To support new Year 7 students’ preparation for the transition to secondary school and help them make up for learning lost during the pandemic, Oathall launched a free summer schools programme which ran during the first week of the summer holidays, which included a mix of fun, team building activities and academic support.
What was the purpose of our summer school?
The wellbeing of our students is an important part of what was offered for our summer school programme, so included team games, sporting activities as well as covering STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths) challenges. The days were staffed by teachers in the main and a number of support staff.
Who attended our summer school?
The DfE encouraged secondary schools to think about including incoming year 7s in the programme because we know these students have missed time with their friends as well as the valuable preparation time needed to fully equip them with the jump from primary school. With this in mind, we targeted new Y7 intake for this event.
Where did the funding come from?
We have bid for just over £15,000 from the DfE to cover the cost of this experience.
What was attendance like?
Each day a different House group was invited into school and on the Friday the entire cohort was asked to attend. Total numbers were Mon-33, Tues-34, Wed-43, Thurs-38, Fri-220.
What was the feedback from the summer school?
Surveys were sent to all families who attended the summer school. 83% of parents confirmed that their felt their child felt more confident about joining Oathall because of the summer school event.
