Year 6 Into Year 7 Transition

In order to promote a smooth and positive transition to Beacon Academy, we have a well-established and structured transition programme in place:

• Year 7 Student Information Survey: This gives students and parents the opportunity to share preferences about fellow students they would like to be grouped with in a tutor group.

• Visits to primary schools: Our Head of Year 7, Assistant Head of Year 7 and SENDCo visit primary schools to meet with students, and, in the case of larger feeder schools, parents as well.

• Meet and Greets: Students from outside our local area or those who are home educated will be invited to come and meet with their Head of Year and Assistant Head of Year.

• Parent Meetings: We invite parents to meet with their child’s Head of Year if they have any concerns or questions about the transition process.

• Transition Days in July: These days, planned in coordination with your child’s primary school, give students the chance to experience a typical day at Beacon Academy and meet their fellow students.

• Additional Transition Days: These can be arranged for students who need extra support, either upon request from parents or primary schools.

• Experienced Year 7 Tutors: We have an experienced and highly skilled team of staff to tutor Year 7. Generally these tutors remain tutors for Year 7 as we believe that consistency is key to supporting this age group.

• Year 7 Tutor Rooms: As much as possible, Year 7 tutor rooms are located in a dedicated block with Year 7-only toilets and lockers, although students can also access lockers in other areas of the school.

• Year 7 Social/Play Area: A special play/social area is reserved exclusively for Year 7 students to help them settle in and form new friendships.

On your child’s first day at Beacon Academy, Year 7 students will begin at 8:30am. During the morning, the students will have time with their tutor and a year assembly before attending lessons for the remainder of the day.

• PE kit: Please note that students do not need to bring their PE kit on the first day of term. If they have PE timetabled, their teacher will talk them through the activities that they will be doing. For further information regarding Learning Environment and Equipment please refer to the relevant section below.

• Parent Drop-In Clinic: A daily clinic is available from 8:15am to 8:40am with your child’s Head of Year or Assistant Head of Year. This is a chance for parents to discuss any worries or concerns.

• Additional Support: One-to-one support is available for students identified with additional needs, such as SEND or anxiety.

• End of Day: In Term 1, Year 7 finish at 3:05pm, giving them extra time to meet friends, or head to the bus stop or gate.

• Extra Time Between Lessons: To help Year 7 students adjust to the school layout, they leave lessons five minutes earlier than other year groups until Christmas. This allows them more time and space between lesson changeovers to navigate the school and find their classrooms.

• Break and Lunchtime: Year 7 students are given an additional five minutes at the beginning of break and lunchtime to help them get to the front of the queues at Café Beech.

On their first day at school, students should arrive for 8:30am (no earlier please). The school day finishes at 3:10pm, with Year 7 finishing at 3:05pm during Term 1. Each day consists of five lessons, each lasting one hour. There is a five-minute travel time between lessons and at the end of lunchtime.

On the first day, students will be welcomed by their tutor on the main playground. If it is raining, they will be greeted and escorted to their tutor room. You are welcome to accompany your child to the main playground on their first day.

Please note that the Academy gates close at 8:35am. If students arrive after this, they can only enter via the main gate and reception.

Should you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact the relevant member of staff:

• Subject-specific concerns: Contact your child's class teacher or the Head of Department for that subject.

• Friendship issues: Contact your child’s tutor or the Assistant Head of Year 7.

• Settling in difficulties: Contact your child’s tutor or the Assistant Head of Year 7.

• Uniform or equipment issues: Contact your child’s tutor or the Assistant Head of Year 7.

• Homework issues: Students can attend homework clubs, either in specific subjects or a general homework club run by the Year Team.

• Medical or attendance concerns: Contact the Assistant Head of Year 7.

• Progress concerns: For subject-related issues, contact your class teacher. For concerns across multiple subjects, please contact the Head of Year 7.

We operate a cashless system for catering in Café Beech and for other Academy items using ParentPay. All parents and carers are provided with a secure online account and students are issued with a six-digit PIN number which they will use to purchase meals in the Café. Students need this PIN to check their balance and to buy food. Students should keep this PIN number secure; they should memorise this or put it in a notebook as a reminder.

Please refer to our Year 6-7 Parent Transition Booklet for further information about cashless catering at Beacon Academy.

If students have a specific food allergy or are diagnosed diabetic, this medical information can be coded into the system, preventing foods containing allergens from being served to a particular student. Please ensure that all the relevant dietary/allergen information recorded on your child’s Edulink account is up to date.

Catering services at Beacon Academy are provided by Chartwells.

Chartwells Food Union: Welcome to Year 7

Visit our Catering page to find out more

Free School Meals: eligibility criteria changes from September 2026

The Free School Meals eligibility criteria is changing, and the transitional protection rules will cease at the end of this academic year.

All families in receipt of Universal Credit will now qualify for free school meals.

However, there will be two categories of benefits-based free school meals:

• Targeted FSM – This will continue to be based on the existing threshold and will cover students from households receiving Universal Credit with annual household earnings of £7,400 or less. In addition to receiving free meals, students eligible for targeted FSM will attract pupil premium and other disadvantage funding for their schools.
• Expanded FSM – This is a new category covering students who do not qualify for targeted FSM, but who are in households receiving Universal Credit. Students eligible for expanded FSM will receive meals only and will not qualify for pupil premium or other associated benefits, such as free HAF activity clubs or low-income transport.

Ever 6 FSM Cohort

Students who are, or have been, eligible for FSM within the last six years are part of the ‘Ever 6’ FSM cohort. This is used for disadvantage funding and accountability purposes. Following the expansion of FSM, the Ever 6 FSM cohort will be based on targeted FSM only (not expanded FSM).

Please note, if you have submitted an application since 1st June 2026, any eligibility result you have received is based on new criteria, which will come into effect from 1st September 2026.

If you believe you meet the current eligibility criteria (for example, you receive Universal Credit with an annual income of less than £7,400, or another qualifying benefit), please contact the local authority directly so they can carry out a manual eligibility check.

Please visit the following website to apply for Free School Meals:

• East Sussex:  East Sussex:  Free school meals | East Sussex County Council
• Kent:  Apply for free school meals - Kent County Council

If you have any questions or need support, please contact the free school meals team in the county in which you reside.

• East Sussex:  Free.SchoolMeals@eastsussex.gov.uk
• Kent: freeschoolmeals@kent.gov.uk

Uniform Update: Changes from September 2026

From September 2026, the following uniform items will be updated for students in Years 7 - 11. 

Key changes:

• Blazers will no longer be compulsory and will no longer be stocked by our supplier.
• A Beacon Academy jumper will become the required item in place of a blazer.
• A new black jumper with coloured piping and the Beacon Academy crest will be available.
• One standard Beacon Academy tie will be used for all year groups (Years 7–11).

Please read the full uniform update on our Uniform and Equipment page.

To support families, current students may continue wearing their existing uniform next year, although replacement items should follow the new style from September 2026.

All new Year 7 students and all other new joiners will be required to wear the updated uniform items from September 2026. We will provide parents of new Year 7 students with all the necessary information as part of our transition process. 

Please note: the new Beacon Academy jumper will be available to pre-order from our uniform supplier from Monday 8 June, but this item will not arrive in stock until August. Parents will be notified by email when their order has been dispatched, and only one delivery charge will apply.

The deadline date for online orders to be delivered before September is Sunday 16 August. Home delivery is free for orders over £85.00.

Our uniform supplier is Monkhouse Schoolwear Specialists.

Uniform is one of the ways the local community recognises our students and it helps to create a positive impression that reflects our high standards, expectations, motto and core values.

We encourage all students to wear their uniform with pride, as it conveys a professional attitude and supports our disciplined and well-ordered learning environment. We expect parents and carers to support the school to ensure the uniform code applies to every student in Years 7 to 11.

Our 2025-26 equipment list can be viewed via our Uniform and Equipment page.

PE kit

• Students are not required to bring a PE kit for the first day of school. If students have PE timetabled, their teacher will talk them through the activities that they will be doing.

• Trainers - please note that trainers can be any colour, provided that they are supportive and have non-marking soles. Plimsolls are unsuitable.

• Please note that all students require trainers and football boots (football boots need to be suitable for grass pitches). Shins pads are compulsory for football and rugby (which all students participate in) and gum shields are recommended for hockey and rugby. Gum shields can be purchased from Beacon PE Department.

Exercise books and Art packs

• Please note that all exercise books and Art packs are provided by the school.

Headphones

• Please note that most students carry small, wired, in-ear headphones rather than larger headphones due to the portability of them. Headphones need to be wired to fit the jack. Wireless headphones are NOT permitted in lessons

All homework can be accessed online through the Edulink app and website. In the last week of the summer holidays, parents and carers will receive login details to access their child’s Edulink account. Students will also get their own login and will be shown how to use it during their first week of term.

Homework can include project-based tasks, individual lesson tasks, or a combination of both. Homework is set to suit the needs of the students in the class.

How much homework is set?

• Key Stage 3: Homework is set weekly for English, Mathematics, Science, Humanities, and Modern Foreign Languages. It is set every two weeks for Religion and World Views. Homework for Art, Technology, Drama, Music, PE, and PD will be set when appropriate.
• Key Stage 4: Homework is set weekly for all exam courses/subjects.

Each piece of homework is expected to take about 30 minutes for Key Stage 3 students and 60 minutes for Key Stage 4 students.

Need help with homework? It is beneficial for students to set aside regular, distraction-free time each day to complete their homework. The Library provides a quiet space with computers before school (from 8:00am) and after school (until 4:00pm, Monday to Thursday, and until 3:30pm on Friday).

Members of staff are available to discuss homework outside of lessons, and most departments run weekly homework support sessions. You can find the timetable for these on the extra-curricular page of our website.

What happens if homework is not completed? If a student doesn’t hand in their homework on time or it is not completed to a satisfactory level, the teacher will have a conversation with the student to understand why. If the homework is still not completed, the student will be given a department detention, and parents/carers will be notified via email.

If a student is absent when homework is set, they are still expected to complete it. Homework can be found on Edulink.

At Beacon Academy, we use an app and website called Edulink, along with other IT systems, to aid communication between home and school. Edulink is used to set and review homework, track behaviour and attendance, and share important updates.

In the first week of term, all students receive a Beacon Academy username and password and are taught how to access their Edulink account. Using this account, students can see their timetable, messages from staff, homework, rewards and detentions.

Parents and carers receive their own Edulink login in the final week of the summer holidays, giving them access to their child’s timetable, homework, reports, rewards, detentions, medical information and consent forms. Parents and carers can also message staff through Edulink, and any communications from school are send to the parent's email. Important information about trips, events and parent evenings are also communicated through Edulink.

With their Beacon Academy username and password, students can access Office 365 both at school and at home. This includes Microsoft applications like Outlook, Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Teams, which help with home-school communication and collaboration. Students can also download desktop versions of Office software onto a home computer or tablet (up to 3 downloads per student are allowed under the school licence from Microsoft). Additionally, students and staff can access files saved on the Academy’s “Student Shared” drive via Foldr. Training on how to use these tools is provided in September.

Mobile phone usage

Beacon Academy acknowledges that personal mobile phones and tablets are often given to students by their parents and carers to ensure their safety and personal security. As a school we must also strike the balance between personal safety and how devices can pose inherent risks and may jeopardise their learning environment and we have a responsibility, alongside our parents and carers, to ensure that their mobile phone use does not impact negatively on their overall wellbeing.

In September 2024, we introduced new restrictions around the use of mobile phones throughout the school day to support students to learn and thrive within our calm, safe and purposeful environment. Although students are not prevented from bringing mobile phones to school, phones must be switched off once on our Beeches site and must not be used, seen or heard. Slightly different rules apply for our Sixth Form students at our Green Lane site, however all students must adhere to the restrictions when on our Beeches site.

Access to devices for homework

Access to a computer, laptop or tablet is important for completing some homework tasks. We recommend that you ensure your child has access to a suitable device to support their learning at home.

Registering for free school transport for the 2026-27 academic year

If your child may be eligible for free school transport, East Sussex County Council will contact you directly with the next steps.

Key timeline for parents and carers:

• Early July
  Parents/carers who are eligible for funded transport will receive an email inviting them to register for the 2026-27 academic year. You will be asked to upload a photo of your child so that a travel pass can be issued.

• August onwards
  Families eligible under Low Income Funding will begin to receive their registration emails.

• August
  Once registration is complete, travel passes will be issued and sent to your home address.

Important

If you believe your child may be eligible for free transport but you have not received an email by early July, you should contact East Sussex County Council to check your entitlement.

Useful contacts

School transport eligibility (Admissions and Transport Team)
Tel: 0300 330 9472
Email: admissions@eastsussex.gov.uk

Transport arrangements and timetables (Mainstream Transport Team)
Tel: 01273 335088
Email: mainstream-transport.cts@eastsussex.gov.uk

Complaints or feedback
Tel: 01273 335577
Email: compliance.cts@eastsussex.gov.uk

Travel Saver Schemes

In addition to free school transport (where eligible), there are also travel card options available to help reduce the cost of travel. 

Information about how to apply can be found on our Transport page.

East Sussex – 3i-D Card

East Sussex County Council offers a free 3i-D Card for young people aged 11–19 who live, work or study in East Sussex.

The 3i-D Card:

• acts as an ID card
• provides discounted bus travel
• gives access to a range of local offers and discounts

Kent – Young Person’s Travel Pass

Kent County Council offers a Young Person’s Travel Pass to support families with the cost of transport.

The pass:

• provides access to subsidised bus travel
• helps promote independent and sustainable travel for students
• must be applied for and paid for annually

Additional information

• School travel and transport information
• Public transport journey planning (bus, coach and rail)

School buses and coaches to secondary school are arranged and organised by East Sussex County Council.

If you have any questions regarding transport to Beacon Academy, including bus passes and routes, the School Admissions & Transport Team at County Hall can be contacted on 0300 3309472 or via this link.

If you have any other transport questions, East Sussex County Council Transport Department can be contacted on 01273 335088 or via this link.

Please refer to the following document for information about home to school transport: Home to school transport: information for parents, carers and students

Please visit our Transport page linked below for information about travel to and from Beacon Academy.

Visit our Transport page

All lockers in the Academy are managed by an external company, Secure Locker Rentals. Bookings for our 2026 Year 7 cohort are scheduled to open on Thursday 2nd July in Term 6.

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact Secure Locker Rentals directly or Year7Transition@beacon-academy.org.

Secure Locker Rentals: Two simple ways to rent your locker

Beacon Academy has teamed up with STIKINS to offer parents and carers the opportunity to purchase quality name labels for school uniform and earn the school commission at the same time.

Through this fundraising scheme, Beacon Academy can receive 30% commission on every order placed that quotes the school reference number: 35961.

STIKINS labels are a one-size, multipurpose label and are easy to use – no sewing or ironing – just stick them to the wash-care label. They are washing machine, tumble-dryer, dishwasher and event microwave-proof! They can be used on coats, clothing, lunch boxes, water bottles, pencil cases, shoes, bags, PE kits, glasses cases, trainers, musical instruments, phones and more.

You can order online at www.stikins.co.uk, over the phone (01270 668076) or by using the order form on the leaflet that will be included with your free samples on the transition days. If you use the link on this page of our school website, our code is automatically filled in for you.

Funds raised will be used to help to purchase some of the valuable resources that benefit our students’ learning.

Thank you for your support!

Click here to view the STIKINS fundraising leaflet