©Copyright 2022 Really Wild Ltd - www.reallywildacademy.com - Telephone 07771 520515

​

Primary to Secondary School Transition

​

Resources for Parents, Teachers

and Pupils

​

​

​

​

​

Introduction

• The transition from primary to secondary school can be daunting for some children and exciting of prospects for others. The vast majority of pupils are likely to experience mixed feelings between the two.
• Wherever your child or student sits on this spectrum, taking the time in a relaxed but somewhat structured way to help them make the most of this transition can certainly pay dividends.
• We have included some useful hints, tips and information that teachers, carers and parents can use to help their children and students transition more easily to secondary school.

Visualise The Journey

• Visualisation can ignite and inspire a passion and excitement about the changes ahead. It can also help prepare the ground to identify and manage fears and uncertainties.
• Helping your child or student visualise and prepare for what lies ahead can be achieved most easily through a set of conversations and activities to aid greater readiness for the change.

The 6 P’s – Aiding Visualisation

The 6 P’s can help identify the main areas of change that may impact your child or student and establish topics in which to talk about.

• Place – journeys to and from school, bus/train routes and timetables, what the school buildings and grounds are like, possible school trips and locations your child or student may get to enjoy
• People – the kinds of people they will meet, where they are from and their likely qualities and differences – teachers, support staff, pupils
• Processes – timetables, moving from one class to another, how to use a map of the school, how work may be graded, procedures for settling in, medical needs, bullying etc.
• Policies – e.g. uniform, attendance, anti-bullying, inclusivity, lunches, medical provisions
• Possibilities – the range of subjects, activities, experiences on offer (and for those who are already thinking ahead, where this may lead)
• Purpose – reminding them again of the great personal outcomes and experiences they will enjoy as a result

Encourage Positive language

• A less than excited child might sometimes use the phraseology, “I am going to have to do this and have to do that…”.
• When you hear this, it can be useful to have them rephrase their sentence as follows: “I am going to get to do this and get to do that…”.

Or:

• Instead of saying “I’m not going to know anyone at my new school.” Encourage your child or student to say something more positive like “I look forward to meeting new people at my new school.”
• It may sound a little cliché, but having practiced it, it can really serve to generate positivity and excitement.

​

​

Build Excitement

• Have your child or student make a note of all the things they are excited about going to secondary school. Ask them to explain out loud how each makes them feel whilst noting this down yourself too.
• Whenever their excitement wanes, or doubts and fears creep in, this list can be brought out to rekindle their spirit and re-ignite their excitement for change.
• For some children, positivity about the move can be increased by making a poster of the things they are looking forward to and hanging this in their bedroom wall for the summer.

Understand and Manage Fears

• Acknowledge each fear your child or student has raised during discussions and write them down on a piece of paper.
• For each of fear talk about:
• The very worst that could happen
• The very best that could happen
• Any manner of outcomes that might lie in between. For each fear and possible outcome, work on a strategy or set of actions that could help. For example:
• Take each fear or concern as it arises, and in a gentle and supportive way, encourage the child to come up with solutions themselves with you acting as coach rather than teacher or parent/carer.  
• Add your ideas or directional input where it may be useful but encourage the child to problem-solve as much as they can on their own.
• This will help build their personal confidence and will likely result in solutions that will more likely be remembered and automatically enacted.

Create Familiarity of the Unknown

• Where you identify a need to enhance familiarity or readiness, try to create opportunities before the new school term begins.
• Example activities could include:
1. Learning to read a timetable
2. Taking the bus or train
3. Walking the new school route
4. Creating a timetable
5. Joining activities that require meeting new people etc.

​

Developing People Skills

• How we get along with others determines nearly 100% of the quality of our lives.
• Ask your child or student to reflect upon how they feel when they are treated in certain ways. For instance, if they are listened to, ignored or shouted at, excluded, bullied or included etc.
• Asking powerful questions like, “What kind of person would you choose to spend time with or help?” and “which kind of person would you avoid and why?”
• This enables the child to begin to understand the influence they have on others and each other.

​

​

​

Develop New Friendships

• Your child or student will meet many new peers and teachers at their new school. Practicing social skills can make the transition to secondary school easier for children.
• Joining extra curricula activities that your child or student has an interest in can introduce them to other like-minded children, develop new friendships and make it less daunting when meeting new people.

​

​

Keep Physical and Emotional Wellbeing in Check

•  Check in with your child or student regularly and encourage them to express openly how they are feeling. Reassure them that feeling nervous is completely normal and expected.
• Ensure your child or student is eating well, staying hydrated, taking exercise and getting enough sleep.

​

​

Encourage Independence and Responsibility

• Consider gradually introducing some responsibility to your child’s or student’s daily routine.
• Be sure to praise your child or student when they take initiative and complete tasks independently.

​

Useful Tools to Prepare for Secondary School

• Being organised and having a routine in which your child or student can carry out certain tasks can help them plan ahead for the next day. Using a schedule can be helpful.
• Explain the importance of writing everything down so that tasks and homework aren’t forgotten.
• Teach your child or student how to prioritise and manage tasks based on deadlines.
• Encourage your child or student to set aside homework time.
• Encourage your child or student to set an alarm with plenty of time to get ready in the morning without having to rush.

​

​

Communicate and Actively Listen

• Encourage your child or student to ask questions and express any concerns that they may have about the transition process.
• Encourage your child or student to ask for help and advice.
• Encourage positive conversations about anything your child or student may be looking forward to as well.
• Don’t dismiss any concerns your child or student raises.

​

​

Reassure

• We know as adults that it is perfectly normal to feel a mix of excitement and uncertainty. The nerves a child experiences before moving to secondary school is their natural “fight or flight” response and as such, can normally be viewed as a positive form of stress.
• By supporting your child or student with some or all of the suggested techniques and exercises above, by letting them know that what they feel is normal and by simply just being there for them will make a world of difference.
• The greatest things are rarely achieved alone but together. You are there for them, as are their friends and possibly other relatives. Reassure them that they are not alone. You are their support team and you both are going to enjoy this adventure together!

​

​

An Exercise to Develop and Reinforce Confidence

1. Help your child or student list all their achievements EVER including challenges they have overcome in their life to date. Have them make a list of at least thirty.
1. The list can include things like learning to walk, count or read. It should also include things that demonstrate natural traits of their personality. For example, consoling someone during a painful experience, or how they are considered positively by others.
2. It is common for children to run out of ideas. Help them draw out even more achievements until the list is complete or exhausted.
3. The lesson here is that they are already great achievers, in a way that is very special, unique and personal to them. They have succeeded so far and therefore, have all it takes to succeed going forwards.
4. It is also useful to identify one key achievement that makes them feel strong and successful and suggest they remember this event whenever they are faced with challenges in their new school.

On Really Wild school camps and activity days, pupils are challenged and come away having achieved things they may have thought themselves incapable of. This is very empowering. It may be an idea to seek opportunities throughout the summer for your child or student to try new challenges. When they achieve, celebrate their success and add it to the list mentioned above. This will serve to reinforce their self-belief.

​

​

Embrace and Accept Change

• Encourage your child to embrace change as an adventure. This can help them accept the changes ahead and go into secondary school more positively.
• Use the tools in the previous slides to equip and enable your child to both survive and thrive.
• Often, we as parents and carers are most worried about the changes ahead for our child. By working together with them, we will benefit too.

​

Change is inevitable. Good luck and enjoy the journey!

​