School Improvement through Student-led YPAR: Young People as Peer Researchers.
G.S. Bell; A.H.C. Cheng; A. Fielder; M. Gregory; E.L. Hannett; T.E. Hodgkinson; E. Pearson; H. Turnbull; C. Wilson.
Introduction
This project aimed to gather Year 7 students' views on transitioning from primary to secondary school to make the process easier. Transition is widely recognised as a challenging period, which can lead to a decline in academic performance; therefore, this project sought to identify factors that contributed to or prevented this decline. Sixth-form students acted as researchers alongside newly arrived Year 7 students. The volunteer Year 7 pupils participated after being informed about the project and were divided into five groups to work with Year 12 students throughout the project. This allowed them to build relationships with each other and their young researchers. The Year 12 student researchers inquired about their feelings towards both schools and the most significant differences they perceived. The Year 7s were asked to identify the best and worst aspects of the transition, as well as the most supportive assistance they received during this period.
Another area of exploration was the role primary schools played in this process and whether they influenced Year 7 students’ feelings. The aim was to understand the Year 7s' feelings before Burnside, their expectations, and how their views had changed since the start of September, including whether their expectations had been fulfilled. This involved considering both their concerns and what they were looking forward to. We also examined how the opinions of Year 7 students had shifted since the beginning of the year, as they had spent more time in secondary school.
Our research followed ethical guidelines, as we asked the participants if they wanted to take part in the study; we therefore ensured they had given fully informed consent before we began to collect information from them to use in the research.
Methods
During this project, the Year 12 student researchers met with Dave weekly to report on their findings from meetings with Year 7 students. At the start of the project, we divided into pairs of student researchers and collaborated with small groups of Year 7 students, ranging from two to six students per group. Additionally, weekly team meetings lasted between 30 and 100 minutes. We discussed the Year 7 students' experiences of transitioning into high school, including the emotions they felt, and compared results from different groups to identify common themes. These meetings with Dave occurred between sessions with the Year 7 student participants.
Furthermore, the meetings with Year 7 students included activities to help them discuss their feelings during the transition. We also explored their experiences moving from primary to secondary school. Additionally, qualitative data were gathered during meetings with Year 7 students from art, where they drew pictures of their primary and secondary school experiences, and shared verbal recollections of their time in primary school. Likewise, quantitative data were obtained when Year 7 students were asked to rank their enjoyment of the transition day they experienced in Year 6, to give them a preview of what secondary school is like. However, a limitation of this questionnaire in the meeting was that not all Year 7 participants had taken part in the transition days, which meant they could not complete the questionnaire as planned.
In the first meeting with the designated participants, we concentrated on whether the statement "Transition was stressful and hard" applies to them or not. We began with an icebreaker activity called “2 truths and a lie”. Afterwards, we questioned each of our groups as follows:
Do you think transition is hard or not?
Were there any people whom they tried to avoid, or were mean to them?
Was it easy to make friends?
Were the other year groups friendly?
What do they like about it here?
Did they receive any C1s (negative behaviour points), etc.?
Did they get lost?
What subject do they like the most?
What subject do they think is the hardest?
Was the transition harder or easier over time?
What do they feel about the school library?
What is the most significant impact on them from the transition?
During the second meeting, we concentrated on the similarities and differences between secondary school and primary school pupils. We instructed our designated participants to draw a secondary school pupil and a primary school pupil. We posed questions such as:
“What do you think a primary school student behaves like?” “What do you think a primary school student does?” “What do you think a high school student behaves like?”
In the third meeting, we focused on “what expectations did they have as Year 6 students, of their move to Burnside?” We investigated the designated participants' expectations by drawing a mind map about what they thought Burnside would be like before they entered, and the reality of their expectations after they started high school.
In the fourth meeting, we focused on the transition day they participated in, including what happened on that day and what helped them with their move to Burnside.
In the fifth meeting, we did a questionnaire with them, asking about transition, including the questions below:
Do you understand what transition is and why Burnside did it?
What could Burnside have done to improve the transition?
In the sixth meeting, we focused on designing a transition day.
In the seventh meeting, we discussed key issues of transition and made recommendations for the questionnaire to be administered to all Year 7 students.
In the eighth meeting, we explored the memories they had from primary school using a memory drawing task. We ask our designated participants to draw a picture of their most vivid memory of primary school and a teacher who had a positive impact on them.
In the ninth meeting, we explored the memories they had from the first few weeks of secondary school using a memory drawing task. This includes their memories of the first two weeks of school, as well as any positive/negative memories they have
Analysis
During our weekly meetings with Dave, we discussed our findings from the Year 7s, using various techniques such as Quirkos, mind maps, and general discussion. Each week, we compared the findings from each of the year 7 groups in an attempt to recognise patterns and similarities, which we could also assume applied to the rest of the year group. This allowed us to use the findings to begin generating ideas on how to improve the transition process for future Year 7 students. Quirkos was used to categorise findings into various themes, including rules, teachers, toilets, etc. Each category was presented by a coloured circle where the size corresponded to the number of times the year 7s mentioned it. This allowed us to observe the findings clearly, with each of the year 7s’ concerns being carefully categorised. After analysing the findings in our weekly meetings, we then brought our interpretations back to our year 7 groups and allowed them to add or remove any information. This clarified our findings, ensuring the best outcome of the research.
Findings
Rules
Year 7 students often find the rules in high school stricter than those in primary school, which they remember as being more relaxed. Before starting high school, their primary school teachers often warned them about the more stringent expectations they would face, creating a sense of apprehension. They believe that high school students face harsher punishments, including detentions for being late or consequences for leaving the classroom during lessons without permission. Many students feel that the higher expectations in high school are a significant adjustment and can be stressful. They also believe they have added responsibilities, such as remembering to bring their equipment to lessons.
Teachers
In primary school, students usually had one main teacher whom they knew well, and they also knew the other teachers well. However, in secondary school, there are more teachers, many of whom they do not know. The students felt some teachers were too strict and stated that teachers are not always consistent in their approach to discipline and enforcement of rules. This means that students often lack clarity on how to behave around different teachers, and they struggle to adapt to the varying expectations and multiple teaching styles. This results in different consequences from various teachers. For example, some teachers may give concerns more quickly than others. On transition day, they only met a few teachers.
Toilets
The Year 7 students who took part in our research suggested that toilet rules were the most difficult to follow, which led to stress and anxiety. This contrasts with their experience of primary school rules, which were more relaxed than at Burnside. When the students arrived at Burnside, the rules they were previously familiar with (such as being allowed to use the toilet multiple times during lessons) were drastically revised to reflect the rules they are expected to follow at Burnside. For example, students are not allowed to use the toilet at all during lessons. Multiple students complained about the long queues at break and lunch when students are finally able to use the facilities. They also noted that there are not enough toilets available for the number of students. This leads to stress and anxiety. Some Year 7s have had to walk out of lessons (which breaks school rules), and they end up in quantum (this is a very high-level punishment), which will have an impact on their learning as they are removed from lessons. One of the Year 7 students in the group told us that this is what happened to him. Overall, students being denied access to the toilets during lessons is impacting their overall learning, and walking out of the classroom to go leads to them missing a whole day of lessons while in quantum. This is an issue that should be resolved efficiently to allow students to continue their learning uninterrupted.
Social
Many young people reported feeling safe and secure within their friendships at primary school. Some stated that coming to Burnside was the best thing about their transition, primarily due to the social aspect of making new friends. This social aspect had a mostly negative and difficult impact on students. Overall, they thought that the school’s transition process was not helpful as they only met the people in their form classes, which was not reflective of student life at Burnside. For example, some students stated that during transition, they lost a sense of security as they moved from classes.
One of the students felt left out because they believed everyone else in their form class knew or was friends with someone else, whereas they didn't. This applies especially (though not exclusively) to the students who came from primary schools with a low admission rate to Burnside. These students believed that it would be helpful to them if they were placed in a form class with at least one other person from their primary school.
However, despite some students' negative comments about the social aspect of transition, others believed that it was easy for them to make new friends, implying that Burnside’s transition system is effective for some pupils. For example, one Year 7 student said that they quickly made friends with people from other primary schools and began to talk more to these people than to those who had attended their primary school. The Year 7s also expressed that interactive, social lessons, such as PE, made it easier for them to make new friends, as did the fun transition activities, such as playing bingo with questions about each other. When asked about their memories of the first two weeks of year 7, the students specifically mentioned things such as “meeting friends and playing with friends”, and “meeting new people”, showing the importance of the social side during this transition, and that it is pivotal for the students’ experience for the rest of year 7, or in fact the rest of their time at Burnside. It was clear that within the social aspect, transition days did help, as two students who didn't attend transition day seemed to be more reserved and maybe lacked in socialising, in contrast to the others.
Some of the Year 7 students mentioned that before coming to Burnside, they were frightened of being bullied by the older students. However, when they started at Burnside, they found that the older students were not as intimidating as they thought, and they became friends with students from other year groups.
School size
The Year 7s’ experiences from Primary school, due to the size of the school and the curriculum, have led to a drastic difference in their experiences during the first couple of weeks of transition. The size of the school and the curriculum during primary school didn’t affect their learning or mental health. However, their secondary school experience caused grave anxiety for the students. The size of the secondary school has led to a vast majority of the Year 7s (as we have discovered in our research) getting lost, as they are unfamiliar with the school’s structure and timetables. As a result, the students begin to be late to their lessons, causing them to waste valuable lesson time and may even incur detentions. There have been instances, particularly within the Year 7 groups, where students appear unfamiliar with the curriculum, often becoming confused on days when they have a form or assembly. Yet, some of the older students have accompanied them and directed them to where they should be. However, some of the older students have taken advantage of the younger students' disadvantage and have deliberately directed them elsewhere. This would not happen if the students became more familiar with the curriculum.
Lessons
Young people’s experiences of lessons at primary schools were mainly positive. They said that lessons were shorter (one hour), the work in lessons was easier, and they received less homework. This changed when they arrived at Burnside, as lessons became significantly longer than what they were used to (one hour and forty minutes), making it difficult for students to concentrate throughout the entire lesson. One student stated, “I get more tired in school because the lessons are longer.” For some, the work also became harder, and more homework was assigned for each subject; one student said, “There is much more homework.” They also mentioned feeling they have limited free time at times due to the amount of homework they receive. Students noted that behaviour in lessons deteriorated in high school, with some students walking out to use the toilet. They also expressed concern about not being in lessons with people they know. Additionally, students felt that transition lessons were unrealistic and would prefer lessons similar to those they would have in September, with the same teachers. They reported struggling to find some lessons at the start of the year and also find it difficult to remember seating plans for so many lessons, as in primary school they didn't have to move seats.
Travel
The young people's experience of transport in primary school was that their parents took them to school and picked them up. However, this changed when they arrived at Burnside, as they now had to get to school on their own without parental guidance or support. Firstly, some students reported struggling with walking to school because they lived quite far away. As a result, they had to wake up earlier, which was more difficult for those who lived closer to their primary school and could sleep in. For these reasons, they are often late. When they arrive late, the gates are locked, and they have to walk all the way around to the front reception to enter the school. This makes them even later. They expressed concern about being late because they often get detention and sometimes find it hard to remember the room number where the detention is held.
Additionally, some young people catch the school bus in the mornings and after school. They find the bus to be loud, crowded, and the behaviour of other students poor, which makes the young people feel anxious and afraid to use it. Furthermore, when the bus is too full, they sometimes refuse to allow other students on. This then makes the young people feel very anxious and stressed as they now need to find an alternative way to school, while also trying not to be late.
Recommendations
Rules
It would be beneficial for Year 7 students to review the rules, expectations, and necessary equipment for each lesson in detail during their transition day and the first week of school. Subject teachers can also introduce their specific rules and expectations, helping students understand how to behave with different teachers and adapt to varying teaching styles and requirements.
Furthermore, it would be helpful to explain to students the reasons for the toilet rules and to encourage them not to stay in the toilets longer than necessary. Increasing the number of toilets could also help to reduce queues. This is likely to lead to fewer students asking to leave lessons to use the facilities. However, this problem is not straightforward to resolve due to safeguarding concerns, as they need to know where everyone is. The Year 7s are aware of this, but they feel it is unfair.
The students felt it would be helpful to meet more teachers during the transition days, even if the meetings were brief. Although they understand that they will not be able to meet every teacher in September, they believe it would be beneficial to become familiar with more teachers, even those they will not have lessons with. This would make them more comfortable when starting school in September.
They also felt that it would be helpful to have every teacher outline their expectations at the beginning of each lesson, with students at the start of the year.
Social
The primary recommendation for enhancing the social aspect of the transition from Year 6 to Year 7 is to improve the transition days, giving Year 7 students the opportunity to meet the classmates they will spend most of their time with. This allows them to form friendships within their classes before arriving at Burnside. Additionally, Year 7 students should have the chance to meet each of their teachers early in the process to familiarise themselves with the school environment. For students placed in separate classes from their primary school friends, care should be taken to ensure that each student is assigned to a form class with at least one other student from their primary school if possible. To reduce any apprehension older students might feel before starting, transition days could include activities such as interacting with different year groups. This approach helps students to not only feel less fear of older students upon arrival at Burnside but also to gain insights into the Burnside experience from their peers.
School size
New Year 7s should be given time to study their timetables, and form time should be used to remind them of assembly days. Furthermore, to reduce confusion caused by finding their lessons and navigating the school, students should be given a tour of the entire school.
Lessons
To combat students' nervousness about not being in classes with friends or familiar people, could we ensure that at least one student from each student's primary school is included in their lesson? Furthermore, to help students find lessons, the students suggested that a tour of the school on transition days or the first day of school would be supportive. Finally, to help students locate their seats in each lesson, it may be helpful if teachers display the lesson’s seating plan on the board at the start of the lesson to alleviate this confusion.
Travel
During the initial weeks of the transition, it may be beneficial to allow students to go through the gates even if they are late, so they are not overwhelmed by the stress of being late and facing the challenges of their first days at school. Closing the gates at the same time each day will also help establish clear expectations and consistent routines, enabling students to understand how much time they have to arrive punctually and prepare accordingly. To tackle inappropriate behaviour on the school bus, cameras could be installed to monitor student conduct, and a temporary ban might be enforced on students whose behaviour is unacceptable. This would help set boundaries and expectations for conduct on the bus, ensuring everyone feels safe and protected during their journey to school.
Benefits
Throughout this project, we have gained many benefits, both as the young researchers, the Year 7 students, and the school as a whole.
Benefits to sixth form researchers
Firstly, the benefits for us include developing crucial skills that will be essential in university and future careers. We have greatly improved our confidence since the start of the project, as we needed to present information clearly to Dave and trust the analysis we gathered from the Year 7s. Our communication skills also grew as we had to adapt our way of speaking to connect with and encourage the Year 7s to open up, since they were unfamiliar with us. Additionally, our research and analysis abilities improved significantly because we had to try different methods with the Year 7s and find what worked well and what did not, helping us develop our problem-solving skills. This project has made us feel valued and listened to in terms of our opinions and judgments, as everything we said was taken into account. This has made us feel included, which boosts our confidence. Most importantly, this project has supported our mental health and well-being by giving us a sense of pride and belonging within the school community, knowing we were working towards a specific goal that would benefit future Year 7s and, hopefully, help us unlock our full potential.
Benefits to Year 7’s
This project has benefited not only us but also the Year 7s in many ways. They have felt more confident and listened to regarding their opinions and worries, knowing that we care about everything they say and will report it back to Dave to support them through their transition. As a result, they feel more open and heard, which encourages them to express their fears and concerns without feeling judged or ignored. The Year 7s also feel supported and happier because they have been able to discuss their feelings and concerns about starting high school and getting familiar with the new environment. They have grown more comfortable with us as older students at the school, which gives them a sense of security, knowing they can talk to us about anything. Just knowing they have someone in the school they know well and have worked with for a long time helps them settle in more easily, especially in the early days when they could ask us for directions if they got lost around the school.
Benefits to the school
One benefit of this project for the school is that it has helped them understand Year 7 students' opinions about their transition to a new school and how it has affected them. This allows them to improve and adjust parts of the transition process to better support incoming Year 6 students joining in September. As a result, the school's empathy and understanding for its students will increase significantly, as they can learn from and act on the concerns and fears identified through their research. This could foster a sense of trust between the school and its students, encouraging students to feel more confident in sharing any issues or worries they may have. In the long run, this could contribute to a stronger, more positive atmosphere within the school, where students feel comfortable to open up and communicate openly with staff, knowing they will be supported through the work achieved in this project.
Conclusion
Throughout the project, the Year 12 student researchers held weekly meetings with Year 7 students, during which they assigned activities to investigate how they view the transition to high school and whether Burnside has successfully supported this process. In these sessions, they asked the Year 7 students questions such as: ‘What were the things you liked or disliked about high school?’ and ‘How did you find the transition to high school?’ Their research showed that, overall, the transition to Burnside was mostly successful for the Year 7 students. However, some aspects, like the increased size of the school, new teachers, and the social side of school, were not considered issues. Nevertheless, this was not true for all students, as some found it challenging to make new friends in high school.
Additionally, students found it challenging to adapt to aspects such as the new school rules (particularly those related to toilet usage) and travelling to school. In meetings, the Year 12 research students then identified the issues that Year 7s considered problems and, if reasonable, proposed recommendations to help students adapt. For example, to address the issues surrounding the toilets, the possibility of investing in new facilities and ensuring that students do not linger around them during break or lunchtime was suggested. At a later date, these recommendations will be presented by the Year 12 students to senior staff to inform the school improvement process. As highlighted in the ‘benefits’ section, the work conducted throughout this project has been beneficial to everyone involved. Especially, the Year 12 researchers and the current Year 7s who benefited from our research, as it has allowed them to feel more confident in Burnside, by socialising with people in their group whom they may not have previously interacted with, making it easier to make friends.
Finally, Burnside College and the upcoming Year 7 students have also benefited from this project, as the research and recommendations will enable senior staff to find ways to improve the transition process in the future, creating a smoother experience for Year 7 students. This research also shows that the school values students' opinions and wants to involve them in improving their school experience and providing support.