What strong Year 7 attendance in Manchester tells us about effective transition

When transition is done well, its impact is often visible far sooner than expected. Not just seen years later in outcome data, but in the attitude of the learners in the first few weeks of a new term.

As schools and local authorities prepare for another transition window, with new cohort data being finalised and shared ahead of September, one message is increasingly clear: early insight is key to a successful transition.

Across the system, professionals already hold valuable information about children and young people. What helps them feel safe. What has worked well before. Where there are emerging needs, vulnerabilities, or strengths that should shape support. Too often, however, this insight remains fragmented across phases, teams, and systems, meaning each transition risks becoming a reset rather than a continuation.

When insight is shared early, the difference can be immediate.

This has been evident in Manchester. Reflecting on the first half term for Year 7 learners, Keith Bardsley, Senior Schools Quality Assurance Officer at Manchester City Council, shared:

“For the first half term in Manchester, Year 7 have had the strongest attendance for all year groups. This is testament to the hard work of our schools and the way they have embraced SixIntoSeven to open up more effective dialogue and to promote strong transition.”

Attendance data rarely shifts by chance. Early-term attendance, in particular, is a powerful indicator of whether learners feel secure, understood, and ready to engage. What Manchester’s experience highlights is not a single intervention, but a joined-up approach to transition that prioritises continuity and collaboration.

This is what early insight looks like in practice.

Receiving teams have a structured understanding of each learner before day one. Conversations with families and primary colleagues begin earlier and with greater confidence. Pastoral, SEND, and safeguarding teams are aligned around shared information rather than working reactively. Most importantly, learners arrive feeling known, supported, and more willing to attend.

At the heart of this approach is the Pupil Passport, a living profile that gathers and carries the information that changes outcomes. Rather than relying on last-minute handovers or informal knowledge, schools and local authorities are able to work from a shared, evolving picture of each child. Insight is not lost at transition points but built upon over time.

SixIntoSeven supports this process by giving secondary schools a clear, structured view of every incoming Year 6 learner, including pupil and parent voice, friendship considerations, attendance patterns, pastoral context, and strategies that already work. This enables more thoughtful tutor group planning, targeted early intervention, and stronger relationships from the outset.

The result is not just smoother transitions, but more stable starts: fewer timetable changes; earlier support where it is needed and attendance that holds up during a critical period.

This is not about adding another system or increasing workload. It is about designing transitions that allow insight to flow, so professionals can act earlier and more effectively, and learners experience continuity rather than disruption.

As the next cohort prepares to move on, the question for schools and local authorities is not whether early insight exists, but whether it is being shared in a way that supports belonging from day one.

If your ambition is to strengthen transitions, improve early-term attendance, and support learners before issues escalate, now is the time to act. Early insight, when shared well, delivers impact quickly.

If you would like to learn how authorities are using SixIntoSeven to achieve this, book a call with our team today.