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Year 6 into Year 7 Transition
Dear parents, carers and students,
We are excited to welcome you to our school and look forward to supporting your child’s education, personal growth, and wellbeing as they begin their journey at Uplands Academy.
The transition from primary to secondary school is an exciting milestone, but it can also bring a mix of emotions for both students and families. We understand that this period of change can feel overwhelming, and we want to assure you that we will be working closely with you to ensure a smooth and positive start for our new Year 7 students. Our goal is to help them thrive in an environment that is aspirational, ambitious, challenging, and supportive.
To assist with this transition, we have put in place a structured programme that helps both students and their families get to know our school expectations and procedures, while also allowing us to better understand the unique needs of each student. We hope the information on this page will be helpful as you prepare for the exciting journey ahead.
If you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to get in touch via the contact details below:
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You can reach our Head of Year 7 and Assistant Head of Year 7 at year7admissions@uplands-academy.org.
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Our Admissions Coordinator, Mrs Johnson, can be emailed at admissions@uplands-academy.org.
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Our SENDCo, Mrs Tolland, can be reached at send@uplands-academy.org.
We look forward to working with you and your child.
Mr R James
Head of Year 7
Mrs S Tolland
SENDCo
Mrs S Lambert
Assistant Head of Year 7
Mrs C Mortimer
Assistant SENDCo and SEMH Lead
Year 6 Into 7 Transition Information
Key Dates:
Friday 13 March 2026: Deadline for completing our admissions form
Thursday 2 and Friday 3 July 2026: Year 6 into 7 Transition Days
Thursday 3 September 2026: First day of school
Select any of the links below to view resources designed to support our new students and parents.
Resources for Year 6:
For parents and carers:
Find out more about our transition programme
Transport information
Please visit our Transport page linked below for information about travel to and from Uplands Academy.
Catering Information
We operate a cashless system for catering in the cafeteria 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 cafeteria. 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 Uplands 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.
Our catering provider is Chartwells. Please visit our Catering page linked below for information about catering at Uplands Academy.
East Sussex County Council has shared important updates regarding Free School Meals eligibility, effective from 1 April 2025. These changes will affect families of children moving from primary to secondary school and beyond.
Key changes from 1 April 2025:
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Transitional protection rules (which allow students to continue receiving FSM even if they become ineligible) will remain in place until the end of the 2025/26 academic year.
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From September 2026 (start of the 2026/27 academic year), these protections will end for all students, regardless of their current phase of education.
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From that point on, all claimants must meet the eligibility criteria to continue receiving FSM.
Future expansion of FSM:
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From September 2026, the Department for Education (DfE) plans to extend Free School Meals to all children in households in receipt of Universal Credit.
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Further details will be shared once available, including whether these pupils will also be eligible for Pupil Premium funding.
What this means for current Year 6 families (moving to Year 7 in Sept 2025):
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FSM eligibility will continue into Year 7 for pupils currently receiving FSM. There will be no review of FSM status at the end of this academic year.
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No termly reviews will take place this summer for students newly entitled since April 2025 – they will now be treated as fully ‘Entitled’.
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Eligibility checks will continue to be carried out three times a year – in March, July and December – starting from 1 April 2025.
If you still meet the eligibility criteria, no action is needed, and your child’s FSM entitlement will continue automatically into Year 7. However, please note that East Sussex County Council will carry out eligibility checks three times a year - in March, July, and December.
If you are moving to East Sussex before your child starts Year 7, you will need to reapply for FSM.
To check eligibility or reapply, visit the East Sussex County Council website. If you have any questions, please contact the FSM Team at Free.SchoolMeals@eastsussex.gov.uk.
Uniform information
In light of the proposed national changes to uniform guidance regarding branded items, we have been reviewing our current uniform across our schools. To avoid families purchasing items that your child may not need, we want to make you aware that there will be some changes to the current uniform from September 2026, and full details will be shared in the coming months.
To minimise cost for families, current students will be able to continue wearing their existing uniform next academic year, although the updated styles will also be available should they wish to transition early. All new Year 7 students starting in September 2026 will be required to wear the updated items.
The new items will be available to purchase from our school uniform supplier, Monkhouse Schoolwear Specialists.
Monkhouse Schoolwear Specialists, our official school uniform provider based in Tunbridge Wells, has made sure their website is full of useful information to help you get ahead and buy your brand-new uniform. They also have a dedicated New Starter Hub as they know that starting a new school is an exciting experience and that trying on a new uniform is the start of this journey. Click here for more information.
STIKINS Name Labels
Uplands Academy has teamed up with STIKINS to offer parents and carers the opportunity to purchase quality name labels for school uniform and equipment, and earn the school commission at the same time.
Please consider STIKINS the next time you are looking to label school clothing, lunch boxes and stationery. If you use our reference number 36350 when placing your order, our school will earn 30% commission to put towards extracurricular activities, field trips and other educational enrichment.
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 reference code, 36350, is automatically filled in for you.
Locker rental
All lockers in the academy are managed by an external company: Secure Locker Rentals.
To rent a locker for your child, please visit their website and select Uplands Academy as the location. Please see the flyer below for further information and if you have any questions, please contact Secure Locker Rentals directly.