With many of its new pupils joining from different primary schools, most new starters at Gloucester's The Crypt School likely won't know their future peers when they apply – so heading into Year 7, the leading grammar school provides them with a comprehensive programme of opportunities to get to know their classmates, along with their new surroundings.
SoGlos chats to chemistry teacher and head of Year 7, Henry Bowen, about how new students are supported to feel part of the school community, throughout their transition.
Henry, how are the Crypt’s latest cohort of Year 7s settling into life at their new school?
They've have settled in incredibly well! They're the lifeblood of the school's extra-curricular offer, with most students attending multiple clubs each week. As well as the traditional sports and music clubs we offer, they're also getting stuck in with things like Dungeons and Dragons and Warhammer clubs, Classics Club, Japanese Club and Rollercoaster Club.
Aside from that, they've settled in exceptionally well to their lessons, they earn lots of merits for effective participation. They've been able to support the wider life of the school by being tour guides and speakers at our open morning, too.
Talk us through the Crypt School’s primary transition programme – what opportunities are there for new students to get to know staff and their peers before they start?
Our transition programme for Year 7 is very comprehensive. Once students have been offered a place, they have a welcome webinar from our admissions officer and Mr Dyer, our headmaster. This covers the basic information for the remainder of the process.
We then go to visit each student in their primary school setting. This allows us to find a little bit about each student joining us, such as their hobbies and interests, their favourite subject and any worries they might have about starting secondary school.
Students and parents then come to school for the first time, for our 'meet the tutor' evening. Parents get to hear from me, Mr Dyer and Mrs Hargraves - deputy head and safeguarding, inclusion and wellbeing lead; and students get to meet their form tutor and their new classmates. They run through some icebreakers and getting-to-know-you activities, so that they will have some familiar faces they can recognise ahead of starting in September.
This is doubly important for us at Crypt because students come to us from so many primary schools. The average Crypt student will be the only one attending from their primary school so we feel it is vital to give them as many opportunities as possible to meet their peers before September.
Students then come to school for their transition day towards the end of the summer term. They have several taster lessons in different subjects so that they can meet some of our amazing staff and have a musical warm-up with the ever-enthusiastic Mr Whittaker!
They get to hear from Mr Dyer about his hopes and aspirations for their Crypt journey; and again perhaps most importantly, they get to spend another day with their new classmates, forming the first bonds of friendship that they will carry with them through their school journey. Students can also attend the summer sports camp led by our former Olympian, Mr Hart.
What about when school starts?
Induction day in September sees only Year 7 in school, so that they can navigate their way around the site without the hustle-and-bustle of the older students. They will have an orientation session so that they can explore the school freely and find their way around, as well as sessions from their tutors and me on our school expectations and values; and how to look after their own wellbeing as they make the transition to secondary school. They also get a reduced homework timetable in the first term and can leave early at lunchtime and home time.
All students will have a form tutor that they see first thing every morning. This person is their first port of call when they have any issues and they will always make an effort to check in with their tutees frequently, to see how they are getting on.
How does the Crypt help Year 7 students to feel part of the school community during their first year?
Year 7 students become embedded into our school community in so many ways. All students are part of a school house, which compete against other houses in weekly competitions. There are traditional competitions in sports and music, but Mr Hart comes up with new and inventive games every year, like house paper aeroplane throwing, house Christmas carolling and his famous 'Hartball'!
Year 7 tutor groups also have a visit from their allocated Sixth Form prefects every Friday, where they will play games or run quizzes with their tutor group. This allows students to spend lots of time with our best role models from the older years. The prefects also run student voice (school parliament) sessions with Year 7, so that we can take on board their feedback and make our school an even better place.
Most of our clubs and lunchtime activities also run across the year groups, so students who make the most of our extra-curricular offer will become embedded in the school community almost straight away! That being said, we do also run a lot of Year 7-only clubs and activities, so that we still build cohesion within the year group.
Students also get protected areas around site designated for their year group at break and lunchtime. For Year 7 that means that they have the E block quiet area to themselves.
What’s on the curriculum for new Year 7 students?
We have a broad and balanced curriculum which combines the traditional academic subjects with developing students' broader skills and knowledge of the wider world.
Students will have lessons in maths, English, science, the arts, humanities and creative subjects; as well as learning about things more relevant to them and their development in PED (personal education and development).
We have an outstanding teaching staff made up of subject experts, as well as excellent facilities to support a very practical and hands-on curriculum, for instance our drama studio, music room and our science labs. I would strongly encourage prospective parents to come to our open days and evenings to get a feel for our school environment.
Finally, what is your favourite thing about being head of Year 7 at the Crypt – and about life at the school in general?
I take great pride in being the head of Year 7 at Crypt; I am responsible for making sure all our Year 7 pupils are safe and well, are making the most out of their Crypt experience – and are behaving themselves! I always tell the pupils when I first meet them that I would have given anything to be able to attend a school like the Crypt when I was growing up.
My favourite thing about being head of year are those wonderful individual moments when a pupil blows you away with something that they have done, like watching our students speak at open morning, or receive a headmaster's commendation for an outstanding project or piece of work, or when they step outside of their comfort zone and tackle their fears on our school residential.
I feel very privileged to work at the Crypt and to
teach our wonderful students who have a love for learning. My day is so varied,
from looking after our youngest pupils while they
navigate through their transition, to teaching chemistry to our outstanding
Sixth Formers who have aspirations to pursue science and medicine in their
careers.
