The transition from year 6 to year 7 can be a particularly challenging process for children. The likelihood is that your child will be used to being ‘top dog’ in their previous school, having been in the highest year group and likely having had the security of an established friendship group. So moving to a new school where they’re suddenly the youngest, having to navigate a larger campus and having to make new friends means they will more than likely feel vulnerable.
But rest-assured that there are simple techniques and tips you can put into place to help make the transition from year 6 to year 7 that much easier for your child and ultimately help ease the transition into secondary school so they can hit the ground running.
Over the summer holidays
We know everyone wants to spend the summer holidays relaxing rather than thinking about school. While we agree that both children and parents are entitled to some well-deserved rest, the holidays are the perfect opportunity to start putting systems in place to help your child as they enter secondary school.
Socialise with other parents
While it can be tedious to be in yet another group chat, we encourage both parents and children to join relevant group chats and network with other parents and peers respectively.
For children it ensures they have the chance to start building relationships with future classmates over the summer and haven’t been left out of conversations by the time school starts.
For parents it serves as an opportunity to connect with other parents and ensure you’re always abreast of what’s going on once the term commences, whether it’s social activities or school events. It also means you can lead the charge with setting up meetups on behalf of your children over the summer to help them make that first step with forging new friendships.
Adjust to new patterns ahead of time
A big challenge for young people starting secondary school can be adjusting to the intensity of having so many subjects, moving between lessons, with earlier starts and later finishes. This shift can leave many children feeling exhausted so we recommend getting back into the swing of school sleeping patterns in the final weeks of the summer holidays to ensure children are well-rested ahead of the new term and are used to going to bed and getting up at reasonable times.
Familiarise yourself with the route to school
If your child is due to take public transport to their new school in September, it can be worth practising the route a couple of times over the summer holidays so they’re familiar with the journey and confident navigating their way to and from school when September comes around. This could be driving the bus route so they can identify landmarks along the way and knowing where to get on and off, or practising the tube journey ahead of time.
If it’s feasible, it can also be reassuring for a parent or trusted person to put a child on the bus or tube on their first day (or even follow behind the bus or in the tube carriage behind) so they have the reassurance that if anything goes wrong or they feel nervous, someone’s right there.
Be prepared
Make sure you have purchased all the necessary uniform and equipment for your child well in advance of the term starting. While missing items may seem a minor detail and something most teachers will be understanding of, not having the right uniform or equipment for school can make a child feel like the odd one out and only fuel any anxiety during an already challenging time, so we recommend getting on top of this early. In fact, if you can, make it one of the first things you do in the Summer holidays to ensure you have time to source any hard-to-find items.
Most schools will send round a full equipment and uniform list in advance of the school year but there are also examples publicly available to give you some guidance.
Whether it be a bus pass or a loaded oyster card, be sure to also line up relevant travel passes for your local area so your child is ready to go on their first day. Providers will likely be shared by your child’s school or you can apply for a zip oyster to grant free travel for under 18s in London.
Once the new term begins
Pack bags the night before
One of the biggest changes for children starting secondary school is adjusting to having 11 subjects or more. This can be overwhelming for children in the first few weeks or months and there’s nothing more overwhelming than realising you’ve forgotten something critical for the lesson.
A simple step parents can take to help mitigate the risk of this happening is to keep tabs on timetables and make sure your children have all the necessary books and equipment packed the night before.
No harm in being early
While your child may grumble at you for getting them out of bed ‘earlier than absolutely necessary’, turning up at the bus stop or train station a little early avoids any risk of them missing their ride to school and causing them anxiety during an already stressful time.
Find opportunities to forge new friendships
Established friendship groups may have splintered off to go to different schools and even if some of your child’s existing friends are also going to the same secondary school, you may find they end up in different form groups.
Remind your child that a new school offers an opportunity to make new friends in addition to their primary school friends and having multiple social circles can never be a bad thing.
Reminder that some things are out of their control
We’ve all experienced a bus breaking down or a train being delayed at some stage in our lives but when you’re going through the transition from year 6 to year 7, the stress you feel during these scenarios is exacerbated.
Remind children that these things are out of their control and that they needn’t worry as they delay will be communicated to the school and will therefore be excused, and that everyone on that same form of transport, will be experiencing the same challenge.
Schools will also have plans in place
All schools will have plans in place to help children adjust to secondary school and make new friends. This may be the likes of induction days, social and extracurricular activities or team building activities for new students to name a few but don’t forget schools are well-equipped to manage the transition from year 6 to year 7.
A planner is your best friend
Organisation is such a key factor in managing the transition from year 6 to 7. Parents that engage with the planner will find it easier to help their children manage workload and stay abreast of any upcoming trips or even messages and feedback from teachers as the term starts. If there are any issues or areas for development in certain subjects, then this is likely where teachers will flag things ahead of parents evenings, meaning you have time to figure out a plan or engage a tutor in the interim to help support your child’s learning.
Ongoing support throughout year 7
Keep communicating
Sometimes children struggle to express their feelings or concerns and bottle up anxiety about starting a new school. This may manifest itself in unusual behaviours like being uncharacteristically quiet or perhaps bursts of anger but it’s important to encourage children to talk openly about any feelings they may be harbouring so you can get to the root of the issue and help them tackle it.
A good way to initiate these conversations may be to draw upon the experience of an older relative, friend or even your own experience of feeling nervous before starting a new school and how you overcame those doubts to help them recognise it’s perfectly normal to feel nervous going into year 7.
Take an active interest in your child’s day
Even though life gets busy, once the new term starts, make sure to find time in your day chat to your children about how their day was. Hopefully they’ll share back largely positive experiences but even a simple “how was your day?” provides a forum for them to feed back on any elements of secondary school they’re less keen on or struggling with.
Depending on the issue your child is facing (if applicable), you can then connect with teachers, a student support team or engage a tutor to help tackle any difficult areas early on. It also gives you the chance to celebrate positive aspects of their transition into year 7.
Liaise with the school
If you suspect your child may be struggling with workload or the transition from year 6 to year 7, then speak to your child’s Form Tutor or Head of Year. Most schools will have experts on hand and systems in place to help with managing mental wellbeing and stress to try and make your child’s first year of secondary school as smooth and as positive an experience as possible.
For young girls, entering puberty can also be an additional factor of stress so establishing a tutor or ‘buddy’ they can turn to with questions or worries about this during the transition into year 7 will be a huge help.
Useful resources