The document outlines a transitions project between Poole Grammar School and Ringwood School aimed at improving the transition from Key Stage 5 to university by identifying necessary skills and developing a co-constructed tutorial program for students. It highlights the importance of establishing a shared language and provides insights into methodologies and challenges faced in creating effective partnerships with higher education institutions. The initiative aims to enhance student preparedness for university by gathering evidence and tracking progress among participants.

1. Poole Grammar
School
Hampshire Teaching Schools Alliances
Transitions Project
Ringwood
School
Key Stage 5
to
University

2. Poole Grammar
School
Ringwood
School
Who is involved?
Poole Grammar
School
Ringwood
School
A state selective single sex secondary school with
~1300 students.
A state non-selective mixed secondary school with
~1600 students.
A Russell Group (research intensive) university with
~19,000 undergraduate students.

3. Poole Grammar
School
What is our core purpose?
Ringwood
School
KS5 to UniversityHampshire Teaching
Schools Transitions Project
• The identification of the skills and behaviours that students need to have to succeed in year 1 of an
undergraduate degree course (common set of values);
• To create a shared language to articulate those skills and behaviours (shared language);
• To develop a tutorial and/or coaching programme for year 13 students based on the shared
language and values, with a strong emphasis on self-development opportunities;
• To deliver the tutorial and/or coaching programme to sixth form students in order to familiarise with
language, help manage expectations and facilitate transition to living and learning at university.
To improve progress and achievement between year 13 and year 1
of an undergraduate degree course

4. Poole Grammar
School
What is our hypothesis?
Ringwood
School
KS5 to UniversityHampshire Teaching
Schools Transitions Project
Schools can improve progress and achievement between
year 13 and year 1 of an undergraduate degree course by
implementing a relevant (co-constructed) tutorial
intervention programme that provides students with the
necessary transferable skills to unlock their full potential in
higher education.

5. Poole Grammar
School
What change have we introduced?
Ringwood
School
KS5 to UniversityHampshire Teaching
Schools Transitions Project
Gather evidence
from ex-students
now at UoS via
questionnaire and
follow up focus
groups.
Creating the change
Bring current sixth
form students and
ex-students now at
UoS together to co-
construct resources
for the programme.
Deliver the
programme to
current sixth form
students.
February – March
2014
May – June
2014
September 2014
onwards

6. Poole Grammar
School
How will we know the changes are an improvement?
Ringwood
School
KS5 to UniversityHampshire Teaching
Schools Transitions Project
A-level results
Use of ELLI test before
and after intervention
Questionnaire
responses
Students who have experienced the intervention at Poole Grammar School and Ringwood
School will be tracked across the transition.
Data sources:
Focus group responses
Retention statistics
Quantitative (empirical analytical) data
Qualitative (hermeneutical & emancipatory) data
Control groups will also be tracked at 2 other schools, one similar to PGS and one similar
to Ringwood.

7. Poole Grammar
School
What have we learnt about our methodology?
Ringwood
School
KS5 to UniversityHampshire Teaching
Schools Transitions Project
• In the UK there is no tradition of schools/colleges and higher education institutions working
together to create a shared language and pedagogy to facilitate a smooth transition;
• Therefore a significant stumbling block was to create a meaningful and reciprocal relationship
with a higher education institution that took significant numbers of year 13 students from each
school;
• Whilst one other higher education institution (University of East Anglia) was sharing resources to
help year 13 students prepare for university, this was lecturer/teacher-constructed rather than
co-constructed between year 13 students, undergraduate students and teachers, which is a
central tenet of this project;
• The frequency of our PDSA cycle is necessarily long, as only one intervention can be
undertaken each academic year as the success criteria can only be measured once the student
has crossed the transition.

8. Poole Grammar
School
What have we learnt about our transition?
Ringwood
School
KS5 to UniversityHampshire Teaching
Schools Transitions Project
• Generally undergraduate students from both sixth forms feel that they are well prepared by their
year 13 experience for making the transition to year 1 of an undergraduate degree;
• In particular undergraduate students felt that their year 13 experience did not prepare them well
for purposeful and effective reading of academic journal articles;
• Some example of other areas that undergraduate students felt that schools could focus on more
were:
• preparing students to make presentations to their peers;
• dealing with information provided in a lecture format;
• preparing to deal efficiently with a large volume of work in a short period of time
• Whilst the school partners provide a variety of contexts (selective/non-selective, mixed/single
sex) only being linked with one university limits generalisability.