Case Study: Bolton Council

The Challenge

A group of primary, secondary, and special headteachers formed a working party to talk about transition, in Bolton Council. They came to a startling conclusion “it’s not working”.

Deborah Butler, Transition and Inclusion Lead, and the team at Bolton wanted to address the complexities of student transition, recognising the lack of consistency, workload and the need for accurate and consistent information transfer between schools to avoid pupils falling through the cracks.

“We’re talking about 97 primaries and around 20 secondary schools using excel spreadsheets. I was having sleepless nights. But you know what, it worked. It’s just that the workload on schools wasn’t sustainable.”

The Solution

Embracing SixIntoSeven – a decision for change

The search for a reliable and flexible solution led Deborah and Bolton’s Information Manager to SixIntoSeven following recommendations from the Tameside Council team.

The platform’s bespoke service and promise of integrating the Local Authority’s unique needs and questions proved compelling. The decision was made to switch to SixIntoSeven, marking a pivotal step towards enhanced efficiency and collaborative information sharing and secure data transfer.

Seamless Data Transfer

The Local Authority has 803 SEND students and 1,245 individuals with vulnerable flags from a cohort group of over 4000 students on SixIntoSeven.

Before the collaboration with SixIntoSeven, Bolton schools faced a lack of uniformity in the transition processes. Deborah, reflecting on the earlier state, highlighted the confusion and complexity arising from endless spreadsheets various transition forms and procedures.

A collaborative solution emerges

Deborah initiated a working party comprising primary, secondary, and special headteachers to address these challenges.

A turning point was the creation of a comprehensive list of questions essential for a personalised transition. These questions covered vital details, from basic information to vulnerabilities and special education needs for a pupil-centric approach.

“This is significant information seamlessly being passed between primary and secondary schools. We’re clearly closing the gaps in information and making sure all relevant parties are informed early in the process. – explains Deborah.

Conclusion

A continuation of success

Looking ahead, Bolton remains committed to its journey of enhanced student transition.

Deborah’s optimism for the future shines through, envisioning continued improvements in subsequent years and building on the partnership with the product and customer service team at SixIntoSeven.

Using SixIntoSeven also brought important efficiency changes as multiple people can work in the platform at the same time. With the previous spreadsheet system information was often lost or deleted when two people tried to use the spreadsheet at the same time.

The exciting thing about SixIntoSeven, is the sheer number of students that have been supported through this. 4,380 children just this year so far!

“You realise that you have supported many children’s lives and hopefully, the transition is better for them. We’ll do the same again next year and the same again the year after.”

Collaboration as the cornerstone

Our review with Deborah exemplifies the power of collaboration and a shared commitment to bettering pupils’ pathways through the next phase of education. By addressing the challenges of pupil transition head-on, Deborah and her team have created a pathway for other Local Authorities in the Greater Manchester area and regionally to follow, ultimately benefiting pupils and improving the entire educational community.