1. Back to school - Making a fresh start
Primary to Secondary transition assembly

2. First Days
Back to school: Making a fresh start
First Days

3. How confident do the children look?
Watch the clip from Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone (2001) and answer the questions.
How confident do the children look?
What might they be worried about?
Are their worries realistic?
Introduce the clip from the first Harry Potter film – The scene takes place when the children arrive at Hogwarts for the first time and are getting ready to be sorted by the sorting hat. Once that hat has chosen which house they belong in they will remain with this group for rest of their time at school.
Ask students to think about the questions on the slide as they watch.
Property of Warner (2001) All rights reserved
Back to school: Making a fresh start
First Days

4. ‘Sorting hat’ Clip- Harry Potter and Sorting Hat
Back to school: Making a fresh start
First Days

5. How confident do the children look?
What might they be worried about?
Are their worries realistic?
Following the clip return to the questions. Possible answers below.
1. How confident do the children look?
All the children look slightly nervous. Although she is confident walking in to the hall Hermione calms herself down by talking to herself before she approaches the sorting hat, Harry pleads not to be put in Slytherin, Ron frowns, Draco looks slightly concerned before seeming relieved when he is immediately sorted into Slytherin.
2. What might they be worried about?
It is an intimidating experience entering a big, unfamiliar building.
They are being given lots of new information that they don’t necessarily fully understands
The sorting hat will determine where they will fit in within the community and who their friends will be.
3. Are their worries realistic?
Invite students to identify how the concerns above can be compared to real concerns about starting secondary school (The building will be unfamiliar and maybe confusing at first. There will be lots of new routines to get used to – homework, timetable, they might not immediately know where they fit in in the school) unlike the film they will have to figure this out for themselves.
Point out that these concerns will dissipate as they become more used to the new school and can be tackled in lots of ways including building confidence, trying new things, asking for help.
Property of Warner (2001) All rights reserved
Back to school: Making a fresh start
First Days

6. What are the best things about starting a new school year?
What problems might someone come across when they are trying to make a fresh start at the beginning of term?
You might want to divide the group into two and task students to think of best things and others to think of problems/ issues with starting a new school year. Answers might include
Best
Chance to meet new people.
Opportunity to draw a line under previous school experience and start with new attitude.
New interesting topics in lessons.
Problems/issues
Early mornings
Lots to learn and remember – in lessons and around school (equipment, school layout etc)
Lots of new people that could be intimidating
What problems might someone come across when they are trying to make a fresh start at the beginning of term? Answers might include
Falling into old patterns of behavior, repeating bad habits and getting in trouble.
Lacking confidence to get involved, try new things and meet new people.
Teachers and other students presuming they will behave in the same way
Property of Warner (2001) All rights reserved
Back to school: Making a fresh start
First Days

7. Making New Friends Back to school: Making a fresh start

8. Do you think these characters are happy? How can you tell?
B3 (2010) All rights reserved
Do you think these characters are happy? How can you tell?
What will happen afterwards?
What about school might make them worried or scared?
What do you think happened before this still?
Ask students to look at the stills from Skateboards and Spandex (2010), a short film about a boy named Chris who struggles to fit in at his new school until he makes some new friends and decides to take matters into his own hands…
Ask them to look at the image on the slide and think about the questions. Answers may include:
1. Do you think that these characters are happy? How can you tell?
The characters all have worried, apprehensive expressions.
2. What do you think happened before this still?
The boys may have had a bad experience at school.
3. What will happen afterwards?
They might continue to me miserable at school or they could do something to change the situation.
4.What about school might make them worried or scared?
They may be worried about finding new friends.
Scared of not fitting in/ other children making fun of them.
Back to school: Making a fresh start
Making New Friends

9. Watch the following clip.
Look out for the things that Chris does to change his experience at school.
Explain that some of their assumptions from the still image on slide 8 were correct, in the early scenes Chris (the boy on the left in the image) says that he struggled to fit in at his old school and was falling into a similar pattern at his new school.
Ask students to watch the clip from later in the film and to look out for what Chris does to try and change his experience at school.
Back to school: Making a fresh start
Making New Friends

10. ‘Meet me at the school gates’
Play clip.
Back to school: Making a fresh start
Making New Friends

11. What did Chris do to change his experience at school?
Took a chance
Talked to people
Accepted help from others
Ask students what they thought Chris did to improve his time at school
Took a chance
Chris meets Lokesh at the gates even though the invitation is a bit mysterious.
He goes to hang out with Lokesh and Tucker after school despite having bad experiences with kids at school in the past.
Talked to people
Talks to Lokesh and James.
Doesn’t judge Lokesh when James says he is strange – once they have al heard what each other has to say they discover they have common interests.
Accepted help from others
Lokesh helps Chris up in the corridor.
Lokesh spots Chris’s problem and offers help. Chis accepts help.
Chris asks for more help – how he can go to the dance with Kelly Smith?
B3 (2010) All rights reserved
Back to school: Making a fresh start
Making New Friends

12. What can affect people’s confidence?
Believe in Yourself
What else could he have done?
Talked to a teacher
Told his parents
Contacted a charity such as the Anti-Bullying Alliance
What can affect people’s confidence?
What makes you feel confident?
Ask students to suggest other things Chris could have done if his first actions hadn’t worked or he didn’t feel able to ask others for help.
B3 (2010) All rights reserved
Back to school: Making a fresh start
Fresh Start
Making New Friends