Year 6 to Year 7 The Transition (UK Schools)

Transitioning between a Primary school to a secondary school can be extremely daunting for both the child and parents/carers. Here are some tips to help smooth that transition over!

Preparation and Communication

1. Visit the School: Attend any open days at the new school. Familiarity with the environment can ease anxiety. If you’ve missed the open days, just call the school and ask to visit, you’d be surprised at how open schools are to this!

2. Talk About Expectations: Discuss what the child can expect in Year 7, including changes in subjects, teachers, and routines. Make a list of things they are most excited about and share this with the new school.

3. Establish a Routine: Start practising the new school routine a few weeks before the term starts. This includes waking up early, having breakfast, and organising school materials. Practising anything significantly different will be a huge help, such as bus routes or walking to and from school alone.

   

   Photo by Ivan Aleksic on Unsplash

Emotional Support

4. Listen to Concerns: Encourage your child to talk about their feelings and concerns regarding the transition. Be patient and provide reassurance. Create a list of worries and talk through with your child about how you will overcome these together.

5. Stay Positive: Highlight the exciting aspects of moving to a new school, such as making new friends and joining clubs or activities.

   

   Photo by Brett Jordan on Unsplash

Academic Preparation

6. Review Core Subjects: Spend some time over the summer revising key concepts in Maths, English, and Science to ensure a smooth academic start. If you have their Year 6 books, going over their favourite topics in each subject is a good start.

7. Develop Study Habits: Encourage independent learning and good study habits. Introduce the use of planners or homework diaries to keep track of assignments and deadlines. Secondary school is all about building independence, it's better to start earlier than later!

Social Adjustments

8. Encourage Extracurricular Activities: Joining clubs and teams can help your child make friends and feel more integrated into the school community. It can also be great for parents as you will have longer until you have to pick them up from school!

9. Foster Independence: Allow your child to take responsibility for packing their school bag, organising their timetable, and managing their homework. This goes hand-in-hand with the routines tip!

Practical Tips

10. Uniform and Supplies: Ensure that your child has the correct school uniform and necessary supplies, such as stationery and books. Schools will often provide certain items of uniform for free if you are struggling to fund a whole new wardrobe!

11. Travel Arrangements: Practice the route to and from school if it’s new. Discuss safety and punctuality. Develop a safety plan with your child, what should they do if they can’t find or contact you after school etc?

    

    Photo by Brett Jordan on Unsplash

Stay Informed

12. Stay Connected with the School: Keep in regular contact with teachers and attend parent-teacher meetings. This helps you stay informed about your child's progress and any potential issues.

13. Use Online Resources: Familiarise yourself with any online platforms the school uses for homework, grades, and communication. Schools are so Hi-Tech these days! They usually have some form of app you can download onto your phone/smart device to see the positive marks your child has gained that day.

Monitor and Support

14. Check-In Regularly: Have regular check-ins with your child to discuss how they are adjusting, both academically and socially. If any issues arise, it’s best to try and solve them before they turn into much bigger problems. Unfortunately, social media is horrendous for this! Online bullying is a major issue in Secondary schools. Make sure your child knows to screenshot any potential bullying/targeting and share it with yourself and the staff.

    

    Photo by Sara Kurfeß on Unsplash

Encouragement and Resilience

16. Celebrate Achievements: Celebrate milestones and achievements, no matter how small, to build your child's confidence. As teachers should, catch them being good and celebrate this!

17. Teach Resilience: Help your child develop coping strategies for dealing with challenges and setbacks. Secondary school isn’t going to be easy… Having you by their side will make a huge difference to their success at school!

By providing a balanced mix of support, encouragement, and independence, parents can help their child make a successful transition from Year 6 to Year 7, setting a positive tone for their secondary school experience.