P7 Transfer 2010
NEWS - Primary pupils to make 3 Day visit to Hazlehead Academy Pupils in P7 who are transferring to Hazlehead in August will be making a 3 day visit to the Academy from Wednesday 23rd June to Friday 25th June. They should arrive at Hazlehead and report to the Gymnasium which is part of the PE block to the right of the school. The day for P7 pupils will begin at 8.30. Following an introduction to aspects of the school, they will follow normal timetable with their new classmates. Pupils will be issued with Accord Cards, needed to purchase food in the canteen and they should bring money with them to load onto the card if they are taking school lunches. P7 pupils will be dismissed at 2.25 each day to allow time for them to be collected by parents, if required, before the normal closing time on Wednesdays to Fridays of 2.45 pm. There will be a range of taster sessions for some of the sports clubs in the School at lunchtimes. Pupils should bring their PE kit with them in case they have either PE on their timetable or want to take part in some of the tasters which will include football, badminton, trampolining, rockwall climbing dodgeball, athletics, basketball, hockey and fitness!
A helpful booklet for P7 pupils visiting the Academy has ben produced by the Academy's Enterprise Club. Click on the image opposite to download a pdf file of the booklet.
2010 Prospectus now Available The prospectus for 2010 is now available and can be downloaded by clicking on the word prospectus. Hazlehead Academy has an induction programme for P7 pupils which runs from January of the child's P7 year through the move to secondary and into S1. Details of events will appear on this page. The programme for the coming year can be found here>>
Transfer DVD A DVD has been prepared which gives a pupil eye view of Hazlehead Academy. Introduced by Craig Morrison and Helen McRae, the DVD will be issued free to all pupils transferring from Primary schools to Hazlehead. Craig and Helen give lots of advice and show pupils some of the exciting things they can look forward to at Hazlehead.

Hazlehead Academy is part of an Associated Schools Group (ASG) which consists of the Academy and several feeder primary schools. The primary schools which are part of the ASG are Airyhall Primary, Fernielea Primary, Hazlehead Primary and Kingsford Primary. In addition, pupils from Gilcomstoun Primary Gaelic Unit who are continuing with their Gaelic education transfer to Hazlehead Academy. Hazlehead also receives a large number of 'out of zone' applications, either from pupils attending the above primary schools whose address is outwith our zone or from pupils attending other primary schools. In most years, the primary pupils transferring from Hazlehead will come from between 10 and 15 different primary schools.

Hazlehead Academy has a well developed transfer programme to ensure that the move from primary to secondary goes as smoothly as possible for the child and that parents are also kept well informed about the process. Parents who are experiencing the process for the first time often find the changes in structure between primary and secondary quite daunting. If you have any queries or would like to speak to the member of staff responsible for the transfer please contact us - we will be pleased to help.

Out of Zone Applications
Out one applications must be made March 15th in the year of your child's entry to S1. Application forms are available from any primary or secondary school. Details of Aberdeen City's placement arrangements can be found here>>

The transfer process starts in January each year with a number of events. These are detailed below.

January - Roadshows and issue of school prospectus.
A Roadshow is held in each of our associated primary schools during an evening in January. Parents are invited along to hear about the school and its aims and values. Pupils who transferred from that primary school the previous year give a presentation on their experiences and S6 pupils who are coming to the end of their school career at Hazlehead reflect on their experiences. Parents are provided with the opportunity to ask questions about the transfer process.

Roadshows this year will be held as shown below.

Tuesday 12th January 2010 - Kingsford Primary School at Kingsford Primary School

Wednesday 13th January 2010 - Fernielea/Holy Family Primary Schools at Fernielea Primary School.

Thursday 14th January 2010 - Airyhall Primary School at Airyhall Primary School.

Tuesday 19th January 2010 - Hazlehead Primary School and Gilcomstoun Gaelic Unit at Hazlehead Primary School.

All meetings run from 7.00pm - 8.30 pm.

The most recent prospectus is available and can be downloaded by clicking on the word prospectus.

Please Note: Parents of out of zone children who wish to find out more about Hazlehead Academy are welcome to attend any of the Roadshows. Please contact the Academy for further details.

January to May
Information is gathered from the primary schools which allows pupils to be placed in an appropriate form class.

Pupils will complete a little booklet called 'Passport to Hazlehead' which provided important information about the pupils. They will also take part in a number of link projects designed to aid continuity from primary through to secondary.

Early May
The Depute Rector with responsibility for the P7 transfer will visit all the pupils transferring at their primary schools. Pupils queries and questions will be answered and they will be given information about the visit to Hazlehead in June.

Late May Once the class lists have been made up, Guidance staff will visit the pupils at their primary school. Letters will be issued informing your child of the Form Class and House they have been allocated to.

Wednesday 23 to
Friday 25 June 2010 P7 visit takes place to Hazlehead Academy. P7 pupils will have an introduction to the Academy. They will follow their S1 timetable for the bulk of the 3 days, getting to know their new classmates and teachers. Senior pupils will look after them during the visit.

Monday 28th June 2010
P7 Parents Night Parents will have a chance to meet many of the staff from the school and have the opportunity for guided tours and to purchase uniform etc.

There will be guidance interview evenings in September and subject interview evenings in December for the parents of the new S1 pupils.

Out of Zone Applications
Out one applications must normally be made between January and mid-March in the year of your child's entry to S1. Application forms are available from any primary or secondary school. Details of how out of zone applications are managed are given at the Roadshows.

Why does Hazlehead Broad band pupils in S1 and S2?

Since 1999, Hazlehead Academy has adopted a policy of placing its pupils in S1 and S2 into broadly banded groups, based on previous academic progress. The majority of children are placed in either the middle or upper band. A small number of children who need specific support are placed in the supported band class.

Hazlehead has carefully monitored the results of broad banding on its pupils. It has produced significant advantages for the school. Academic attainment as measured by 5-14 levels has shown the largest improvement of any school in Aberdeen. Our results at Standard Grade and Higher have improved significantly since 1999. Pupils and parents have been surveyed for their opinions and are pleased with the structure. Pupils who need most support are able to receive this almost continuously, the supported class consisting of approximately 12 pupils for all subjects in S1 and for most subjects in S2. Discipline within the school has improved greatly.

We believe that the system we have adopted benefits ALL pupils, no matter what ability band they fit into. A great deal of work is done to provide ample opportunity for ALL pupils to achieve their best and gain from their time at Hazlehead.

What factors will determine which class my child is placed in?

There are a great many factors which will influence the choice of class for your child. They have to be placed in an appropriate class with others of similar academic attainment. They may have older brothers or sisters who already belong to a particular House and it is sensible for younger siblings to be in the same House where possible. The modern language studied by the pupil will be taken into account as will information provided by the primary school which may assist in the most appropriate placing. It would be usual for a number of children from the same primary school to be placed in a class. If a child is the only one moving from a particular primary then we will try and include them in a class where others are in a similar situation.
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