Welcome to Year 7
Welcome to Beckfoot Thornton. We are so pleased that you have joined our school, and we can’t wait to join you on the next part of your school journey. Starting at secondary school is a very exciting time and usually one that lots of children are ready for but we also understand that you and your child are probably feeling both excited and nervous about joining us in equal measures. We aim to make the transition from primary school to Beckfoot Thornton as smooth as possible. We know from experience that children are more likely to achieve their potential if they are content and comfortable in their surroundings, self-confident and well-motivated. We also know the importance of a successful partnership between home and school in achieving this, so we actively encourage the support and input of all parents. You want to make sure that your child is happy, safe, and learning skills to equip them for the future, and together we can make that happen.
Transition
Transition events will take place before your child starts at Beckfoot Thornton so students can meet staff and peers and learn more about their school community.
Form tutors are central to caring for students and monitoring their progress socially and academically. Groups will be mixed up to ensure primary school intakes are spread out so students have the opportunity to make new friends.
Support is always there for students struggling with transition, and should they have any worries or concerns we encourage then to discuss these with our Head of Year 7, tutor, or our friendly pastoral team.
Your Team
Our team will be here to support our new Year 7s through their transition to secondary school and their first year at Beckfoot Thornton.
- Mr L Cole – Head of Year 7
- Mrs R Beavers – Transition and Enrichment Lead
- Mrs S Trusselle – Headteacher
- Mr P Dolan – Designated Safeguarding Lead
- Mrs T Holden – SENDCO
Wider Opportunities
Year 7 will provide your child with a multitude of exciting opportunities outside of the classroom, allowing them to make friends and integrate with the wider school community.
Past trips and visits have included museums, sporting activities, outdoor adventure activities, visits to the theatre and musical events.
Our wide extracurricular offer also provides students with the opportunity to expand their skills and knowledge outside the classroom.
Year 7
| Subject | Cycle 1 | Cycle 2 | Cycle 3 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Art | Floral elements – Line, tone, colour, pattern, form, texture and selected artists | Application of formal elements in imaginary landscapes Imaginary animals – drawing skills | Imaginary animals – experimental mixed media work and skills development |
| Science | Introduction to science The particle model Cells and movement | Energy Separating mixtures Variation Forces and motion | Acids and alkalis Food chains and webs Reproduction Waves – sound Electricity – current |
| Computing | 7.0 Computing at Thornton: How to use IT systems and resources at our school 7.1 Collaborating online: How to work together using cloud technologies, communicating professionally, and providing effective feedback | 7.2 Programming with Scratch: Learning about the basics of programming including variables, iteration, and selection 7.3 Networks: From semaphore to the internet, how computers exchange information across the local area networks and the internet | 7.4 Physical computing: developing our programming skills using Microbits 7.5 Using media: using technology to gain support for a cause, including creating a blog |
| English | Greek Myths: Study a range of Greek myths from Prometheus to the Odyssey, responding analytically and writing creatively The Tempest, William Shakespeare: An introduction to Shakespeare, his works and the form of the play | The history of rhetoric: studying famous speeches and other examples of rhetoric to prepare for own speech writing | Narrative poetry: Studying a range of poems from Beowulf to the Ballad of Charlotte Dymond, turning knowledge of narrative poetry into own written narrative |
| French | Introducing yourself: learn how to introduce yourself to others in French, including greetings, talking about where your age, birthday, where you live, your personality and your appearance | Family and friends: describe who is in your family and their personality and appearance School: Give opinions on your school subjects and describe your school | Hobbies: explain which hobbies you do and why, and talk about what you are going to do next weekend Sports: describe which sports you like to do and play, and talk about the sport you’re doing next weekend |
| German | Introducing yourself: Learn how to introduce yourself to others in German, including greetings, talking about your age, birthday, where you live, your personality and your appearance | Family and friends: Describe who is in your family and give details about their personality and appearance Sports: Describe which sports you like to play, and talk about the sport you are going to do next weekend | Sports in 3rd person: Describe what sports other people like and don’t like to play using the 3rd person Das Wunder von Bern film project: Watch and understand the German film Das Wunder von Bern. Discuss the characters and give opinions on what you have watched |
| Geography | Fantastic places: Review students knowledge of continents and oceans using longitude and latitude as well as OS map skills UK Geography: Where do we live? How does our physical geography vary across the UK? | Geology and rivers: How does geology influence our landscape? Introduction to how rivers shape our landscape and the landforms this creates Climate change: Students will understand the impact of human activity on the planet and how this can be mitigated in the future | Glaciation: How does ice shape the landscape? This topic looks at how glaciers erode and move material and how glaciers shaped our landscape |
| History | Battles of 1066: The events of 1066 and the last time Britain was successfully invaded by William of Normandy Crusades: Study of the repeated conflicts over Jerusalem and Holy Lands that occurred due to their religious importance | Peasants revolt: Study the long-term and short-term causes that led to the peasants revolt in England The Tudors: Pupils will look at the different Tudor monarchs and analyse how significant their actions were on British history | English civil war: Looking at the causes of the English Civil War to develop their causation skills – The rule of Oliver Cromwell: The significance of the time when England did not have a monarchy |
| REW | Introduction to Religion and Worldviews. The study of Judaism as a world religion | Study of Christianity as a world religion | Study of Islam as a world religion |
| Maths | Sequences, algebraic notation, equality and equivalence, place value, fractions, decimals and percentages equivalence | Addition and subtraction, multiplication and division, fractions and percentages of amounts, directed number | Addition and subtraction of fractions, geometric notation, developing geometric reasoning, number sense, sets and probability, prime numbers and proof |
| Music | Music Notation: Students will learn about the treble clef and different note values. They will be able to compose a section of music and learn how to play this on the keyboards Elements of music: Students will learn about the different elements of music and be able to listen to different pieces of music and identify the elements accurately | Programme music: Students will be able to combine their knowledge learnt in cycle 1 to compose a short melodic theme suitable for an animal Blues music: Students will learn the history around blues music ands the morals of slavery. Students will begin to perform chords using correct finger positions by learning how to play the 12-bar blues, students will also learn about the bass clef. | Blues music developed: Students will develop their work by having an introduction to the blues scale to start improvising with an ensemble 90s pop music: Students will develop their ensemble skills by performing both melody and chords as a full class ensemble |
| Technology | Introduction to health and safety in Design Technology, planes project to familiarise students with basic hand tools, equipment and skills | Presentation techniques and development of ideas. Blockhead (wo0od based) project to improve and develop skills using hand tools and basic workshop equipment | Introduction to metals as a material, bottle opener project. Cutting and shaping metal using basic hand tool. The importance of finishing material to a good standard |
| Food | Ready to cook: Students explore making fruit salad, pizza toast, pasta salad, and apple rock buns | Lunch bunch: Students learn how to make salad in a jar, upside down pineapple cake, quiche and melting moments | Students will cook a repertoire of predominantly savoury dishes so that they are able to feed themselves and others a healthy and varied diet |