Transition in Term 3: what can I do with KS2-3?

Typically, transition rears its beautiful head in term 6, and is back in oblivion by October. So what things can we be doing in January and February to coax it into staying around all year and easing the load at the start of the next academic year? 

If you're going to do one thing in this super busy term, make it a moderation meeting. It's highly likely that primary and secondary schools across the country are trying to set and maintain a standard for this year's cohort, so it's highly likely that there will be moderation meetings happening anyway. Rather than adding yet another priority to the list that is no doubt already longer than your arm, adapt what is already happening so that it covers twice the work in half the time. 

Step 1:

Coordinate with other phases. Find out who is moderating and when, and compromise so that you can all meet at the same time.

Step 2:

If setting one location is impractical or adds needless travel time, agree on resources that need to be shared and prepare and send these in advance. 

Step 3:

Decide on a shared focus area. If you are secondary based and the core focus is moderating Year 10 internal exams, a small percentage of your faculty could look at Y5/6 marked assessments and make notes comparing the two. What areas do KS2 excel in, that Y10 perhaps do not? How might these be overcome within the KS3 curriculum? What are the strengths of the Y10 assessments that show clear improvement from KS2? Primary colleagues could follow a similar structure, instead evaluating the strengths and possible areas for improvement in how certain concepts and skills are taught and embedded in KS2. 

Step 4:

Share findings and agree next steps.