The Big Step

🎄 What the Grinch Can Teach Us About Change 🎄 In How the Grinch Stole Christmas, the Grinch wasn’t just a grumpy green figure with a dislike for festivities—he was an outsider who struggled to fit in. He avoided the Whos in Whoville, convinced he didn’t belong. Sound familiar? It’s a story many children face when transitioning to secondary school—feeling nervous, isolated, or unsure about how to navigate a brand-new environment. Enter Cindy Lou Who. 💡 Her kindness, understanding, and belief in the Grinch sparked a change. It wasn’t just her words but her actions that helped him feel included and connected. This transformation didn’t just happen in Whoville—it’s the very principle behind The Big Step. 🌟 We’re here to help children feel confident, supported, and ready for their next chapter. It’s not just about transition; it’s about growing into themselves. Be the Cindy Lou Who of your school. Book us in for Summer 2025 and help your students take the first big step to success. 📧 Get in touch to secure your dates or find out more about our programme! #TheBigStep #SecondarySchoolTransition #ConfidenceMatters #EducationSupport #Year6To7 #GrinchInspired #MakingChangeHappen

✨ Did you know? ✨ We’ve now delivered The Big Step to over 7,000 children! 🧡 But it doesn’t stop there – with parents included, that’s closer to 21,000 lives impacted. It’s not just the children who benefit. By helping young people build confidence, tackle anxiety, and feel ready for secondary school, we’re also helping parents feel more confident about the process and less anxious about their child’s transition. And no, they’re not asleep in this photo – just fully relaxed during our anxiety workshop! 🧘♂️😴 #TheBigStep #DidYouKnow #SupportingFamilies #Year6To7 #TransitionProgramme #BuildingConfidence #AnxietyWorkshops #HelpingChildrenThrive #EducationMatters #ParentSupport

🎥 Hear it Straight from the Students – Why The Big Step is a Must for children transitioning to secondary school! In this video, the spotlight is on the real experts: the students who experienced The Big Step. They share how the programme helped them: Making new friends – Building bonds before the school year even starts. Exploring the school site – Feeling confident navigating their new surroundings. Meeting their tutor group – Getting to know classmates they’ll be with for years to come. Their stories are a powerful reminder of why the transition to secondary school matters and how the right support can make all the difference. Whether you're a parent, teacher, or just curious about what we do, this is a must-watch! Ready to see how we’re shaping the next generation? Drop us a message to learn more or visit our website. #TheBigStep #Year6to7 #StudentVoices #SchoolTransition #ConfidenceBuilding #EducationMatters

💡 Innovating to Support Disadvantaged Students 💡 Each year, The Big Step looks carefully and creatively for ways to help schools support disadvantaged children to attend our transition programme. This past summer, thanks to additional funding, over 350 children entitled to free school meals (FSM) attended The Big Step completely free of charge. 🌟 For 2025, we’re thrilled to announce a new partnership with GoodHub.com. GoodHub creates bespoke school-specific fundraising pages, allowing schools to raise sponsorship from their existing suppliers. These funds can be used to subsidise or fully cover the costs for disadvantaged students to attend The Big Step. Check out a mock up example for a school we work with: https://lnkd.in/dHi2T-Kp But it doesn’t stop there. Schools can also use the funds raised through GoodHub for other important projects or initiatives, making this a truly versatile solution. If you’re a secondary school we already work with – or one we’ve yet to collaborate with – and you’d like to learn more, this is a fantastic opportunity to secure funding for The Big Step or any other project your school is passionate about. Let’s work together to ensure no child is left behind. 🧡💙 #TheBigStep #TransitionMatters #DisadvantagedSupport #GoodHub #EducationFunding

Funding Opportunity with The Laurel Trust 🌟 (For all schools and educators) The Laurel Trust has opened its 2025 grant funding opportunity, focusing on "Effective Transitions: educational readiness for every child at every phase." This is a fantastic chance for schools—especially those serving disadvantaged communities—to collaborate and make a real difference in the lives of children transitioning between educational phases. Last year, The Big Step was fortunate to receive funding that allowed us to offer free places to all children eligible for Free School Meals (FSM) on our summer transition programme. This funding helped many families and schools, ensuring that no child was left behind. If similar funding isn’t available next year (still to be confirmed), this grant may be something your school could explore to ensure your pupils continue to benefit from initiatives like ours. 🔑 Key details: Application deadline: 28 February 2025 Online briefings: 14, 15, 16, and 21 January 2025 at 11 am Focus: Collaborative, school-based research projects To register for an online briefing, email the Chair of Trustees at billgoddard11@gmail.com. Feel free to share or tag schools that could benefit! 💡 #Education #TransitionSupport #TheBigStep #FundingOpportunity #Schools #LaurelTrust

🎓 "The Big Step is changing lives—and here’s what people are saying!" Starting secondary school can be daunting, but feedback like this shows just how impactful The Big Step is in making that transition smooth, exciting, and meaningful for students: 💬 "There are hundreds of children missing out on this, and it should be compulsory!" 💬 "My friends couldn't believe their school doesn't participate—they would jump at the chance!" 💬 "In his words, the children who didn’t attend were missing out." 💬 "I think this was one of the greatest experiences of my life. It was amazing!" We are incredibly proud to offer programmes that create confidence, helps children build friendships, and helps prepare them for their next big step in life. 📢 Are you a school interested in offering The Big Step to your students? Get in touch to see how we can help transform the transition to secondary school for your community! 🧡💙 #TheBigStep #Year6To7 #SecondarySchoolTransition #StudentSuccess #EducationMatters #SchoolLeadership

🎓 Helping Students Transition with Confidence Starting secondary school can be daunting for many Year 6 pupils. While school transition days provide a great introduction, The Big Step goes further. We focus on building confidence, building friendships, and creating a sense of belonging—all before that crucial first day of Year 7. 💬 One of our participants recently shared: "The Big Step really, REALLY helped! I’ve made lots of new friends, and we even got to spend time in our tutor group and merge with another group." Starting secondary school isn’t just about academics—it’s about feeling prepared emotionally, socially, and mentally. ✅ What we do differently: Fun, inclusive activities that make forming connections easy. Opportunities to get to know tutor groups in advance. Confidence-boosting workshops and team-building exercises. Utilise the whole school site, without any other year groups present 📢 Are you a school looking to support your new intake? Message us to explore how we can help your students take their Big Step with confidence. #TheBigStep #Year6To7 #TransitionSupport #EducationMatters #StudentSuccess #UKSchools

Win £150! Share your best tip and enter the draw. Whether you're a parent, teacher, or child (even if you've never been involved in The Big Step), we'd love to hear from you! 🧡💙

We’ve been threatened with the sack if we can’t get the message across about The Big Step. What do you think? Are we getting our point across? Or should we start clearing our desks? The (nervous) Design Team

GOOOOOOOD MORNINGGGG LINKEDIN. We’re launching The Big Step Podcast 🎙️— to talk all things transition and education. From the big challenges of moving from primary to secondary school to exploring wider education topics, this is a platform to share insights, stories, and strategies that make a difference. Here’s a sneak peek at our cosy podcast studio—complete with our logo front and centre! If you’re in education and want have something to say; get in touch and be our guest, we’d love to hear from you. Stay tuned for the launch, and let us know in the comments what you think we should talk about! 🧡💙 #PodcastLaunch #EducationMatters #TransitionSupport