Becoming Part of the Bishop Luffa Family

Starting secondary school is a big moment. New buildings, new teachers, new routines and, for many students, lots of new faces. Our aim with Year 7 induction is about more than just helping students work out where their classrooms are. We want them to start feeling that Bishop Luffa is their school, and that they are becoming part of the Bishop Luffa family.

That began on Thursday 3rd September, when our new Year 7 students arrived for their first day. They were welcomed by staff and older students, before coming together in the Bartlett Hall for breakfast. From the start, we wanted the day to feel calm, friendly and reassuring.

During the day, students spent time with their Form Tutors and Houses, began getting used to some of the routines of secondary school and took part in Positively YOU, looking at positive and creative approaches to learning.

They were also supported by our brilliant Year 8 House Buddies, led by Izzy Harris in 11Sherborne, our first ever Student Ambassador. Izzy stayed with us throughout the whole of Induction Day and did a fantastic job supporting our new students.

The day finished with our traditional Spaghetti Towers challenge. 7Otter were this year’s winners with a tower measuring 68cm, just 2cm ahead of Ridgeway. Congratulations to Liv, Jayna, Jemima, Phoebe, William and Mae.

And then, of course, the real thing started!

The first couple of weeks of Year 7 are always a bit of a balancing act. We want students to know that there are plenty of people around to help, while also encouraging them to start finding their own feet. At first, that means a bit more help getting around the school, a little extra time between lessons and plenty of familiar faces around H Block.

It doesn’t take long, though. Already we are seeing students confidently heading off to lessons, finding their way around the site and getting on with school life as if they have been here rather longer than a couple of weeks. There will still be the occasional wrong turn — and probably a forgotten book or two — but that is all part of it.

Perhaps the best way of judging how things are going is to listen to the students themselves. When we asked them recently what they had enjoyed so far, their answers included PE, Music, the canteen, the library, the clubs and how welcoming their teachers had been.

One student probably summed up the first couple of weeks best:

“It’s hard to find your way around at first but you soon learn where all the classes are.”

There are still plenty more parts of the Year 7 induction journey to come, including the Year 7 residential. But the first few weeks have already been about exactly what we hoped they would be: growing in confidence, building relationships, finding their place and becoming part of the Bishop Luffa family.

Neil Topley, Assistant Headteacher