‘It’s not just feeder schools!’  Moving to secondary school: are we getting it right for every family?

This paper reports on pupils and parents’ perceptions of the move to secondary school. Factors influencing secondary school choice include faith, school reputation, and specialisation, thus pupils may not necessarily move to their local ‘cluster’ secondary school. Reporting on data collected during pupils’ first 2 years at secondary school, the author argues that in-depth analysis suggests it is equally possible that a pupil’s experience of the move may be positive or negative, regardless of the primary school attended. This contrasts with existing literature and some participants’ views. Key findings from this study indicate that general preparatory work benefits all pupils. Non-cluster pupils generally have a positive perception of the move, with beneficial work including additional visits with other non-cluster pupils. Earlier confirmation of secondary school places would be beneficial to facilitate this work. Recommendations for future research and practice include facilitating opportunities for schools to share their good practice more widely, and for future longitudinal research to be undertaken to follow pupils to secondary school in a range of educational contexts, including school systems where parental choice is an important influencer for secondary school destinations.