Identifying teachers’ perceptions of the most beneficial school practices used to support pupils during primary to secondary school transfer

Abstract

The primary to secondary school transfer is experienced by some 750,000 UK pupils each year. Literature suggests that whilst the transfer is a positive experience for many pupils, for some it can result in a reduction in wellbeing and academic performance, and the negative effects may be long lasting. There is a considerable amount of research on school transfer, much of which seeks to understand the implications of the experience for the pupils. There is a paucity of literature seeking to understand how pupils’ experience of the transfer can be improved by schools using the most efficacious school practices. This dissertation sought to identify teachers’ perceptions as to those school practices which support pupils through the transfer most effectively. This was achieved through a systematic literature review and two empirical studies. The systematic literature review identified six Key Factors within a pupil’s ecosystem that are thought to support a pupil’s positive experience of school transfer. Subsequently, Study 1 used 12 semi-structured interviews with secondary school staff to identify 34 school practices which are used to support pupils during transfer, and the factors which influence the choice of those factors. Additionally, it gained insight into the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on secondary teaching and school transfer. Study 2 used a questionnaire to gather the perceptions of 52 primary and secondary school staff as to which of the 34 school practices were most important in terms of creating the six Key Factors. The findings of the dissertation include identification of: structural factors, such as the number of feeder primary schools, which impact upon the choice of secondary school transfer practices, several positive impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic, the school transfer practices which are perceived by staff to support the creation of the six Key Factors, and a shortfall in the dissemination of academic knowledge on school transfer to teaching staff. The dissertation concludes with implications for schools’ transfer practices and policies, and recommendations for future research.

Date of Award	18 Mar 2025
Original language	English
Awarding Institution	University of Bristol
Supervisor	Sabi Redwood (Supervisor), Divya Jindal-Snape (Supervisor) & Simon P Brownhill (Supervisor)