The transition for a student between primary and secondary school can be an opportunity for churches to build on their children’s work, to integrate children into youthwork and potentially start something new with a focus on outreach. At Thrive, we are working with 10 different churches, connected to 12 different primary schools, to provide lessons which will aid year 6 as they think about their future.
Consistency in a time of change – the year 6-8 group
The life of the average 11-year-old is a time of great flux; most often, they will be changing their schools, going to secondary school and changing their friendship circles. The average age for the onset of puberty is 11 for girls and 12 for boys, right in the middle of this transition time of stepping up into secondary school, adding more uncertainty and anxiety to the mix.
This is a time when previously held norms no longer apply; young people experience a complete disruption to what has been a constant in the previous 7 years of education. They will have new experiences, different friends, a bigger setting, moving between lessons, increased homework, getting a bus to school, and learning French! All this change coming at once can be unsettling, and so the church can help young people navigate this time.
The Process
The transition process works with different elements forming a strategy working from the primary school in the summer term, building on assemblies and any other work with the primary school to present a transitions lesson – one that is dynamic, life-giving and memorable, then to a leavers’ service or assembly, which is a point of contact with school, young people and parents. At the leavers’ assembly there is an opportunity to invite young people to a reunion in the autumn term and later on regular youth ministry.
Loving the local primary school – transitions lessons and leavers’ assemblies
Helping the year 6 step up well and celebrate their time at primary school is a way to further bless the local primary schools as the church takes on a pastoral lead which the school may not have the time, or budget, to prepare. By taking on this role, the church is serving both the children and the staff of the school. It also provides some fun lessons after the Year 6 SATS before the end of the term.
A transition lesson is a great way to provide something that is useful to the school, meaningful for the pupils and fun. The lesson looks ahead to the exciting elements of moving school, addressing some of their fears and also bringing a Christian message.
A leavers’ assembly or service is the last act of the year 6, which gives a space for reflection on the school journey; it is also the last official time the young people will be in primary school. It is a great place to highlight future events during the summer and the following term, as well as talking to parents and potentially maintaining contact details.
Working with Year 6 in primary is a way of promoting mutual flourishing relationship between the church and schools. It builds relationships between leaders in the church and teachers, including headteachers, in the school.
The Growing Faith group in the Church of England have highlighted a triangle of connected relationships which are key to growing faith in children and young people: church, school & home. By working with a year 6 group to aid their transitions to secondary school, a church can strengthen the dialogue with the local school and may be invited to assist with other elements of school life, especially when it comes to faith matters. A closer relationship may lead to other opportunities within the school and the wider community.
Keeping connected – summer celebration
The six-week summer holiday is a long time, and contact between the leavers’ assembly and events in the new term can be lost. There is an opportunity to fill this gap with an event – a summer celebration. This could be a holiday club, a one-off or a series of events with the aim of bridging the gap between the summer term and the winter.
Reuniting friends – The Golden Ticket
The current reality of secondary school education is that children will leave their primary school and scatter into many different secondary schools. During one transition workshop in a school last summer, we counted 11 different secondary school destinations from two classes of year 6.
The Golden Ticket idea is simple – it is an invitation for the church to host a reunion gathering early in the autumn term. It provides a place for young people to reconnect with their former classmates in a fun and friendly way, usually over food and games. This can then form the basis of a group later as the reunion becomes a group in its own right, meeting regularly.
If there is a youth group already at your church, this is a good opportunity to personally invite the new Year 7s to help welcome and to integrate this new cohort into the established group. If this is done every year it will mean that the established group is constantly gaining new members as it continues to reach out.
It could be the springboard into a new, more outward-focused missional group with a more evangelistic focus to complement the established groups, such as Sunday discipleship groups or youth gatherings.
Something from nothing
One of the benefits of working with an established year 6 group as they scatter and go to different schools in year 7 is that you have a ready-formed cohort to work with, which would already have some relationship with the church due to the work done in year 6.
When starting a ministry from scratch, one of the hardest things to overcome in the first few sessions is attracting a critical mass of young people, working with the school in this transition period can bring large numbers of young people who had previously had little to no contact with the church to form a youth group. This works particularly well in rural contexts where young people go to different schools with very few alternative groups or amenities for young people in the village.
If you would like help with making the most of this annual opportunity, please do get in touch with the Thrive team as we would love to help.