Case Study: How SixIntoSeven helped save time, reduce workload, and improve transition outcomes for pupils at Pikes Lane Primary School
THE CHALLENGE
Pikes Lane Primary School in Bolton supports around 519 pupils in a highly deprived area within Bolton. Each year, around 60 children transition from Year 6 to Year 7, heading to as many as 15 different secondary schools with Rachel Burke, Pastoral Lead taking ownership on the process.
Managing these transitions used to involve multiple face-to-face meetings between staff and receiving schools, alongside lengthy paperwork and follow-up calls. As Pastoral Lead, Rachel Burke worked closely with the SENCO and Year 6 team to coordinate these efforts, a process that often took up much of the summer term.
This approach presented three main issues:
Time-intensive coordination, where key staff were being pulled away from other priorities.
Inconsistent handovers, with information often recorded manually or informally, and occasionally key data being missed.
Concerns about data security, particularly when sharing sensitive safeguarding details from school to school.
The school needed a more efficient, compliant, and consistent system to manage pupil transition, especially for SEND, disadvantaged and vulnerable learners.
“We had 60 children going to 15 different schools. That’s a lot of meetings. And it wasn’t just me. The SENCO and Year 6 teachers were all pulled into those meetings, taking time away from pupils”
THE SOLUTION
Reclaiming time and improving consistency
Pikes Lane adopted SixIntoSeven, a secure digital platform designed to streamline pupil transition between schools. The implementation process was straightforward. Staff were onboarded quickly, using their Google accounts to access the system, and received clear guidance and support from the Pupil Pathways team
The platform allowed the school to upload structured data about each pupil including academic, safeguarding, attendance, and SEND information, and share this securely with receiving schools.
Using SixIntoSeven led to an immediate reduction in the time required to manage transitions. What previously took several weeks now takes just a few afternoons for the core team. Staff no longer need to spend time arranging multiple meetings, as key information is uploaded and visible to secondary schools in one place.
Rachel explained: “I used two KIT (Keeping in touch) afternoons while on maternity leave to do my part. That shows how much time it’s saved.”
THE IMPACT
Using SixIntoSeven has delivered a range of practical benefits for Pikes Lane including:
Significant time savings: Transition coordination now taking a fraction of the time previously required
Improved data accuracy: Standardised templates ensuring consistent information sharing across all pupils
Secure and GDPR-compliant: Confidential data is now transferred securely, reducing reliance on informal methods
Better continuity for pupils: Secondary schools are receiving early access to key details, particularly for the focus cohort of SEND, disadvantage and vulnerable children
Streamlined communication: Built-in status tracking allows staff to mark when their sections are complete, avoiding duplication or missed steps
Supporting pupils needs, not just passing data
A notable shift since adopting SixIntoSeven has been the ability to focus more on pupil needs rather than just collecting basic data. By streamlining the admin process, staff now have more time to reflect on what has worked for each child and ensure that support continues into secondary school.
This is particularly valuable for safeguarding and SEND cases. Information that was once prone to being lost in conversation or handwritten notes is now logged, tracked, and transferred in a structured and timely way.
A more manageable transition
Staff buy-in was strong from the outset. While some secondary schools continue to request meetings or duplicate forms, Rachel and the team have been clear about using the platform as their primary method for sharing information. This has helped them maintain boundaries and avoid duplicating work.
“We’ve said no to meetings that aren’t required because we’ve uploaded everything you need. We’re happy to meet about the most vulnerable pupils, but not every child. It’s helped us manage our workload better.”
LOOKING AHEAD
Now in their third year of using the platform, Pikes Lane Primary continues to see strong benefits in terms of time saved, workload reduced, and more confident transitions for pupils.
Rachel summarises: