Spotlight: Heath Mount’s Big Transition (Part 1)

As the summer term draws to a close, there is one year group in particular who are about to embark on a whole new journey.

The transition from Year 6 to Year 7, primary to secondary school, is a big one. Excitement, nerves and trepidation abound; but as well as looking forward to what’s to come, it’s also important to celebrate the journey of the children so far, and what has been achieved during their time in primary school.

When one of our Reward Schools, Heath Mount Primary School in Birmingham, approached us to create a bespoke, three-week transition project for their Year 6 leavers we jumped at the chance! They wanted a performance, they wanted a celebration, they wanted a group project. Beyond that, who knew! We couldn’t wait to jump right in…

Heath Mount Primary School – full of colour and art!

Our lead facilitator, Sam, wasted no time in finding out what brilliant ideas the children had for their performance. Over the course of the next three weeks, Sam worked closely with the entire year to see those ideas transform into scenes full of heart, honesty and soul. A time-travelling theme emerged, that allowed the Year 6s to delve into their past, as well as look ahead to their futures.

While practicing for the performance, we also arranged for our friends at Flapjack Films to come in to Heath Mount and create a one-off documentary – with the children in the starring roles of course! The purpose? To create a unique film full of memories, advice and tips from the Year 6s for the younger children in the school, who – according to the Year 6s themselves – have much to look forward to. Especially the oft-mentioned trip to Drayton Manor!

The documentary contained interviews, memories and plenty of advice.

With no less than three different performances scheduled, when ‘show days’ arrived excitement was at an all-time high. But, plenty of practice and Sam’s calming techniques meant the Heath Mount Year 6s were cool as cucumbers when it came time for the performances. And what performances they were. Parents, pupils and teachers all joined Year 6 to look back on their journeys at Heath Mount, from learning to brush their teeth in Year 1 to cooking pizza in Year 5! We looked ahead to their futures too, and learned that we had doctors, teachers, vets, physicists, mechanical engineers and writers-to-be in our midst!

Let the show begin!

Ambition, affection, humour and some seriously good dance moves combined to give a real flavour of what the Year 6 leavers of Heath Mount are all about. Leading their own project and having complete creative input (with Sam’s guiding hand, of course) meant they achieved something to be extremely proud of – and at a time when the future might seem a little scary, that’s a really special thing.

We spoke to the children after their first performance, asking them for a single word to describe the last three weeks and their emotions at the time. Here is a word cloud to represent the most popular answers.

A word cloud representing how the children felt about their transition project

It was also important for us to speak to the teachers, who have worked with the children daily for the past six years, and who will be experiencing their own emotions in having to say goodbye: 

“Our Year 6 children have had another great experience with One Day. Creating and producing a film and then delivering a rousing end of year leavers performance is a testament to their talent and versatility. However, it requires someone with talent to inspire and install confidence into the children.  We are so grateful to renew our work with our friends from One Day and in particular the splendid Sam, who has that unique rapport with the children. She encourages that creativity and gives even the quietest children a voice. It’s wonderful to see them work so closely together and watching them develop and shine can honestly bring a tear to your eye.” – Kabir Ahmed, Assistant Head

In our next blog, we will be speaking to our lead facilitator Sam, to find out exactly what goes in to delivering a bespoke project such as this, how she structures the time, and how the process evolves.

In the meantime, if you are interested in One Day leading a bespoke, tailored project at your school, please get in touch! We are happy to answer any questions you might have, and welcome the opportunity to work even more closely with schools and children across the UK.