First Impressions: Perspectives of New Year 7 Students to Landmark

We are delighted to share with you a new blog post, which offers a look into our Year 7 students' transition to secondary school here at Landmark. This has been written by new students who have joined Landmark as Year 7s from various countries across the world. This is a significant milestone in their educational journey and we have found their experiences to be both enlightening and inspiring. We invite you to read this post and gain insight into the challenges, triumphs and everyday experiences of our Year 7 students as they navigate this exciting new chapter of their lives. 

Our first days

The first day at a new school in a new country can be quite challenging. Fortunately, Emile felt that the teachers made him feel at home, "My first day was super fun as the teachers were so nice and I loved the lessons because they are very inclusive and fun." Carter comments on the mixed emotions of his first day joining the Landmark community, "My first day was fun and crazy. I could not find any of my classrooms but my classmates helped me out."

What makes Landmark different

Landmark's small class sizes and family atmosphere was one of the biggest changes the new students commented on. Emile comments, "My old school was way bigger than this one, having 4 times more students than this school, But I like this school more." Haoyu moved from China and commented about the changes, "My old school was bigger. I have a lot of friends here and I’m very happy"

Why Landmark?

We asked the students to reflect on what they really love about their new school. Carter says, "You have more freedom than in my old school" while Delphine comments, "It’s small and I love that it doesn't have a uniform.". Emile also likes how Landmark doesn't have a uniform, "I love the fact that there is no uniform and everyone is so nice in this school. I also love the fact that this is a small school because you cannot get lost, as my old friends go to a larger school, they always get lost and are late to classes."

Landmark Lessons

The Year 7s reflected on their favourite lessons at their new school. Carter mentions, "My favourite is science because of the hands-on activities like working with the microscope". Emile, who's first language is French, enjoys English classes, "I like English because it is inclusive and there are lots of activities to do". Whereas Haoyu's favourite subject is maths, "I like Maths because it's so fun. Sometimes we play some games in class"

Words of Wisdom

Finally, the students were asked to give some advice to pupils who are thinking about joining the school in Year 7. The common theme within these comments were about not feeling too worried and being yourself. Delphine comments "You don’t have to be shy or anything, you can just act like how you normally would." and Emilie adds, "I think you should just be yourself and not be worried as all students and teachers are welcoming and cosy."

Thank you to these Year 7s for sharing their experiences!

Word Cloud showing how our year 7 students feel about their move to our secondary school