To support primary school students transition to secondary school Signals worked with students from Cressing Primary to explore their concerns and create an animated film to help navigate the emotional changes when starting secondary school.
Over eight weeks, Signals collaborated with Cressing Primary School to imagine, write, and animate a story all about transitioning from primary to secondary school. This film explores the themes that arose from the class discussions through the story of our little acorns; Pin and Tan.
School Transition Resources
Do you know someone about to go through the transition from primary to secondary? Below are some links to a variety of resources you might find useful to facilitate a conversation about transitioning from primary to secondary with your child as a parent or guardian, or with your class as a teacher or educator.
Public Health England
Transition to secondary school lesson plans, designed to aid pupils explore the transition to secondary school and identify strategies to deal with change.
Developed with teachers, this PowerPoint and accompanying video help you explore with your class the challenges that can arise with the transition from primary to secondary school, and help pupils identify strategies for managing the change.
BBC Bitesize
To help students transition from primary to secondary school the BBC has partnered with YoungMinds Find your Feet project, aimed at enabling schools to actively support the mental health and emotional wellbeing of children as they start the next chapter in their lives.
Four key topics associated with starting secondary school are listed below. Each one has a Find Your Feet activity and a short film that can be used as a conversation starter either in the classroom or at home.
This film was made by animator Emily May Gordon as part of Signals Plug In Creatives artist development program where she explored co-production, creative practice, developing skills in planning and delivering digital art education. To find out more about Emily’s time on the program, read her blog post titled ‘Expression, Animation and Playful Creativity’ here.
Emily May Gordon Animator
Emily is a 3D illustrator and animator who focuses on playful world’s and characters. She primarily use blender and find it exciting to be using a medium that is so vast as she is always experimenting with something new.
Victoria Button Animator
Victoria is based in Chelmsford and is a wonderful facilitator for all things animation here at Signals. Victoria is keen to support the growth of local creativity and has recently received commissions from Essex County Council, Abellio and Chelmsford City Council. She regularly works freelance for local arts organisations running large-scale art projects.
Casper Duffy Animator
Casper is a BFI Film Academy alumni and now works as a freelance DOP and animator.
