Why transition can no longer be a messy nuisance that is too difficult to fix

A blog from Duncan Baldwin

Collaboration is the answer. Now, what’s the question?

Some years ago, I was trying to solve a problem which was afflicting head teachers following the introduction of Progress 8. How could they know their scores faster than the interminable weeks taken by the DfE to publish them? The key was getting schools to collaborate; if they shared some of their data and enlisted the help of a trusted provider, they could get a close enough answer in a few days rather than several weeks.

It was a success. Several providers now produce indicative Progress 8 scores and it’s now become business as usual.

If schools collaborated over their data, what else could be done differently: faster, better, leading to better experiences for learners, teachers and leaders?

One of the answers to that question was primary to secondary transition. Our system, which places great emphasis on parental choice, has led to a chaotic, risk-laden and workload intensive period of interaction between primary and secondary schools. When places are allocated, there is a mad rush to gather information. The burden on primary schools is far too high as multiple secondary schools ask them similar, but frustratingly different, questions and request this using a variety of formats ranging from secure electronic files through to highly insecure pen and paper. Everyone knows the system is ridiculous, but how do you fix it? Again, the answer is simple enough: collaboration.

Pupil Pathways developed a GDPR compliant platform during the pandemic with the support of ASCL school leaders and the Esmee Fairbairn Education Development Fund for such collaboration.

Some pupils need a lot more care and understanding during the transition process than others. The new Ofsted framework places inclusion firmly at the heart of inspection. Inspectors now look closely at how well leaders identify need, reduce barriers, and ensure that all pupils, particularly those who are disadvantaged, have SEND, or are known to social care, are supported to thrive. What is striking is that many of these expectations are either won or lost before pupils even arrive in Year 7. Schools spend so much time on unnecessary administration that the chance to focus on our most vulnerable Year 6 pupils is lost.

Transition from primary to secondary school is no longer a pastoral add-on. Under the new framework, it is a defining test of whether inclusion is genuinely embedded or merely a means to an end.

High-quality teaching starts on day one – or it doesn’t start at all

Ofsted is clear that the most effective inclusion strategy begins with everyday high-quality teaching. That teaching must benefit pupils who find learning hardest and reduce the need for later individual adaptations. The implication is obvious: if teachers do not understand pupils’ needs when they first meet them, inclusion is already compromised.

The first days and weeks of Year 7 are pivotal. This is when pupils decide whether they belong. If needs, anxieties or barriers are missed at this point, disengagement can follow quickly, and schools are forced into reactive intervention rather than proactive support.

Effective transition ensures that subject teachers, not just pastoral or SEND teams, understand their pupils before September. For this to happen, information from primary schools must arrive early enough, be consistent enough, and be usable enough to shape planning. When transition information is fragmented, late or locked away, even the strongest inclusive intent struggles to translate into classroom practice.

Identifying and removing barriers before they grow

Inspectors now expect leaders to demonstrate that they understand the barriers pupils face and identify them quickly and accurately. Transition is one of the few moments when schools can remove barriers before they escalate.

Primary schools often have deep knowledge of pupils’ learning habits, family circumstances and emotional needs, sometimes built over six or seven years. When this knowledge is transferred effectively, secondary schools can anticipate challenges rather than wait for them to surface as behaviour issues, attendance concerns or underachievement.

Transition also represents a moment of opportunity. For many pupils, especially those who struggled in primary school, secondary school can feel like a fresh start. But that opportunity only materialises if the new environment is informed, structured and supportive. Without this, uncertainty and anxiety can amplify existing barriers rather than reduce them.

SEND, disadvantage and the Ofsted framework

The framework places strong emphasis on how leaders support pupils with SEND and those who are disadvantaged. Inspectors look for evidence of a graduated approach, early identification of emerging needs, and timely, effective adaptations. Crucially, they also look for coherence: strategies aligned to school improvement priorities, understood by staff, and implemented consistently.

Strong transition processes support all of this. Early sharing of SEND information allows reasonable adjustments to be planned, not improvised. Insight into disadvantage and home context helps schools align their pupil premium strategy from the outset, rather than retrospectively. Where pupils are known to social care, effective information-sharing enables safeguarding and welfare decisions to be informed from day one.

Under the strongest Ofsted judgments, leaders can show not just that they act, but that they know why they act. This requires an evidence trail: decisions grounded in shared information, reviewed over time, and adjusted when needed. Transition is where that trail begins: from compliance to confidence and belonging.

What the new framework ultimately rewards is confidence: leaders who know their pupils well, staff who understand barriers to learning, and systems that prevent pupils from slipping through gaps between phases.

Transition, done well, underpins all of this. It connects primary insight and experience with secondary expertise. It allows inclusion to be planned rather than a bolt-on part of the data frenzy. And it ensures that September success is the result of deliberate preparation, not chance.

In the context of the new Ofsted framework, effective transition is no longer optional. It is foundational.

Duncan Baldwin is the former Deputy Director of Policy at ASCL. He is a school improvement partner, policy associate for CST and strategic advisor to Pupil Pathways.