As summer draws to a close, many families are their children for the academic year ahead. For some, the transition will be bigger than others, particularly those moving away from primary school and starting a new adventure in secondary school.
Isabella Twaite, MENSA testing and Geography lead at comprehensive school The Royal Liberty School in Romford shares her tips for boosting your child’s confidence and setting them up for secondary school success. Isabella is a recent winner of a Silver Award for Outstanding New Teacher at the Pearson National Teaching Awards.
Normalise the nerves: It’s normal for children to be nervous and overwhelmed at the start of term, especially when faced with a whole new school environment. Help them by talking about changes, acknowledging the nerves and highlighting some of the positive opportunities their new school will bring, from more academic opportunities to new extra-curricular activities.
Prioritise routine and sleep: The rules, understandably, can become more relaxed over the summer holidays but, as the new term approaches, and with a complex new routine to navigate, it is important to make sure everyone is clear on the new schedules and expectations. The most significant thing you can do for your child to help them have a positive start to school is to ensure that they are getting enough sleep. This might include setting a clear bedtime during the holidays, adding time limits for gaming or removing devices altogether at bedtime. Your child will be clearer headed for a demanding new learning environment when they’re well rested, and making sure they have clear boundaries on sleep and access to technology will only help them in the long run.
Encourage independence: One of the biggest shifts in the transition to secondary school is the expectation for students to take a more independent approach to learning, from taking responsibility for their more rigid and busy timetable to getting to lessons on time and managing their homework. Get them thinking about some simple steps they can take at home to make the school week easier. Printing out their new timetable and discussing systems to ensure they have the right books ready on the correct days, or clothing for extracurricular activities, is a great way to get started.
Build their resilience: Secondary school pushes young people to do things they have never done before, from exploring a new activity to getting to grips with a new subject. We are all guilty of staying in our comfort zone to avoid making mistakes, but it is important to remind your child how normal mistakes are and how we learn from them. To help build up this resilience, whether academically or socially, you could set small targets to encourage them to try new things and be more confident in doing so, like joining a new sports team. Getting used to this will make embracing change at school – from forming new friendships to joining clubs or just getting used to the new routine of the school day – less daunting.