Easing the transition from primary to secondary - Quality Contact programme
Introduction
Quality Contact (QC) is a programme designed to support transition from primary to secondary. Part of Dundee City Council’s Education Department, the programme includes all school clusters.
QC aims to ensure that every child in Dundee benefits from the same positive start to his or her secondary career. The programme offers a wide range of educational and social experiences designed to build confidence and encourage self-esteem.
Objectives of the programme
- To develop self-esteem and confidence
- To increase motivation and interest for learning in a wide range of settings
- To work positively with parents in all aspects of transition work
- To identify key issues around transition and work proactively and collaboratively to address them
- To promote core skills and attitudes that will encourage a flexible and positive approach to change, now and throughout life
Why do we need to ease the primary-secondary transition?
The transition from primary to secondary school is one of the three key transition stages and has come to be regarded as one of the most difficult periods in pupils’ educational careers. Research has demonstrated the significant decreases that commonly occur in pupils’ academic progress, school attendance and self-image. For example, two out of five pupils fail to make the academic progress that was predicted by their primary performance.
How does Quality Contact work?
QC works with pupils throughout Primary 7 and brings an innovative approach to transitions. The use of drama, art and media means that staff on the programme can work with whole classes but also address the needs of individual pupils.
A staff member says:
'We have found that, by freeing children from the sometimes rigid boundaries that traditionally demarcate learning, a child's ability to cope with not only the new demands of secondary school but also life's challenges is significantly increased.
'Quality Contact is unique, passionate and lively:
- unique - because we work inclusively with all pupils in class and in the community covering a diverse range of topics and methodology
- passionate - because we totally believe in what we do to support transition, and are absolutely committed to fostering confident individuals and successful learners
- lively - because learning should be active, challenging and fun.'
Formal evaluation from pupils and staff, ethos surveys and a recent city-wide audit have shown that this approach works. Read more about the evaluation process.