Year Transitions
Year Transitions resources
End-of-year reflection, goal-setting and 'meet your new teacher' packs for every primary year-to-year move — Y1→2, Y2→3, all the way through KS1 to KS2.
Where to start
Curator's picks for year transitions.
If you're new to LessonKind year transitions, these are the resources we'd point you to first.
Y6 Reading List — Books for the Year of Secondary Transition
Books for Y6 children — the year before secondary, where reading taste matters most and reading is the strongest predictor of secondary attainment. Calibrated for the Y6 cohort specifically — friendship, identity, change, growing up.
Secondary Transition — Anxious Children Toolkit
Specific strategies for the children who get genuinely anxious about secondary transition — far beyond normal nerves. Includes early-warning signs, conversation prompts, structured support plans, and when to escalate to specialist support. For Y6 teachers, SENDCos, and pastoral leads.
Secondary Transition — Child Prep Pack
Activities for the Year 6 child to do across summer term — what they'll need to know, fears to talk through, practical skills to practice. Designed to demystify secondary without scaremongering. Covers the journey, the timetable, lunchtime, lockers, friendships, and the 'getting lost on day one' fear.
Class Handover Document — End-of-Year Template
The document the outgoing class teacher fills in for the incoming one. Captures every child's academic level, social map, vulnerabilities, family context, and the one thing the next teacher absolutely must know. Saves the new teacher a half-term of figuring it out.
Browse all year transitions resources
Class Handover Document — End-of-Year Template
The document the outgoing class teacher fills in for the incoming one. Captures every child's academic level, social map, vulnerabilities, family context, and the one thing the next teacher absolutely must know. Saves the new teacher a half-term of figuring it out.
Transition Day — Running Order Template
A planning template for the in-school transition day at the end of the summer term — when children spend a morning with their next year's teacher. Sample running order, ice-breaker activities, parent-facing letter, and what the lead teacher needs to prep.
End-of-Year Memory Book — Keepsake Template
An eight-page keepsake memory book children fill in with photos, autographs, drawings and memories of the school year.
End-of-Year Reflection — Universal Pack
A reflection booklet children fill in at the end of any school year — proudest moments, favourite books, friendships and what they want to remember.
First Day Back After Summer — Activity Pack
Six activities for the first day back in September — designed to ease children in without overwhelming them, and give the new teacher useful information about their class. Low-stakes, structured, calming.
Meet Your New Teacher — Welcome Letter Template
A teacher-side template for writing a warm welcome letter to incoming students before September starts. Customisable to any year group.
Reception to Year 1 Transition Pack
The single biggest transition in primary — from play-based EYFS to a more structured Year 1 classroom. Activities, parent letter, classroom routines, and EYFS-to-KS1 staff handover sheet for the gentlest possible move.
All About Me — Letter to My New Teacher
A printable sheet children fill in for their incoming teacher — interests, strengths, things they find hard, and what helps them learn.
Last Week of Term — Activity Pack
Five low-prep, calm activities for the final week of term when energy is high and concentration is low. No printing of multiple worksheets needed.
Summer Skills Checklist — Don't Lose What You Learned
A printable summer checklist of small daily habits that prevent the 'summer slide' — 5–15 minutes a day of reading, writing and number work.
Y1 → Y2 / Grade 1 → Grade 2 Transition Pack
Gentle transition activities for the first move within KS1 / lower elementary — building independence and confidence.
Y2 → Y3 / Grade 2 → Grade 3 Transition Pack
The biggest jump in primary — KS1 to KS2 in the UK, lower to upper elementary in the US. Covers the changes children can expect and how to feel ready.
Y3 → Y4 / Grade 3 → Grade 4 Transition Pack
Transition activities for the move into mid-primary — focused on building organisation, self-management and tackling longer tasks.
Y4 → Y5 / Grade 4 → Grade 5 Transition Pack
Transition activities for the move into upper KS2 / upper elementary — focused on independence, ownership of learning and building leadership skills.
Leavers' Assembly Planning Pack
A complete planning pack for the Year 6 leavers' assembly — structure, sample running order, speech writing prompts, memory activities, and parent-facing programme template. Saves the leadership team a week of last-minute scrambling.
Secondary Transition — Anxious Children Toolkit
Specific strategies for the children who get genuinely anxious about secondary transition — far beyond normal nerves. Includes early-warning signs, conversation prompts, structured support plans, and when to escalate to specialist support. For Y6 teachers, SENDCos, and pastoral leads.
Y5 → Y6 / Grade 5 → Grade 6 Transition Pack
The final year of primary — preparing for the year of SATs (UK) or graduation (US/CA), leadership roles, and looking ahead to secondary/middle school.
Y6 Reading List — Books for the Year of Secondary Transition
Books for Y6 children — the year before secondary, where reading taste matters most and reading is the strongest predictor of secondary attainment. Calibrated for the Y6 cohort specifically — friendship, identity, change, growing up.
Year 6 to Year 7 — Primary to Secondary Transition Pack
A practical pack for the biggest transition of all — Year 6 to secondary school. Worry-mapping activities, a 'questions you can ask' sheet, parent letter, and the practical things that get forgotten until August.
Secondary Transition Day — Running Plan for Y6 Teachers
How to run a primary's own transition day BEFORE the secondary's transition day — to prepare children for what they'll experience. Includes a sample timetable showing 50-minute lessons with multiple 'subjects', a 'getting lost' role-play, and an end-of-day debrief that surfaces fears.
Secondary Transition Handover Form — Y6 to Y7
Template for the formal handover from Year 6 teacher to secondary school. Covers academic, pastoral, SEND, medical, and the specific 'what we wish you knew' field that secondary teachers find most useful. Designed for the 5-10 minute conversation between Y6 teacher and incoming form tutor.
Secondary Transition — Child Prep Pack
Activities for the Year 6 child to do across summer term — what they'll need to know, fears to talk through, practical skills to practice. Designed to demystify secondary without scaremongering. Covers the journey, the timetable, lunchtime, lockers, friendships, and the 'getting lost on day one' fear.
Secondary Transition — Summer Holiday Bridging Pack
Activities for the long summer break between primary and secondary. Designed to keep the child connected to learning without piling on the work. Includes reading recommendations, the 'visit your new school' suggestions, journey practice, and the things they should NOT spend the summer doing.
Secondary Transition — Year 6 Teacher Pack
How a Year 6 teacher prepares the cohort for secondary across spring and summer term. Includes weekly themed lessons, classroom discussions, the 'we believe in you' framing, and how to handle the children whose anxiety is rising as July approaches. Pairs with the parent guide and child prep pack.
Editorial
Articles for year transitions teachers.
Long-form pieces that go deeper than the resources — written by a qualified primary teacher, not generated.
Reading & literacy
The Mystery of the Disappearing Readers
Reading-for-pleasure rates drop sharply between Year 2 and Year 6. Here's what's actually happening, and what teachers can do.
5 min read
Reading & literacy
Why Classic Children's Books Still Matter
There's a reason teachers keep returning to The Iron Man, Charlotte's Web, and Tom's Midnight Garden. Here's what classic children's books offer that newer ones often don't.
5 min read
EYFS & early years
The Reception-to-Year-1 Jump
Children who thrived in Reception sometimes wobble badly in Year 1. The drop from play-based to sit-down learning is bigger than the curriculum suggests.
5 min read
Teaching strategy
The Transition to Secondary School (And How to Support It)
Year 7 is the most academically vulnerable year in many children's school careers. Here's what Year 6 teachers can do to make it easier — and what gets it wrong.
6 min read
Reading & literacy
How English Leads Actually Run Their Schools' Reading Culture
An honest account of what English Lead work actually involves at primary — the phonics scheme decision, building a school where children genuinely want to read, the staff team's varying confidence, and the long arc of cultural change that can take 3-5 years to embed.
9 min read
Teaching strategy
The Handover Most Schools Skip
Every July, the children move up a year. The data tracking system shows reading levels and maths attainment. The handover meeting (if it happens) lasts twenty minutes. And the new teacher spends most of the autumn term re-learning what the previous teacher already knew.
8 min read
Hand-built collections