New project 'shines' a light on supporting pupils transitioning to secondary schools
Over time, the programme will expand to six schools across the city, helping 2,130 students
Year 7 pupils transitioning to two Sunderland secondary schools are set to see the process become a whole lot easier thanks to nearly £80,000 of funding.
The ‘Brilliant Beginnings’ project, led by the Aspire North East Multi Academy Trust, will initially work with students at Southmoor Academy and Sandhill View Academy, helping young people navigate one of the most significant moments in their education journey. Over time, the programme – which has received a grant of £79,200 – will expand to six schools across the city, helping 2,130 students.
The project is designed to support pupils from the very start of Year 7, using reading, reflection and structured wellbeing activities to help students develop resilience, self-awareness and positive attitudes towards challenge and growth.
The initiative forms part of SHINE Sunderland’s wider £11 million investment in education across the city, supporting innovative school-led projects aimed at improving outcomes and life chances for young people.
Joanne Maw, headteacher at Southmoor Academy and CEO of Aspire North East Multi Academy Trust said: “I hope this programme will give our children a sense of empowerment – that they will learn that their future is in their hands and that having difficulties is part of life. It’s the difficulties that allow you to grow.”
As part of the project, students will create their own reflective journals charting challenges they have faced and overcome.
The programme has been inspired by the work of positive psychology specialist Andy Cope, also known as ‘Dr Happiness’, whose work focuses on what he describes as “mental wealth” rather than simply mental health.
Mrs Maw added: “His training explores how the story we tell ourselves becomes the story that shapes our lives. The project has been carefully designed to ensure all pupils access the same experience during transition, regardless of which primary school they attended.
“We know that many schools have pupils arriving from lots of different feeder primaries. If we focus too heavily on just a few core feeder schools, we risk creating gaps before students have even arrived. We wanted this to be a shared experience for everybody.
“The diary will be about how they’ve struggled more than how they’ve succeeded. We want to see struggle as part of the learning process.”
The project responds directly to challenges schools are increasingly seeing among young people transitioning into secondary education, including reduced concentration spans, increased social media use, attendance concerns and rising mental health pressures.
Rather than beginning in primary schools, the project will centre on transition days and the opening weeks of Year 7, ensuring all pupils can participate equally.
Mrs Maw said: “There’s been a real change in concentration span. Many children are used to very fast-paced video content and constant stimulation. Having a book that you can return to over time, and that gives consistent messages and advice, is really important.
“We know that if attendance is poor in Year 6 and Year 7, it becomes much harder to address later on. We’ve really only got until the October of Year 7 to make an impact before patterns become embedded.
“It’s really important for them to understand, from the very beginning, that struggles are part of life – not something that only happens to other people.”
The project also complements several other SHINE Sunderland-funded initiatives already taking place across Aspire schools, including projects focused on emotional regulation, literacy and character development.
Mrs Maw added: “Each project addresses slightly different barriers. This one is about empowering self as an individual and helping students understand emotions before difficulties become embedded.”
SHINE Sunderland is a city-wide partnership, led by the education charity SHINE, which is investing more than £11 million into secondary education across Sunderland over 10 years, supporting innovative projects designed to break down barriers to learning and improve future opportunities for young people.