How to prepare your child for transition to secondary school
The primary school chapter is over and your child has suddenly become a pre-teen, about to enter the next phase of their lives. For many, this involves transitioning to a secondary school before heading off to college and then, ultimately, university.
While primary school may have had its fair share of difficulties, secondary school presents unique challenges, especially when the new school is much larger.
Preparing your child for the secondary school transition will not only help them ease into the new secondary school environment, but research shows a little preparation can also keep your child’s mental health intact as they also battle with the fluctuating emotions brought about by puberty. So, here are some transition to secondary school tips to help ease your child into their new school.
Ensure they are in the right place
A big part of the process is determining whether your child is going to the right school. This means assessing the school or college they are at and making sure you are focused on making this work for you. One of the key things you must consider is the safety and security of the school. And this means researching school accident claims, and understanding how this works for you logistically too.
Prepare them mentally for the transition to secondary school
Most schools offer a smooth transition period during the first term to help Year 7 students acclimatise to the change in their surroundings.
A good way to help your child become mentally ready for secondary is to prepare in advance during the summer holidays. Start talking about what to expect, perhaps request extra transition visits if your child has SEN and/or meet up with the kids in their new class. Try to take the route to school so your child knows what to expect and, if possible, request the timetable in advance. Help your child pack their bag and prepare their clothes the night before so they’re not rushed on their first day. Finding out who their new teacher, head teacher and pastoral care staff members are, so helps your child understand who to turn to for support.
Encourage your child to talk about their feelings and their worries. What are they most concerned about, and how can you take steps to help them work through their worries? Perhaps prepare a list of their most burning questions and ask a member of staff to answer them in advance, if possible. Communication and support are key here.
Prepare them for the work to come during the transition to secondary school period
The work is going to ramp up now and the primary to secondary transition will be a learning curve for most children. Most secondary schools start the term with Cognitive Aptitude Tests (CATS) to gauge which stage your child is at in the core subjects. Their results may dictate which group they’re in at the beginning of term, and will work at that level until they progress to the next stage. Offering enhanced learning at home will not only help them progress to the next stage, but it will offer them the confidence to keep going and achieve great results. Here are some tips on how to help your child with literacy at home:
Literacy
Areas like literacy, which encompasses reading, writing, speaking and listening, need to be fostered, as it’s the single-most important part of your child’s education. Research has shown that children who enjoy reading do better at school and parents play a key part in helping them develop this enjoyment,
Here are some tips to encourage development of literacy as your child heads into secondary school.
- Attend your local library where possible and choose books suitable for their abilities and interest
- Make time at least once or twice a week to listen to your child read and discuss the book
- Buy books and magazines and have a bookshelf at home
- Encourage your child to read anything – it’s all educational
- Help your child with their spelling words by using the ‘look, say, cover, write, check process and if they struggle, to use acrostics to help
- Word-based puzzles like crosswords and word searches are great to help improve spelling
- Play board games like Scrabble to build on literacy
- Encourage your child to use a spellcheck and dictionary
- Motivate your child to write where possible, for example, ideas for computer games, song lyrics, stories, a diary, etc.
- Encourage them to think about the purpose of their writing, who their audience is, and the layout. You can remember this using the acronym, PAL, to help them layout their writing. Help them structure longer pieces of work into a plan too, including mind-maps and flow diagrams.
- Ask them to read out longer pieces of work to you so you can help them improve their writing.
- Let them rehearse oral presentations in front of you a few times, helping them concentrate on speaking clearly, getting the volume right, and structuring their speech properly. They should use formal language and keep slang to a minimum.
- Audio books are great to help children learn how to speak out loud properly
- Encourage your child to explain themselves clearly and fully using varied vocabulary
- Let them lead with the shopping at the market, or by ordering food at a restaurant, for example.
Numeracy
Numeracy skills are vital throughout life and children who develop their numeracy skills feel more confident in maths, which later helps them stay in education for longer and earn more throughout their lives. Here are some tips on how to help your child do well in numeracy:
- Be more positive in maths. Rather than saying, ‘I can’t do maths’ or ‘I don’t have a maths brain,’ try, ‘This maths problem is difficult to solve,’ or ‘I’ll take this problem one step at a time.’
- Point out where maths is used in everyday life and do activities that involve maths, like baking, for example.
- Encourage your kids to help with daily mathematical situations like working out how much food you need for the family meal or splitting the bill after a meal out. Other examples include:
- Converting currency rates
- Managing personal finances
- Working out best buys at the supermarket
- Working towards a budget during the grocery shop
- Estimating how long a journey will take
- Planning family outings and packing lunchboxes/suitcases
- Reading graphs and tables
- Working out odds at sporting events and keeping score
- DIY jobs like painting and decorating and working out how many and how much you need to complete the job
- Make sure your child has the following to hand:
Encourage them to find their tribe
Finding friends can help make the journey through secondary school easier, and if your child finds their tribe, they can support each other when things get tough. Encourage your child to find a friend they can trust and stick to those who give out positive vibes. If your child struggles to make friends, help them with conversation starters or meet up with children in their class during the summer holidays to break the ice before the first day of school.
Foster their independence for the future
Encourage your child to think about their future beyond secondary school. What do they need to do to have the best chance of succeeding in college? What extracurricular activities do they need, and how can you make sure they are self-sufficient to take on the mammoth responsibilities that come with becoming an adult?
Extra responsibilities could include getting a part-time job, cooking dinner once a week, taking care of younger siblings or doing the food shopping.
The aim here is to help them develop self-sufficiency, problem-solving skills, and overall accountability. It also conveys to them you trust them to do these activities.
As difficult as it might be, don’t be too hard on them if they make mistakes, or struggle with a task again and again. Making mistakes and dealing with the consequences are all part of growing up. Mistakes aren’t failures, they’re a step forward in helping your child grow, as long as the mistakes aren’t repeated.
Help them prepare for their academic future
Your child is far more likely to enjoy and be successful at secondary school if they work towards mini goals and being happy.
Try not to be that parent who forces their child to go down a particular course or occupation path because if they don’t perform towards their strengths and where they feel the most passion, then they will eventually lose interest and resent you for being unhappy.
Instead, help them choose the right topics for them, by giving them the encouragement and confidence to relay what they want to do.
For example, if you know your child enjoys working with young adults and youth, then TSA’s diploma of youth work later could be a great option for them. What would they need to do in secondary school to help foster that pathway later?
This won’t happen for a long time yet, so try not to bombard your child with too much talk about college, graduation and even GCSEs yet.
Be supportive and positive for your child. Things eventually work out in their chosen path. For now, just help them transition from primary where they are spoon-fed to secondary when they have to become much more independent in their choices. The rest will naturally follow as they learn more about themselves later.
Teach them how to budget and track their finances
Going to high school isn’t just about studying. It’s also about learning how to live responsibly and sustainably with your finances too.
When they get to secondary school, your child will have some autonomy in managing their finances, either using a lunch card at school to pay for their lunch or buying things with their friends using their own bank account.
Eventually, in college and ultimately university, they will learn to pay rent, buy food, settle utility bills and fund their social activities. In addition, they will have academic related costs for things like textbooks and other resources as well. So they can start this learning process by acknowledging how bills work. Providing financial education as early as possible will also help them learn how to manage debt too and stay in the green where possible.
Teaching them the importance of budgeting and financial management, as well as visiting these kids savings tips will help your children become better savers in the future.
Save up a college fund
College funds are a key part of preparing for your kid’s educational future, and this is something you need to save up for. There are so many factors that play a role in helping you make the most of this and a college fund is one of the biggest and best parts of being able to make the most of their education.
Encourage them to join volunteer and extracurricular clubs
Most students spend their free time sleeping and socialising, if they’re not studying, which is all part of the teenage experience!
However, try to encourage your child to take up other activities to pass their time, like volunteering or taking on an extracurricular opportunity that will not only help them with their future career but also the surrounding community.
Joining a student body that is related to their topics or gaining work experience when offered in a field that is aligned with their chosen career path will look great on their resume.
Doing this can be a great way to make new friends outside of their studies, as well as gain industry contacts that might be useful later in their careers.
It can also teach your child new skills and help them make an immediate difference in people’s lives, which they might find very rewarding.
Listen to their fears and encourage them to ask for help
While going to secondary school is an exciting step for your child. It can also be a very nervous time too.
After all, for many young people, it involves independence away from their parents, so it can be scary for them to decide things for themselves.
To ensure your child is well prepared for this step, talk to them about how they feel. Without pressing too hard, encourage them to open up about anything they are worried about.
Where possible, try to ease their mind by putting contingencies in place, or providing them with potential solutions.
For instance, if they are worried about going out alone, perhaps they can have a phone with them, so they can call/text you whenever they need help.
Offer extra support in their learning, whether that is private tutoring or checking in every night with their homework. Ask them what they need help with and take steps to find the support they need.
Outsource help with learning – use homework services to help build ability
People frown upon using assignment help services, but it can be a great way for older kids to learn how to structure and implement facts and apply them to the questions set for their homework. You can contact a professional for homework assignment help and use the project provided as a precedent for how to do future assignments.
Final thought
With your child heading off to secondary school, it can be an emotional and very nerve-racking time for them. After all, they have relied on you with every facet of their school life. Now they need to become responsible and can’t rely on you anymore to spoon-feed them.
Know that this step is natural and the more independence you afford them, the more they will stand on their own two feet and become reliable adults later. Just make sure they know you’ll always be there when they need you. Secondary school can be scary, but it can also be fun!
FAQ
Where can I find transition to secondary school worksheets for my child to do?
Your old and new school may have supplied a transition booklet to help your child with preparing for what to expect. If not, watch this space as I’m working on something pretty awesome to help with that!
What transition to secondary school activities do you recommend?
Follow the tips above to help your child transition to secondary school, like providing them with more responsibility to do the shopping, preparing their bag and clothes and giving them more independence to manage their day.
Are there any transition to secondary school resources you recommend?
Yes! Watch this space as I will prepare a great resource for you soon.
What should I do if I have a child struggling with transition to secondary school?
A lot of children struggle with the transition to secondary school. Know that there is a lot of support out there, so talk to your new school staff members and let them know your child might need an extra transition visit or just to talk through the process of how their first week might go. Start preparing them during the summer for what to expect on their first day.
Is there a transition to secondary school booklet you’d recommend?
Yes! I’m working on something which will be ready very soon. I’ll publish more info here when it’s ready.
Do you have a post secondary transition plan?
Most children don’t have a post-secondary transition plan at this stage, and that’s perfectly ok. Try not to worry about this stage just yet. It may naturally become apparent what your child will want to do when they head towards the college years. But if they do, that’s also ok! Don’t rush this part. Instead, offer pathways to help them decide for themselves, but, whatever you do, don’t force them down a path they don’t want to do – it will lead to miserable adults!
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