Year 2 Transition 

 
 

Welcome

Hello and welcome to the Year 2-Year 3 transition page of our School website.

Finding the right school for your child is an important task, and can also feel a little daunting and complicated. We hope we can help make the whole process a little easier and reassuring.

On this page we will include all of the information you and your children need to support transition from Year 2 to Year 3 at Harnham Junior School.

If you have a question that is not answered on this page, please send an email to the following email address, so that we can update the information shared here, or respond directly to you if your question is only relevant to you and your child.

When should I apply for a place?

Applications, for a Year 3 place in September 2026, open on 1st September 2025 and close on 15th January 2026 - early returns are not

given preferential treatment – so, please, there’s no need to worry.

You can still apply after the deadline date but it will be considered a late application.  Late applications can be submitted using the online system.

There is no automatic entry from Harnham Infant School to Harnham Junior School and there is no automatic offer of a sibling place (a place for a brother or sister).

September Documents

Please click on the links below to see details regarding returning to School in September.

Year 2 - Year 3 Transition Activities

To help children feel confident and excited about moving up to Year 3, we run a series of transition activities before September.

  • Soft Start Mornings – These are gentle, welcoming sessions designed to help children settle into Harnham Junior School in the calmest and happiest way possible. Small groups of pupils come in for part of the morning to explore their new classrooms, meet staff, and get used to the routines before the full school day begins. This allows children to build familiarity at their own pace, easing any worries and boosting confidence.

  • Weekly Transition Sessions – In early Term 6, Year 2 children attend one short session each week (three in total). During these visits, they spend time with Year 3 teachers, begin to learn their way around the school, and start to feel part of the HJS community.

  • ‘Bump Up’ Day – In July, all Year 2 children take part in a full transition day at HJS. They spend much of the day in their new classrooms with their new teachers, preparing for the exciting step into Year 3 in September.

Tour and Information

Please watch the video below to hear about and see everything that is Harnham Junior School.

 
 

Map of Harnham Junior School

Below, you can see a map of the School and the Classrooms with the year groups. This year, the Year 3 classes are located near to one another. This enables the children to learn closely with one another, as well as learning from role models in the older year groups.

Map of the School not to scale.

The Year 3 Team

Year 3 teachers for 2024-25

Mrs Roderick, Mrs Monteith, Mrs Sammons and Mrs Crew.

Handover from the Infants’ School to Harnham Junior School

We work closely with the staff at the Infants’ School to ensure your children have a smooth transition. Information regarding your child is passed on and each child is discussed with members of the SLT. The Year 3 teachers meet with the Year 2 teachers to discuss each child in their class. The information shared in these discussions will range from each child’s general attitude to school and different subjects, as well as their academic ability and needs, including any interventions and support your child may have had in the past.

Support for children with SEND

Mrs Winters, our SENDCo, will have already met with the SENDCo at the Infants’ School and in some cases will have been involved in meetings with outside agencies, regarding the needs of some children. Mrs Winters will also have a full and thorough handover from the SENDCo at the Infants’ School to ensure the correct support can be put in place as soon as your child joins the Junior School.

Going into the School building independently

Children should be dropped off at their allocated entrance. Here, they will be greeted by a member of the SLT. If there are any issues that the teacher needs to be made aware of, then parents can send a message via the adult on the door. 

How you can help: If your child is anxious about being dropped off, encourage them to meet with a friend until it’s time to go into the classroom, alternatively speak to a member of the SLT so that we can make arrangements to support your child’s arrival routine. 

 

Playtimes

In KS2 play is generally more independent, children will have the opportunity to play and socialise with children in their year group alongside our Year 4 children. We have a range of play equipment for the children to play with and there are also some activities led by the adults supervising.

How you can help: We have a Friendship Bench where children can go if they want someone to play with, so encourage your child to use this if they’re feeling anxious or lonely. 

Working together

In KS2, children are expected to be more independent when working in groups. This involves a whole raft of new skills, such as: listening to others; being able to explain ideas clearly; taking turns; helping one another; allowing everyone to contribute, and pulling the group’s ideas together into the end product.

How you can help: Look for opportunities to practise group work at home, such as baking a cake together, with one person reading the recipe and the other weighing out the ingredients, or collaborating with siblings or friends on making a LEGO model.

 

Personal Organisation

Children at Harnham Junior School are expected to take more responsibility for organising themselves, for example by remembering to bring their reading books, homework, spelling books and PE kit to school on the relevant days. It is also important that your child's clothing is clearly labelled, so they are able to keep it organised. 

How you can help: Get your child into the habit of unpacking and repacking their school bag themselves the evening before. 

Home Learning/Homework

At Harnham Junior School, the children are expected to read at home everyday for at least 20 minutes. In addition to this, children will also have their own login for Times Table Rockstars (for help with times tables).

How you can help: Support your child by listening to them read, ask questions about what they read and encourage them to have a regular allotted time to complete home learning.

  

Things to practise over the Summer

- Tying your shoelaces (even if so far your child has never had laces);

- Tying your tie (although we will have some of the older children on hand to help with this during the first couple of weeks);

- Telling the time (using an analogue clock as well as a digital one);

- Using a knife and fork properly (even if your child is more likely to eat a packed lunch most days);

- Changing independently, including undoing your top button (ready for PE and swimming lessons);

- Use a pair of scissors to cut out;

- Fold a piece of paper in half;

- Drawing straight lines with a ruler.