YEAR 7 TRANSITION
TRANSITION TIMELINES
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ONLINE ADMISSIONS PORTAL
We use the Applicaa Online Admissions Portal to collect all the necessary information before your child joins us in September. The login credentials will be sent on the 24th March 2026 to the email address you used to submit the school application to Buckinghamshire Council. Please also check your Junk/Spam folder. A blank record for your child has already been created automatically on the Portal. Click on the Admissions Form button on your child's record to open and complete—do not click “Start a new application.”
Please have your child's birth certificate at hand as you will be required to upload a copy.
All forms must be submitted by Sunday, 14 June. Please note that if they are not received by the deadline, your child will unfortunately not be able to attend the Transition Days or Summer School.
TRANSITION DAYS - 7 AND 8 JULY 2026
The transition days are agreed by all primary and secondary schools in Buckinghamshire. Students starting Year 7 in September 2026 are expected to attend their allocated Secondary school during these two days and participate in lessons, assemblies, and various activities.
Students should enter the school building through the rear gates situated in the car park, following signs and staff guidance. Gates will open at 8:15am and close at 8:25am. Students will be dismissed through the same gates at 2:45pm.
Students are required to wear their current primary school uniform and to bring a water bottle and a pencil case for both days. Complimentary food will be provided during break and lunch during the transition days.
As part of our safeguarding measures, written consent is required for your child to leave the school premises independently after the Transition Days. You will be informed about an additional phase becoming available under your child’s record – Transition Days Arrangements, please complete and submit accordingly.
Please be aware that if we have not received the completed online Admission documents, your child will unfortunately not be able to attend the Transition Days.
Transition Evening – 7 July 2026
The Transition Evening is open to all our upcoming Year 7 students and their parents/carers. The evening includes a speech from Mr Gibson (Principal), introduction of the Year 7 team, food sampling and several information stalls. Doors will open at 5pm and we will finish at 7pm. No registration required.
ENHANCED TRANSITION
- 30 June 2026 – Singles/Doubles Visit (9:30–11:30)
For children coming alone or in pairs from their primary schools. - 1 July 2026 – Short SEND Visit (9:30–11:30)
For children who may need a little extra support. - 2 July 2026 – Long SEND Visit (10:00–14:00)
For children with an EHCP.
Invitations for all enhanced transition sessions will be sent via the admissions portal, and families must respond through the portal. Students who qualify for these sessions will be identified during our primary school visits.
UNIFORM DAY - 20 JUNE 2026 10AM-1PM
Please CLICK HERE to access our Uniform Policy.
Uniform Day will be held in the Primary Hall. Please see the poster below for details:
** Nearly new uniform can be purchased from our PTA (Click HERE for more information).
Summer School 27 – 31 July 2026
Spaces are limited. Registration via the Admissions Portal opens on 13 April and closes on 14 June 2026. Registrations will not be accepted after this date.
Please be aware that if we have not received the completed online Admission documents, your child will unfortunately not be able to attend Summer School.
SEND BRUNCH 29 June 2026 from 11:30AM-1:15PM
For parents/carers only. Invitations will be sent via the Admissions Portal and you must respond through the Portal.
tutor groups
When allocating students to groups we focus on factors such as the children’s needs, abilities, background, male/female ratio. Additionally, we must consider the number of students coming from each school, which can range from just one or two students to over thirty. Tutor groups are created once we have finished visiting Primary schools. During these visits we ask for feedback from primary school teachers and other relevant professionals involved with the children. We try to accommodate any parental requests where possible however we cannot offer any guarantees.
Medical
It is essential that the school has accurate and up-to-date information about your child’s medical needs. If your child has a medical condition, you must complete a Healthcare Plan along with any additional documents required. All medical forms can be completed and submitted via the Admissions Portal and are also available to download below. If you are unable to upload the documents via the portal, please return the completed hard copies to the main Reception, addressed to the Medical Officer.
Hard copies of medical forms can be accessed and downloaded from HERE.
Lockers
Lockers are available to rent at £10 per child per academic year, with payment made exclusively via ParentPay. If a key is lost, a replacement will cost £5.
Please note that the first payment report will be generated on the first Friday after we return in September. Locker allocations will be based on this report and keys distributed by the pastoral team and tutors in the days that follow. Subsequent reports will then be processed every Friday. Please do not contact the school regarding the timing of locker key distribution; if your payment has been successfully completed on ParentPay, your child will be allocated their locker the Friday after payment and will receive the key shortly after.
To minimise the risk of keys being lost, we advise that locker keys are attached to a large key ring.
AVA Locker Terms and Conditions can be downloaded HERE.
Free School Meals
If you believe you may be entitled to Free School Meals, please apply either electronically HERE or download a form HERE.
The school uses Buckinghamshire Council's eligibility checking service to confirm whether a child is entitled. Eligibility cannot be checked until September when the child is on the school roll. We will only contact you if your application returns as eligible.
The entitlement for Free School Meals is £3 to be used at lunchtime only, on the approved food options, see poster below:
ParentPay
We are a cashless school, and we use the ParentPay platform to allow parents to pay for school meals, lockers, trips, events, activities and other school related expenses. Your ParentPay activation letter will be sent to you in post in July. You must tell us if you have not received it before the end of the school year. Unfortunately, we will be unable to assist during the Summer Break or the start of the term in September, as we will be focused on helping our new students settle in.
Click here for more information on ParentPay.
First day of school – 3rd September
We will be operating a staggered start in September. Year 7 and Year 12 students will begin on 3 September, with all other year groups returning on 4 September. All students are expected to be in school in full school uniform and no later than 8:25am. Please note that complimentary food will not be provided, so ensure your ParentPay account is active and has sufficient funds. If you have been unable to activate your ParentPay account over the Summer, please provide your child with a packed lunch until the issue is resolved.
Biometrics
Provided you have given consent when completing the online Admission Documents, we will scan your child’s fingerprint during the first few days of September. Please note that food can be purchased from the school canteen without a fingerprint; however, an active ParentPay account is required for all purchases.
What is Edulink?
Edulink is a cloud-based school management and communication app designed to connect parents and staff. It provides real-time access to attendance, behaviour, homework, timetables and reports. Accessible via mobile app or web browser.
Edulink login details
Edulink login details cannot be generated until all Year 7 students are officially added to the school roll in September. Please allow a few days for the welcome emails to arrive and remember to check your junk or spam folder. Each contact with parental responsibility and listed as a priority 1 or 2 will receive a welcome email to their primary email address. You will be asked to provide contact details and assign priorities when completing the online admissions documents.
The welcome email will contain login details and a link to activate the account, which must be used within 24 hours before it expires.
Exceptions
Where a parent already has one or more children attending the Secondary phase at AVA, they will already have an Edulink account. This enables them to view the information for the children in Secondary phase only under the same account. These parents will not receive a new Edulink login.
Office 365 Suite - TEAMS
What is TEAMS?
Part of the Office 365 suite, a number of departments at AVA Secondary utilise Microsoft Teams to set home learning tasks. This is a platform that all students will access throughout their time in school and will become familiar with.
Office 365 login details
Students will be guided to activate their Office accounts during the school day. Login credentials will be generated over a period of 2-3 weeks in September.
EQUIPMENT CHECKLIST FOR SEPTEMBER
Essential Equipment
- Bag large enough to hold an A4 folder
- Pencil Case
- Black or blue pen(s)
- Purple pen(s) for correcting work and responding to feedback
- Pencil(s)
- Ruler
- Eraser
- Calculator
- Protractor
- Glue Stick
Desirable Equipment
- Green highlighter
- Pink highlighter
- Maths set (which will include a protractor)
How to Move up to Secondary School (Year 6)
Buckinghamshire Family Information Service (Youth Space) is offering How to Move up to Secondary School workshops and courses for children in Year 6 to help them feel prepared and confident about the move to secondary school.
The online two-hour workshop covers key information about starting secondary school. For children who feel they need more support, a five-week course is also available.
Topics include:
- what to expect at secondary school
- making new friends and dealing with peer pressure
- tackling fears and worries
- getting organised
To secure a place, click on the image or scan the QR code on the image below:
More information from Family Information Services can be found here.
contact us
If you have any help or support regarding the admission or transition process, please email admissions@theacademy.me