Frequently Asked Questions

Transition takes place for a day during the month of July. The exact dates will be communicated to your primary school.

During the summer transition visits, your child will need to wear their primary school uniform. As of September your child will need to wear The Bolsover School uniform.

There will be no need to bring a PE kit during the first day. Any activities will be suitable to be done in their uniform. However, PE may be part of the weekly timetable which all Year 6 students will receive on the first day. If your child has PE the next day, they should bring their primary school PE kit in an easy to carry school bag.

The bell for the first lesson sounds at 8:25am so the majority of students start arriving from 8:00am. The refectory is open for those eligible for a free breakfast from this time. Period 1 then starts at 8:30am.

Period 1:           8:30am – 9:30am

Period 2:           9:30am – 10:30am

Break:               10:30am – 10:50am

Tutorial:            10:50am – 11:20 am

Period 3:           11:20am – 12:20pm

Lunch:               12:20pm – 12:55pm

Period 4:           12:55pm – 1:55pm

Period 5:           1:55pm – 2:55pm

In line with the school’s uniform policy, there are certain items which must be purchased through our uniform supplier Logo Leisurewear. Guidance regarding sizes can be found on their website. Please refer to the School Uniform Policy and School Uniform Guide before purchasing any items of uniform, to check that they are acceptable. Any items ordered from Logo Leisurewear can either be delivered to your home address (for a small charge) or they will be delivered to school for you to collect. You will be informed when items have been delivered.

Your child will not be taking part in one off activities designed to be 'fun' and 'exciting' as we believe this gives a false sense of what secondary school is like. All staff are asked to deliver lessons exactly as they will in September to give your child the best possible preparation for a smooth transition. However, we are confident that your child will still come home happy and with a buzz about secondary school as we work hard to ensure our lessons are challenging but engaging as we think this is the key to successful learning.

Students will be able to have a hot dinner or bring their packed lunches with them. Students will need to bring cash with them during transition to pay for their lunch. Year 6 students will go in for lunch earlier than the rest of the school to ensure they are served first.

A full hot meal dinner costs £2.60, although there are other lunch options such as pasta and baguettes which cost less. We would recommend around £3.50 per day which will be more than enough to cover lunch and snacks at break. Healthy drinks can be purchased but we would recommend students bring a water bottle to use our water fountains which have the added bonus of being free!

If your child is eligible for Free School Meals, this information will be communicated to us by your child’s primary school. We will pass this information on to our school canteen to ensure all eligible students receive their lunch.

Your child will need to bring a pencil case containing a pen, pencil and ruler. Depending on the weather, a suitable coat will be needed.

We do not allow the use of mobile phones in school as we believe they are a distraction to learning. We have a clear policy that states any student caught using a mobile phone will have it confiscated for parents to collect. This will also apply to your child during transition so we advise that all mobile phones and electronic devices are left at home.

We encourage children to speak to their teacher, their form tutor of their head of house. There will be student buddies on hand to help any year 6s as well.

If your child has a sibling currently at The Bolsover School, then they will be placed in the same house and form. All other students will be allocated a house taking in to account academic attainment, behaviour, attendance, sporting ability and other information to ensure houses are as equal as possible. Students will not be placed in a house with nobody else from their primary school. Unfortunately, we do not take requests to place students with their ‘friends’ but primary schools will give us lots of information as to which students work best with who and who should be kept apart. Further information about our House System can be found here.

Please ensure that all pieces of clothing and equipment are clearly labelled with your child’s name as they can then be easily identified. We will endeavour where possible to return any lost items.

Please phone the school office on 01246 822105 in the first instance. For general queries regarding your child your first point of contact should be your child’s Form Tutor or Head of House which they will find out on their first day. Email addresses and other forms of communication can be found on the school website.

If your child cannot attend school due to illness, you should contact the school on 01246 822105 and follow the instructions regarding a student absence. You will be able to leave a voicemail message with details. We would also ask that you contact your child’s primary school as well to inform them.

If your child feels unwell at school they will need to go to the first aid room where we will contact you as necessary. They will be informed of where this is on their first day and staff and student buddies will be around to help.

Year 6 children will be expected to adhere to the school behaviour policy in the same way all the current students do. This is really important as it allows the children to get used to the standards and expectations ready for September. It is extremely rare for any behaviour problems to occur during transition but if they do, we will ensure we communicate effectively with both parents and primary schools.

A summer transition subject booklet and reading challenge will be sent out to each Year 6 student. These contain some fun activities for students to complete over the 6 week holidays which are educational but will keep them entertained. However, we believe the best preparation for secondary school is a good recharge of the batteries so that your child can get off to the best possible start in September!