First Year pupils start school at Swanley Secondary a day before the others

The new Year 7 pupils join Whitechapel’s Swanlea School in east London today for the start of their first term in secondary education a day before the older pupils arrive.

Making the jump from primary to secondary can be “daunting”, so the school takes these measures to gradually work the children into the rhythm of their new school.

They are the only pupils in the school for the day to “help ease the transition process”.

The 210 youngsters are from the nearby ‘feeder’ primary schools such as Stewart Headlam, Osmani, Hague, Thomas Buxton, Kobi Nazrul and Canon Barnett.

First thing the new Year 7s do this-morning is to find their classrooms and tutors for their first registration lesson.

Form tutors explain the school rules and how their timetables work, such as lesson times and homework.

Swanley also holds regular induction sessions in the summer holidays (pictured last year) for children who had left primary school to meet their new tutors and ‘Year Team’ teachers.