The transition from Year 6 to Year 7 isn't something that just happens. It is a carefully crafted journey, and one that I have had much cause to reflect on lately.
I have taught introductory lessons to students when they visit for full-day high school transition programs. I have organised performance events specifically for Year 6 students to come and watch. I have taught Year 7 students who are finding their way — and yes, they really do get lost a lot!
But I have also seen this transition from the primary school perspective. The excitement, the anxiety and the unknown are all very real for our Year 6 students as they prepare to move from a place where they feel comfortable and safe into an unfamiliar world. Often, that world is much bigger, with a huge amount of new information to process. Routines are different. Expectations are different. But perhaps most significantly, students need to learn a whole new level of independence.
Having seen the transition from both sides, I can now fully appreciate the value and purpose of a gradual transition program — one that provides students with multiple opportunities to interact with their new environment, become familiar with the people and places around them, and begin to build confidence before they officially make the move.
This year, I am looking at the transition through another lens entirely. My daughter, Miss E, is in Year 5. That means we are beginning to have serious conversations about her needs and interests, what options are available, and what the next few years might look like for all of us. It also means that I am looking at transition programs through the lens of a parent.
Will this help my child?
What does she need to navigate this journey?
What information will help her feel prepared?
What can she do when something doesn't go according to plan?
And so, now felt like a particularly poignant time to create a social story about that journey. This resource is not designed to replace the booklet that a high school will likely provide. That booklet has an important job to do. It will contain the practical What, Where, Why and When information students and families need to know about their new school. Miss Cat Creates Social Stories are about something slightly different.
They are about the HOW.
How do I do this?
What will it feel like?
What can I do when something goes wrong?
Starting high school is a big transition. Students do not need to know everything on their first day. They need opportunities to learn, practise, ask questions, make mistakes, try again and gradually build their independence.
That philosophy is at the heart of every Miss Cat Creates resource, because every child has the right to know what to expect — and to have practical strategies to help them navigate what comes next.
