Pupils enjoy transition week ahead of joining new school

The new starters at Queensway Specialist School in Telford were welcomed by students and staff to give them chance to find out more about their new school life.

Eight students on the south campus in Dawley and 10 on the north campus in Hadley had a taster of what school will be like when they join the Queensway family.

They experienced a broad range of activities and lessons including forest school, science, STEM, food technology, and art and design.

Assistant headteacher Kirsty Harcourt-Poole said staff had been liaising closely with parents and carers to gauge the children’s responses, and the feedback had been unanimously positive.

When asked to give a mark out of ten as to how excited they were to be joining Queensway in September, one pupil said: “Two million out of ten! I can’t wait!”.

Another said the transition week had been “outstanding, wonderful and great!”

It is not only the students who have shared their excitement – staff have been supporting the new students and familiarising them with the new routines, faces, and building, so they can hit the ground running.

Mrs Harcourt-Poole said: “Starting at a new school can be a daunting prospect for any young person, but the resilience and positivity that has been shown across the group has been remarkable.

“They are a wonderful group of students and it’s so pleasing to see how quickly they have settled, developed relationships, and bonded with their staff members.”

Student support officer Holly Bentley said: “They have made us smile every single day of our transition week. They are going to have a great time with us and will be a fantastic addition to the Queensway family.”

Rebecca Williams, another student support officer, said: “It’s been wonderful to see their confidence bloom as the week has gone on. Understandably they were a little shy on the first day, but by the end of the week, it felt as if they’d been with us for months. They’re a great bunch and I can’t wait for September.”