Transition Is More Than a School Move: A Dramatherapist’s Perspective on Supporting Year 6 Pupils

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Every year, thousands of children across the UK leave the familiarity of primary school and step into the unknown world of secondary education. On the surface, transition is often treated as a practical process: timetables, uniform, new buildings, new routines.

But from a dramatherapist’s perspective, transition is something much deeper.

It is an emotional, psychological, and relational shift.

...And for many children, it is quietly overwhelming.

What Children Are Really Feeling

By the time pupils reach Year 6, they have often spent seven years in one environment. That environment has become more than just a school; it is:

• a place of safety

• a place of identity

• a place where they are known and understood

  
  

When that changes, children are not just 'moving schools.' They are experiencing loss, uncertainty, and redefinition of self.

In therapeutic terms, transition can activate:

• anxiety about belonging (“Will I have friends?”)

• fear of the past returning (“What if that person is there?”)

• uncertainty about support (“Will teachers understand me?”)

These are not small worries. They are deeply human concerns about safety, connection, and identity.

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The Common Transition Worries

In my work, I often see five core narratives emerge:

1. Fear of Losing Friendships

Children worry that friendships built over years will disappear overnight. This reflects a deeper fear: “Will I still belong?”

2. Fear Linked to Past Experiences

For some, transition reactivates earlier experiences such as bullying. The worry is not just about the future, it is about the past repeating itself.

3. Fear of Losing Support

Children who have felt understood in primary school often worry: “Will anyone ‘get’ me again?”

4. Fear of Being Judged (including Physical Appearance and Difference)

As children approach adolescence, awareness of self-image increases.

Worries may include:

• body changes

• clothing or uniform

• visible differences, such as birthmarks

• physical development differences, including height and weight

At the heart of this is not appearance itself, but identity:

“Am I acceptable as I am?”

5. Fear of Not Being Supported by Adults

Children may also worry about adult relationships in secondary school.

They may think:

• “What if teachers don’t understand me?” 

• “What if I can’t get help?” 

In reality, secondary schools are complex environments, and not all staff will connect with all pupils in the same way. This variation can feel unsettling for children used to one consistent primary relationship.

This is why clarity about who to go to, and how to ask for help, is essential.

What Is Happening in the Brain

From a psychoeducational perspective, transition activates the brain’s threat detection system.

When something is new or uncertain, the brain asks: “Am I safe?”

This can show up as:

• racing thoughts

• physical sensations (butterflies, tension)

• withdrawal or quietness

• irritability or heightened emotion

These responses are not misbehaviour. They are protective responses.

Why a Therapeutic Approach Matters

If we treat transition as purely academic or organisational, we miss what children actually need. Children do not just need to know:

• where their classroom is

• what time lunch is

They need to feel:

• safe

• seen

• supported

• connected

This is where a dramatherapeutic approach becomes powerful.

Dramatherapy allows children to:

• externalise feelings safely

• create emotional distance from worry

• rehearse new experiences

• build confidence through embodiment

• experience shared understanding

The Power of Story, Metaphor… and Rehearsal

One of the most effective tools in transition work is symbolic storytelling.

Describing worries as something a child carries, like an invisible backpack, allows them to externalise and manage those feelings.

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For example, the invisible backpack metaphor allows children to:

• place worries outside of themselves

• see that feelings are something they carry, not something they are

• begin to imagine change

Within the backpack, children may hold:

• worries about friends

• fears about belonging

• uncertainty about support

• concerns about how they are seen

  
  

But they can also add resources:

• courage

• support

• resilience

• connection

• perceptive

This shifts the emotional experience from overwhelm to agency.

But alongside metaphor, there is another equally important tool:

Rehearsal through role play.

In dramatherapy, we understand that children do not just need to talk about situations they need to experience and practise them in a safe space.

Practising Making New Friends: Why It Matters

For many children, the worry is not just “Will I have friends?” It is also: “How do I even start?”

What seems simple to adults can feel uncertain and high-risk to a child.

Role play creates:

• safety (“it’s just practice”)

• predictability

• confidence through repetition

• a sense of self ("I can do this”)

Simple Role Play Activities Schools Can Use

These do not need to be complex or performative. They work best when they are gentle, structured, and optional.

1. The First Conversation - In pairs or small groups, children practise simple opening lines:

• “Hi, what lesson have you got next?”

• “Can I sit here?”

• “What primary school did you go to?”

Key message: There is no perfect sentence, just a starting point.

2. Joining In - Create a short scenario:

A group is talking at break time. Ask:

• What could you say to join?

Practise options like:

• “Can I join in?”

• “What are you talking about?”

• smiling and standing nearby

This helps reduce the fear of approaching others.

3. What If It Feels Awkward? - Normalise this explicitly.

In role play, include moments where:

• someone doesn’t respond straight away

• a conversation pauses

Then model:

• trying again

• choosing someone else

• reminding themselves: “This happens to everyone.” 

This builds resilience, not just social skill.

4. Being the Inclusive and Welcoming Person

An often-overlooked shift: Instead of only asking, “How do I make friends?” Also explore: “How can I help others feel included?”

Role play:

• inviting someone to join

• noticing someone alone

• starting a conversation

This builds agency and empathy.

What Children Learn Through This

Through simple rehearsal, children begin to understand:

• friendships don’t need to be perfect

• everyone feels unsure at first

• small steps are enough

• they have the skills to connect

Confidence grows not from being told, but from experiencing success in a safe space.

Supporting Help-Seeking in Secondary School

Children also need explicit teaching about how to access support.

This includes:

• knowing key staff roles (tutors, pastoral leads, safeguarding staff)

• understanding there are multiple trusted adults

• practising what to say when asking for help

• learning that support can be accessed in different ways

A helpful dramatherapeutic idea is:

“Mapping safe adults in a new environment.”

This shifts thinking from helplessness to navigation.

Trauma-Informed and Neurodiversity-Aware Considerations

It is also important to acknowledge that not all children will experience school in the same way. Some pupils,  particularly those who are neurodivergent or have experienced earlier adversity, may find transition especially challenging.

If staff are not fully trauma-informed or neurodiversity-aware, children’s responses may sometimes be misunderstood as behaviour rather than communication.

For example:

• anxiety may look like non-compliance

• overwhelm may look like withdrawal

• sensory distress may look like disruption

A trauma-informed lens asks instead:

“What is this child communicating through their behaviour?”

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The Role of Adults in Transition

During transition, adults become:

• regulators

• witnesses

• bridges between environments

• emotional anchors

What matters most is not perfection, but:

• consistency

• attunement

• safety

• relational presence

Supporting Transition Over Time

Transition is not processed in a single assembly or lesson.

Children need:

• time

• repetition

• reflection

• relational safety

A therapeutic approach allows this to happen gradually and meaningfully.

Practical Therapeutic Strategies for Schools

To support transition more holistically:

• Normalise emotional responses

• Use metaphor and storytelling

• Include embodied activities

• Create space for shared experience

• Build in opportunities for role play and rehearsal

• Reinforce that support continues in secondary school

Therapeutic Transition Programme (Available in June / July)

We offer a 6-week therapeutic transition programme for Year 6 pupils, delivered over half a term. Grounded in dramatherapy and psychoeducation, the programme supports children to:

• explore worries safely

• build emotional regulation

• practice social situations (including making new friends)

• develop confidence and readiness

• feel supported through change

  
  

Details:

• 6 weeks (half term)

• 1-3 hours per week (depending on groups)

• Morning or afternoon sessions available

• Delivered in school

• Suitable for individuals, small groups or whole classes

I am also available to work with adults who will be welcoming Year 7 students into their school in September.

If you would like to know about our transition programme, or would like to request a transition tool-kit, please complete the contact form.

Thank you