A student transferring midyear sat beside her parents while adults discussed grades, course placement, and support needs. No one asked what she had studied recently, which classes felt strongest, or what she was worried about in the new school. The meeting gathered information about the student without gathering it from her.
Transcripts and teacher reports are important, but they cannot fully describe interrupted courses, unfamiliar grading systems, language confidence, friendships, or the reasons a previous placement did not work. The student often holds the most current explanation.
A transfer interview should include direct, age-appropriate questions. Staff can ask what topics have already been covered, which assignments show the student’s best work, what support helped before, and what the student hopes to join or avoid repeating.
The conversation should not become an interrogation about family moves or personal circumstances. Students need privacy and the option to discuss sensitive matters with an appropriate staff member rather than in front of every adult present.
Schools can provide questions in advance so students who need more processing time, interpretation, or communication support can prepare. Work samples and portfolios may allow a student to demonstrate learning that a course title or numerical grade does not reveal.
The school should explain what will happen next. A student needs to know how placement decisions are made, when they can be reviewed, whom to contact, and how to request a change if the initial plan proves unsuitable.
Transfer can make a student feel that a new institution is defining them from incomplete records. Including the student’s voice does not mean accepting every preference. It means treating the learner as a participant in continuity, not merely the subject of an administrative handover.
A short follow-up after several weeks can test whether the placement matched the student’s actual experience.
The student should receive a short written summary of the agreed placement and review date.
D. Mbeki
