How Pupil Pathways Supports SEND School Transitions Through StepIntoSchool and SixIntoSeven
How Pupil Pathways Supports SEND School Transitions Through StepIntoSchool and SixIntoSeven
For pupils with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND), every educational school transition can bring uncertainty. Whether moving through early years provision or navigating the critical year 7 transition from primary to secondary school, these moments can significantly shape a child’s confidence, wellbeing and long-term engagement with education.
At Pupil Pathways, we believe transitions should not be periods of disruption or anxiety. They should be opportunities for confidence building, clarity and continuity. When handled well, transitions strengthen relationships, accelerate early support and create a foundation for belonging.
Our two connected transition portals, StepIntoSchool for early years and primary transitions, SixIntoSeven for the year 6 to year 7 transition, are designed to make that vision a practical reality for schools, MATs and local authorities.
Recent research consistently shows that SEND pupils experience disproportionate challenges during periods of change. Studies highlight dips in confidence, emotional wellbeing and academic engagement as pupils enter new environments. Large scale transition research, including the STARS programme, demonstrates that continuity of learning and early collaboration lead to smoother adjustment and reduced anxiety for SEND pupils.
Our mission at Pupil Pathways is simple: to ensure no pupil, especially those with additional needs, navigates transition alone, particularly during the critical early years or year 6 to year 7 transition, and to equip educators with the high-quality information and collaborative tools they need from day one.
Why SEND Transitions Matter More Than Ever
Across the UK, the number of pupils identified with SEND continues to rise, and the complexity of needs is increasing. Schools are supporting higher proportions of pupils with social, emotional and mental health needs, communication difficulties, sensory processing challenges and neurodivergent profiles.
For many SEND pupils, transitions present particular difficulties, including:
- Navigating unfamiliar environments
- Coping with changes in routine
- Managing new social settings
- Adjusting to increased academic expectations
- Experiencing sensory overwhelm
During the year 7 transition, these factors are amplified. Pupils move from a smaller, familiar primary setting into a larger secondary environment with multiple teachers, different classrooms, new peer groups and increased organisational demands. Research across England and Wales have identified what is often referred to as the transition dip, a temporary decline in engagement, wellbeing and sometimes attainment during the first term of Year 7.
SEND leaders consistently highlight that schools embedding evidence informed transition support see fewer issues with emotional regulation, behaviour and academic confidence. This is widely discussed across the sector, including in coverage by TES: https://www.tes.com
This is precisely where the StepIntoSchool and SixIntoSeven transition portals play a pivotal role.
StepIntoSchool: Laying the Foundations for Early SEND Success
While the year 7 transition is often the most discussed phase change, early transitions are equally critical. StepIntoSchool focuses on early phase transitions, including EYFS to Key Stage 1 in primary settings.
For SEND pupils, these early transitions establish the foundations for long term success. Early identification, early planning and early intervention significantly improve outcomes. When Reception teachers receive accurate information about communication preferences, sensory triggers or successful strategies before a child starts school, the first days are calmer and more predictable.
StepIntoSchool ensures this process is structured rather than informal.
How StepIntoSchool Supports SEND Pupils
Personalised Transition Profiles
StepIntoSchool enables schools and early years settings to create individualised profiles that travel with the pupil. These profiles include:
- Key SEND needs
- EHCP documentation
- Support strategies that work
- Communication preferences
- Sensory considerations
- Medical notes where relevant
- Social and emotional context
Research consistently emphasises that timely and accurate information sharing is essential in ensuring pupils with SEND experience stable transitions. This is reinforced in SEND pathway guidance such as: https://www.sendpathways.co.uk
By centralising this data in a structured format, StepIntoSchool ensures continuity from the very beginning of a child’s educational journey.
Collaborative Conversations with Families and SEND Professionals
The SEND Code of Practice makes clear that transition planning must be proactive, personalised and outcome driven. The StepIntoSchool transition portal supports consistency, collaboration and compliance for:
- Class teachers
- SENCOs
- Early years practitioners
Guidance around effective SEND planning and proactive transition processes is further outlined within SEND best practice frameworks, including: https://www.sendpathways.co.uk
Families often report that they are asked to repeat the same information at every transition point. The StepIntoSchool transition portal reduces duplication and ensures parental insight forms part of the documented transition record.
When collaboration is embedded early, the pathway into later transitions, including the year 6 to year 7 transition, becomes significantly smoother.
SixIntoSeven: A Next Level Transition Platform for SEND Pupils Entering Secondary School
The year 6 to year 7 transition is one of the most significant transitions a child will face. It marks a shift not only in academic structure but in social identity and personal independence.
SixIntoSeven was built specifically to streamline and strengthen the sharing of essential pupil information between primary and secondary settings during the year 7 transition.
It has been widely adopted by schools and local authorities because it directly addresses longstanding barriers to successful SEND transition.
Historically, schools have struggled with:
- Inconsistent data formats
- GDPR risks associated with email and spreadsheets
- Lost or incomplete SEND information
- Delayed communication between phases
- Lack of nuanced personal insight about individual pupils
As highlighted by sector organisations including BESA, inefficient data handling and inconsistent processes have long been recognised as barriers within school systems: https://www.besa.org.uk
As a result, secondary schools often welcomed pupils in September without a full understanding of their learning profiles, triggers or successful strategies. For SEND pupils, this lack of preparation could contribute to disengagement, anxiety or behavioural escalation during the crucial first term of Year 7.
The SixIntoSeven transition portal replaces this fragmented process with a coherent digital transition infrastructure.
How SixIntoSeven Transforms the Year 7 Transition
A Standardised SEND Specific Data Format
Developed collaboratively with SENCOs and transition leads, SixIntoSeven provides a structured framework for sharing information during the year 6 to year 7 transition.
Secondary schools receive:
- Key learning needs
- Emotional and social information
- EHCP documentation
- Strategies that work and those that do not
- Pastoral considerations
- Medical and sensory notes
- Contextual safeguarding information where appropriate
Because the format is consistent across feeder primaries, secondary leaders receive comparable, reliable information for their entire Year 7 cohort.
GDPR Secure Digital Data Sharing
Data protection is a significant concern during transition. SixIntoSeven eliminates insecure email chains, uncontrolled spreadsheets and paper trails. All information is shared within a secure, purpose-built environment.
Local authorities frequently identify manual data sharing processes as both inefficient and risky. Moving to secure digital systems aligns with sector guidance and good governance principles.
Voice Memo Features for Richer Context
One of the most valued features during the year 7 transition is the ability to attach voice notes from Year 6 teachers, SENCOs or support staff.
Written data captures key facts. Voice memos capture nuance.
A teacher explaining how a pupil responds to praise, what helps them regulate when overwhelmed, or how they navigate friendship groups provides depth that cannot be conveyed through tick boxes alone.
This additional context supports secondary staff in building rapport quickly and sensitively.
Early Planning for Every SEND Pupil
Perhaps the most significant impact of SixIntoSeven during the year 6 to year 7 transition is the timing of information sharing.
Secondary teachers receive detailed pupil information well before pupils arrive in September. This enables:
- Timetabling adjustments
- Sensory friendly classroom planning
- Resource allocation
- Teaching assistant deployment
- Pastoral support planning
- Early identification of vulnerable pupils
Teachers consistently report that having this insight ahead of time makes the Year 7 intake significantly easier to manage and more positive for pupils.
The Impact: More Confidence, Less Anxiety, Better Outcomes
SEND pupils supported through the StepIntoSchool and SixIntoSeven transition portals experience measurable benefits.
These include:
- Smoother early transitions
- Reduced anxiety during the year 7 transition
- Faster settling in periods
- Stronger early relationships with staff
- Earlier targeted interventions
- Improved attendance
- Increased engagement in learning
Research repeatedly shows that effective communication and continuity are defining factors in preventing SEND pupils from feeling marginalised or overwhelmed during transition.
The year 6 to year 7 transition does not have to involve a dip in confidence. With structured planning, secure information sharing and collaborative preparation, it can instead become a moment of empowerment.
Our platforms ensure that communication happens deliberately, consistently and compassionately.
A More Connected, Compassionate Transition System
At Pupil Pathways, we believe supporting SEND pupils is a collective responsibility. It is not solely the remit of the SENCO. It involves teachers, leaders, families and local authorities working in partnership across phases.
StepIntoSchool creates stability and understanding during early transitions, ensuring that pupils begin school with a documented foundation of support.
SixIntoSeven ensures that every SEND pupil entering secondary school during the year 6 to year 7 transition is seen, heard, known and supported from the first day of Year 7.
Together, these platforms form a coherent transition journey built on continuity, evidence and empathy.
In a system where SEND need is rising and school capacity is stretched, structured transition infrastructure is no longer optional. It is essential.
The year 7 transition should not represent a reset. It should represent progression.
With StepIntoSchool and SixIntoSeven, transition becomes intentional, informed and inclusive.
No lost information.
No repeated stories.
No unsupported arrivals.
Just confident pupils, prepared staff and connected systems working together to ensure that no learner is left behind.
For more information or to arrange a demo to see how our solutions could optimise your LA, School or MAT’s transition processes, email us at hello@pupilpathways.com.
