The Transitus Year Programme, will be the beginning of the Senior School journey for learners, helping them to prepare for the years to come, encourage independent learning and foster qualities that will benefit them throughout their whole lives.
Summary of features of The Transitus Year Programme
1. The Transitus year in place of Junior 7/Primary 7 year
2. A dedicated ‘Base’ Teacher for the Transitus year group
3. Increased time for Numeracy & Literacy
4. Practical Skills classes
5. Wider curricular access to Senior School teaching specialists
6. Pastoral Support
7. Increased teaching time
The Transitus year offers the perfect foundation for learners moving into the next phase of their school journey. It will enhance the support, guidance and expertise on offer and fully harness the potential we see in our young people and equip them for future successes.
The Transitus year aids the transition of learners from a Junior School/Primary School setting to a Senior School setting. This is a ‘changing’ year. Learners have a designated classroom for Base curricular learning and then move to Senior departments for specialist learning and teaching. The curriculum is designed to enhance learning and lessons with the Base teacher are taught from the Transitus classroom. The primary focus of Base teacher lessons seeks to enhance Numeracy and Literacy abilities as well as allow time for topic-based learning. The class will be with the Base teacher all day on a Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday mornings. The remainder of the school week is spent with subject specialists in Senior School departments.
One day per week, the Transitus class will follow a junior school day with their Base teacher. They have focused literacy and numeracy in the morning and join the Junior School for lunch and assembly. This allows them to be role models for the rest of Junior School. The afternoon is spent on topic/skills work with the base teacher.
The Base teacher role is a vital element of the transition process for learners at this stage. The teacher responsible will be a trained Primary specialist and work with Transitus classes at different points in the week, following the Broad General Education of the Scottish Curriculum. The Base teacher will be the main point of contact for parents on most matters and liaise closely with Senior School colleagues regarding monitoring and tracking of progress and wellbeing. The Base teacher is in school Monday to Wednesday. A form teacher is assigned to the class on a Thursday and Friday who registers them each morning and checks in with them again before lunch.
The Transitus model allows for additional time to be dedicated to the teaching of Numeracy and Literacy. The Base teacher works closely with Senior School colleagues, to monitor pupil progress in these curricular areas, which is also complemented by additional time with Senior School specialists in the English and Maths departments. Transitus have 7 periods (40 minutes each) per week of literacy and an additional 7 of numeracy with the base teacher and a further 3 periods per week with specialist English and Maths teachers.
In addition to developing Numeracy and Literacy, the Base teacher role includes the development of
Study Skills and Practical skills. This will enable opportunities for pupils to prepare for Senior School
workloads, including preparing for tests and exams. Classes may incorporate practical cookery, outdoor
learning, STEM, enterprise activities, environmental projects, character development challenges, goal
setting and strengths analysis.
In the Transitus year, learners will spend a significant portion of their timetabled week with subject specialists from the Senior School, helping learners to prepare for the move into S1. This provision also widens access to a broader range of curricular subjects, again enhancing the transition of our learners and developing subject specific skills early in their journey.
| Curricular Area | No of periods | Who teaches the class |
| Mathematics | 10 | This includes specialist teaching and base teacher |
| Literacy | 10 | This includes specialist teaching and base teacher |
| Topic / Skills | 3 | This is with the base teacher |
| Languages | 2 | Specialist teachers |
| Science | 2 | Specialist teachers |
| Social Studies | 2 | Specialist teachers |
| Technologies | 2 | Specialist teachers |
| Religious and Moral Education | 1 | Specialist teachers |
| Expressive Arts | 2 | Specialist teachers |
| Health & Wellbeing | 5 | Specialist teachers (4xs PE and 1xs Lifeskills) |
In addition to curricular developments this model provides additional pastoral care for learners at this stage. While the Base teacher has overall Wellbeing (Pastoral) responsibilities for Transitus classes, our two Principal Teachers of Pupil Support (Pastoral) work closely with the Base teacher to care for learners and liaise with families regarding concerns. They also develop a ‘Lifeskills’ programme (Health and Wellbeing) for Transitus classes, thus helping to develop strong supportive relationships within the group.
The Transitus year group will have a school day beginning at 9.00am and finishing at 3.45pm each day of the week. In addition, the Transitus year group will join Junior School for lunch and assembly one day per week and Senior School break, lunch, and assembly times 4 days a week. This brings them in line with the Senior School day and increases learning and teaching time across the week.