must take your planner to school every day and have it ready for each lesson. You must make sure that every day you show your parent/carer your planner when you get home so they can help you organise your homework if needed. 

At the beginning of every week you need to ask your parent/carer to sign your planner so the school and home can work together to best support you. 

Here is an example of a weekly planner page and how to complete it:

Equipment

You will need to bring into school each day the following equipment:

Bus Information

 

If you are arriving or leaving school via a school bus, this is where you are dropped off and collected - it is behind the Main Hall.  

If you travel home on a bus at the end of the school day you must go to either a specific English classroom or the hall when the final bell goes. A teacher will then tell you when the bus is ready for you to get on it. 

Parents/carers of all Year 6 students that are eligible for school transport from September were emailed on 6th March with details on how to apply. The closing date was 31.05.20. Please follow this link for opt-in information  https://www.suffolkonboard.com/school-travel/.

Young Carers

Some of our students have family members who need a bit of extra help.  It could be they are disabled physically, have a medical condition and/or they have mental health needs.  Our students often need to do that bit more at home – housework, shopping, looking after younger siblings, or just being there to listen when necessary.   

Some of our students are registered with Suffolk Family Carers and we have a key worker who comes into school to speak and support our Young Carers.  You may well be a Young Carer already. Myself and Mrs Byam look after the Young Carers in school and hold monthly lunchtime drop-ins, where you can come along, with a friend if you wish and just get together.  Or if you think you may be a Young Carer, then you would be welcome to discuss it with us. There will always be some cakes to enjoy!   Please click to go to the young carers page.

Some welcome words from our Y11 Student Leadership Team

I attended Claydon Primary School and so felt quite lucky that most of my friends would be attending Claydon High because it was just across the road. However, I soon found that this wasn’t important. I quickly made new friends with lots of people! Now, in year 11, my closest friends aren’t even from my primary school. 

From my experience at Claydon High School, I would say if you stay organised, be polite and smile at others passing by, and shoot for the stars, you’ll go far! Claydon High has always been supportive with students’ goals and aspirations, so aim high! 

High school may seem big and daunting at first, but be patient. Don’t be afraid to ask someone for help; every student has been in Year 7 before and knows exactly how you feel. I hope you enjoy your time at Claydon High as much as I did! 

Year 11 Head Student

 

When I started at Claydon High School I only knew one other pupil coming to Claydon from my primary school so I felt a bit scared but I mainly felt excited to make new friends and try new things. This came true straight away and I made lots of new friends and during the past five years I have found myself creating lots of new relationships with friends and teachers, taking on many new challenges and developing lots of new skills. There is an endless list when it comes to remembering all of the memories that I have made but some that really stand out to me include: Year 7 camp to Mersea Island, Year 10 ski trip to Austria; and the annual fundraising events such as the Fun Run. I have really enjoyed my time at Claydon and have been given countless opportunities such as visiting Cadbury World and Ipswich Town Football Club, participating in Suffolk Top Leader Programme, becoming a Sports Leader and Prefect and have been honoured to represent the school as a Head Student. Good luck and remember the school motto to 'be the best you can be'. 

Year 11 Head Student

 

My best memories of my time at Claydon are the opportunities I was given to make the most of my time at high school. Being involved with concerts every year, netball matches, the chance to have my voice heard and making lifelong friends. Moving up to high school was a big change but I found that everyone at Claydon was as friendly and welcoming as I could have hoped for. 

Year 11 Deputy Head Student

 

Nearly five years ago, it was my first day at Claydon High School and I was feeling a bit nervous and not sure what to expect. I thought I would get lost as I wasn’t used to the size of the school! However, I soon found my way around and the older students were always happy to help. All the teachers have been very welcoming and encouraging during my time here. Languages have been something I’ve enjoyed studying at Claydon and the teachers have helped me to improve my French. As well as lessons, I was also able to get involved with public speaking and debate competitions between Claydon and other local schools. One of my favourite memories of my time at Claydon was visiting France and Belgium on the Battlefields trip. While some parts were serious and showed how horrific the war was, I enjoyed walking inside trenches and tunnels, travelling to different places and spending time with my friends. Another memory which stands out for me was my work experience placement in Year 10. I spent a week with Suffolk Wildlife Trust, running pond dipping sessions with primary schools and helping out on their nature reserves. I’ve enjoyed my time at Claydon High School, and I’m sure you will too. 

Year 11 Senior Prefect - School Council

 

When I first started high school, I had a few worries, such as if I would get lost, if I would be late to lessons and how much homework I would get. However, within the first few weeks of settling in, and with the help of fellow students and my teachers, I soon settled in and realised that I had nothing to worry about. I soon adapted to my new routine and the amount of homework was not overwhelming. If I did have a worry, my teachers were very approachable and there to support me when I needed help. Throughout my time at Claydon High, I have had many great experiences. The school offers lots of clubs and activities that are sport and work based during lunch times, and you can even get involved outside of school! I went on many great school trips, ranging from visiting zoos and Cadbury’s World, but my favourite of them all was the Duke of Edinburgh Award Scheme.  From this residential trip, I gained more confidence and resilience, and most importantly had a good time with my friends. As well as this, the school gave me the opportunity to become a prefect and help out other students, such as yourselves. Maybe one day you can become a prefect and help out others too! I hope you enjoy your time at Claydon High School as much as I did!

Year 11 Senior Prefect - Charity

 

Transition Activities 

English Transition Activity

Maths Transition Activity

Science Transition Activity

History Transition Activity

MFL Transition Activity

DT Transition Activity

Arts Transition Activity

 

Please send back your completed projects to transition@claydonhigh.com.

We look forward to meeting you all in September.

Further Resources

Parent Pack

Attendance Booklet