Transition at Ysgol Bryn Elian


Here at Bryn Elian, we understand the anxieties and excitements that go hand in hand with the move to high school. We always welcome communications and visits from parents, to help put their mind at rest and to share information about how the school operates, in order to give a clear picture of what Year 7 and beyond entails.

Year 5

Our more formal work begins in the Summer of Year 5, when we run an Induction day for all our feeder primary pupils, giving them the chance to come to school, with their own teachers, and to have tasters of lessons across the curriculum. This helps pupils see what a new location, a new building with its own atmosphere and a whole new set of people would be like! We also offer an out of catchment school Induction day for the children who attend non-feeder schools, whose parents have made contact with us to enquire about the school.


Open Evening

Early every October, we hold an Open Evening – look out for the flyers coming into primary schools and adverts in the press! This usually runs from 6-8pm on a Thursday evening, and includes demonstrations, hands-on activities, quests and puzzles to get parents and pupils around the whole of our school, to meet our pupils and staff and to discover together what our school has to offer.


Year 6

During Year 6, we aim to work closely with our feeder schools from the outset. We offer YBE teacher support for Maths and English, and often other subjects such as MFL or PE, as our timetables allow, so that our staff can start to work closely with identified groups, either at their primary school, or by coming up to YBE on a weekly basis. We also invite Year 6 to school, in July, for a 4 day week in which they get to work in their form group, meet their form tutors, understand the routines of the day, and sample the really important things like school lunch and break time! We work closely with all our primary colleagues, to make sure that we transfer the necessary information about pupils, in order that we can support their needs, be they learning, social or medical, from the outset.


Parents’ Induction Evening

In July we also hold a Year 6 Parents Induction Evening where we discuss the formalities of school life- attendance, expectations, curriculum, uniform- and also clarify what our school motto – Achievement for All- means in practice for every child in our care. On this evening we give out a very useful Year 6 Parents’ Information Booklet which is very informative and useful.


Who to contact

Mrs. Lindsay Hastings lh@brynelian.conwy.sch.uk


Mrs. Bronwen McKibben – Learning Manager Year 7 bm@brynelian.conwy.sch.uk


Mrs. Elaine Ellis - Learning Mentor Year 7 ee@brynelian.conwy.sch.uk