A PARTNERSHIP TO LAST AND SUPPORT
We are delighted that you have chosen Countesthorpe Academy. We are looking forward to working with you and your child on the next stage of their educational journey towards success.
We will be working together for the next five and in many cases seven years. We are committed to making sure that we offer opportunities for your child to develop and grow into a confident, capable, resilient and independent young adult ready for the challenges of modern life.
We are aware that you may have many questions. Starting a new school is a time of great potential – and if we are honest, quite a few anxieties never more so than this year. Between now and the start of next academic year, you will receive information from our specialist Transition Team. Some of this will be purely practical such as information about uniform, buses, times of the day, but there will also be opportunities to ask questions and get information about other things which you may be thinking (or worrying) about.
During the course of this half-term, we will keep you up to date through traditional methods such as letters, but please check in with our website and social media for additional video clips and updates. We will also have a section of Frequently Asked Questions and key dates.
Now you have had your place at the Academy confirmed, we will work closely with your child’s primary school teachers to understand the achievements and progress they have already made. Also we will find out where they might need support. This will include students who have an Education Healthcare Plan. The Academy’s SEND Co-ordinator will have oversight of this and you will be contacted directly if additional support through the transition process is required.
“To be the best you can be” is our ambition for all our students and the detailed information we get regarding your child from their primary school will be our starting point in order help achieve academic progress.
The question of tutor groups is undoubtedly a focus for some children. The allocation of tutor groups is a lengthy and painstaking process where we take all of the information we have about your child into consideration. Finalising tutor groups will not therefore happen for some time, so please be patient with us.
Our Transition Team would normally visit primary schools to talk about the differences between secondary school and primary school, one of which is that you are not with your class group all day every day. If this is a concern for your child, it might be worth emphasising this point. We also build in exciting opportunities to make new friends which will happen from the moment that they arrive at the Academy in the new academic year.