Year 6 Transition (FAIR start) 2026
We are delighted that you have been allocated a place with us for September 2026!
Join us on Friday March 13th at 4pm for a welcome from Mr McSweeney (Headteacher) and Mr Johnson (Assistant Headteacher) by clicking here a few minutes before the event starts. The event will be recorded and we will share on this page.
Parent Support
Moving from primary and junior school is tricky enough for students, but parents and carers feel it to! We want to guide you to help your child, as well as provide resources to support your young person in their next stage.
ParentKind - practical advice on transition from the charity Parentkind
MHST - Advice on dealing with anxious youngsters from the Mental Health Support Team
BBC Bitesize - Advice for parents on Secondary transition
Anna Freud - Mental health and wellbeing support from the charity Anna Freud
What's different about Secondary school?
One of the most asked questions from Year 6 is 'what is school like?' and we do a lot of work with the children to show them how we work. Below are some differences that parents may wish to be aware of.
Staffing - we have many more staff than a primary/junior school. Most staff have a specific responsibility so whilst your child's tutor may be the first point of contact, you may wish to speak to the person directly responsible. Information on staffing can be found here. Your child will have 1 or 2 teachers per subject.
Rooms - most classes will be taught in subject specific rooms which are located all over the school. This means students will have to carry their belongings between lessons.
Phones - Mobile phones are not permitted. Students are allowed to have phones switched off and in their bag but must not be seen in class.
Communication - You will likely receive many emails from us(!) these will be from different staff regarding different things. Mr McSweeney sends an update every Friday with key information. You can check your child's rewards and sanctions on an app (details will be sent). This can give you lesson by lesson feedback.
Pupil Premium - if your child is the recipient of pupil premium, there are many areas that we can support you with, or direct you to other organisations for support. Please email Mrs Massey for further information.
Behaviour policy - We have a fairly simple behaviour policy at The Emmbrook School. Positive behaviour is awarded achievement points, these can be used to purchase items at the end of term. Negative behaviour receives a C1 first (reminder of behaviour expectations), if this continues a C2 will be given (student steps out of the class to reflect), any continuation leads to a C3 (student is removed from the lesson and receives an after-school detention)
School day - structure of the day can be found on this link
Welcome from Mr Johnson
Welcome from Headteacher, Mr McSweeney ([email protected])
We are currently in a strange situation where you know you have been allocated a place with us, but we haven't yet received your information! Keep checking back to this page for updates.
We are calling our transition programme 'Fair Start'. Our school values are Family, Ambition, Integrity and Respect (FAIR). We want all our new students to embody these values and think they are entitled to exactly what we say - a fair start in their time with us.
Emails will be sent home with information packs and some forms to complete. Some parents have found these in their junk/spam folders. Please search for 'Emmbrook' or 'Applicaa' in these folders to find them.
Over the next few months we will roll out our transition programme and get to know you properly. If you have any questions, please feel free to email the Assistant Headteacher for transition, Mr Johnson [email protected]
Induction Timeline:
13th March - Online welcome event (recorded for playback at any time)
24th June – Transition Day
24th June – Parents information evening (in person at The Emmbrook)
19th August – Summer School
3rd September – First day at Emmbrook!
Free School Meals application
Uniform:
There may be some changes to our uniform in line with new guidance, please delay ordering until the new policy is released.
For all our uniform information and details on where to buy please click here
Information regarding First Days Uniform can be found here for those who may struggle purchasing uniforms. There website is https://www.firstdays.net/
Glossaries of key terminology
Created to support our EAL students, these glossaries provide an overview of key language used in secondary education.
| Basic School Vocabulary | Exam Question Terminology |
| High Frequency Words | Common Verb list |
| Irregular Verb list |
Canteen Information:
To see a selection of our menus and price lists please click here
Virtual Tours and Videos:
For links to our video tours and our virtual welcome event click here
Message from Mr McSweeney:
Dear New Year 7 Parents and Carers,
I am delighted to welcome you to The Emmbrook Family. We are very much looking forward to
meeting you and your children in the coming months.
As a Headteacher, it is important to me that I am accessible to all members of our community. The website will hopefully provide all the information you need about the school and will be updated regularly but if I can be of any further assistance then please contact me ([email protected]).
I also encourage you to follow our Facebook page to keep up to date with the exciting opportunities we offer the students: https://www.facebook.com/Emmbrookschool
There is also a Facebook group where all parents of Year 7 2025-26 can join to share information and make connections before term starts: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1719217332381608
Transition to secondary school is an exciting time and I look forward to sharing the journey with you all.
Best wishes,
Nick McSweeney
Headteacher
Email: [email protected]
Phone: 0118 9784406
PTA:
The PTA would like to welcome you and your child to the Emmbrook school. If you are interested in getting involved we would love to see you at one of our meetings.
Further information will be provided in the coming months which will explain a little bit about who we are, what we do and more importantly what you can do to help the school community.
Please email us at [email protected] for any further information or check out our Facebook Page