Bringing Secondary School Transition Support to Life Through Real Classroom Context

The transition from primary to secondary school is a significant shift for students. New environments, social dynamics, and expectations can create uncertainty.

Life Education developed the Guide to Thrive program to help schools better support this transition. To bring the program to life, they needed a way to show, not just explain, what students experience during this change.

Teachers understand that transition can be challenging, but the day-to-day experience of students is often difficult to see. Without that perspective, support can miss the mark.

The challenge was to communicate:

• what the transition actually feels like for students
• where support moments occur
• how teachers can take on a more active mentoring role

We worked together to develop a story grounded in student experience.

Portable produced a narrative-led video told from a student’s perspective, designed to guide teachers through the realities of starting secondary school.

The storytelling approach focused on specificity and relatability.

• Student-centred narrative captured key moments of uncertainty, adjustment, and growth
• Structured progression reflected the journey from first day through early transition challenges
• Clear connection to teacher action linked each moment to how educators can provide support through the program

Rather than presenting abstract guidance, the video makes the experience visible, helping teachers recognise where and how they can intervene.

The video strengthened engagement with the Guide to Thrive program by clearly demonstrating its relevance in the classroom.

It helped teachers:

• better understand the student experience of transition
• identify key moments where support is needed
• adopt a more active role in guiding students through change

By grounding the program in a relatable narrative, the work supports more effective teaching practice during a critical stage of student development.