Expectations versus reality: the story of gender differences in transition from primary to secondary school

The transition from primary to secondary school is acknowledged to be a difficult time for young adolescents in terms of social relationships within the context of academic change. This is exacerbated by organisational differences between primary and secondary school and associated myths which affect pupil perceptions. This may hinder a successful transition and our study addresses some of these issues. This small-scale qualitative study focused on the extent to which the expectations of the transition matched the reality for a group of primary and secondary school pupils through the use of questionnaires and semi-structured interviews with focus groups of pupils and teachers. The consequences of this research will contribute to the understanding of how boys and girls manage their approaches to social relationships and organisation of learning during this challenging time of transition between primary and secondary schools. This research will be of interest to senior leaders, key stage co-ordinators, Year 6 and 7 teachers and those interested in the nature of school transition.