Chiddingstone Church of England School
Educating for life in all its fullness - John 10:10
Transition to Secondary School
Moving to secondary school can seem to be a huge step for many of our children. At Chiddingstone School, we aim to support our children to ensure that they are ‘secondary ready’ by the time they leave us in July of their final year.
Our wellbeing mentor supports our children through a range of workshops, small group and one to one sessions, to promote confidence and resilience through conversation, creativity and play. In addition, class teachers arrange trips and visits to build each child’s knowledge and understanding of the move to secondary school.
Please follow the below link for the most up to date guidance from Kent, including all deadlines for choices and decision. Please do take some time to familiarise yourself with the application process followed by Kent.
https://www.kent.gov.uk/education-and-children/schools/school-places/secondary-school-places
Do schools have a catchment area?
Please check with individual schools. Distance is a key criterion but it changes every year so catchment areas are not fixed. Some schools still offer a sibling preference but each school has clear criteria which could relate to scores, faith and distance.
The best source of information will be the secondary schools themselves at their open evenings, and in the information available from Kent. Make sure you ask the questions you need to, and do visit with your Y6 child.
Who can I contact if I am concerned about choosing a secondary school for my child?
At Chiddingstone school, we believe that the goal is to find the right school for your child. Please do feel free to contact your child’s class teacher in the first instance. The wellbeing team can also be contacted on inclusion@chiddinsgtone.kent.sch.uk if you would like further input and guidance.
Further details relating to transport can be found here:
https://www.kent.gov.uk/education-and-children/schools/school-transport
Some useful NHS guidance to support your child’s move to secondary school can be found here: