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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 C Mortimer
Assistant Head of Year 7
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
View our School Term and Holiday Dates for 2026-2027
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:
Uniform Update: Changes from September 2026
From September 2026, the following uniform items will be updated for students at Uplands Academy.
Key changes:
- Blazers will no longer be compulsory and will no longer be stocked by our supplier.
- An Uplands Academy jumper will become the required item in place of a blazer.
- A new black jumper with coloured piping and the Uplands Academy crest will be available.
- There will no longer be a dedicated Year 7 tie.
- All students joining the school will be required to wear the new Uplands Academy tie, which replaces the previous tie system.
- Existing Uplands Academy jumpers may continue to be worn, however new or replacement jumpers must be the updated version from September 2026.
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 all 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 Uplands Academy jumper will be available to pre-order from our uniform supplier from Friday 5 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 new items will be available to purchase from our school uniform supplier, 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.
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.
Find out more about our transition programme
Home to School Transport Information
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:
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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.
Please apply through the county in which you live.
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
KCC Travel Saver
Kent County Council provide a Travel Saver Scheme in order to assist parents with the cost of bus travel. The pass provides subsidised bus travel at school times for all secondary aged students living in Kent.
For families in receipt of free school meals, please ensure you select this option when applying to qualify for a discounted rate.
For information please follow this link:
KCC Travel Saver - Kent County Council
Additional 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.
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
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.