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Managing change: what parents and carers can start doing now?

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Too often, conversations about getting young people ready for life at secondary school only begin in Year 6.  In reality, there are things that everyone can do earlier to ensure children have a great journey.

Life at secondary school can feel drastically different to primary education.  Students are expected to be far more independent. They take control for getting themselves where they need to be and ensuring that they have what they need when they get there.

Based on conversations with our own parents, here are five things that parents and carers of Year 5 children can start doing now:

  • Let your child start packing their own school bag – this is an essential requirement of life at secondary.  As the youngster gets to the end of Year 5, it is a good idea to involve them with their own preparations for the school day.  Then, during Year 6, they can get themselves into the habit of thinking ahead and preparing for school the night before
  1. Practise organisation and time management – give them a variety of tasks to do around the home and a set time in which to do them.  Give lots of praise and rewards for successful completion
  2. Give them more responsibility – such as jobs around the house
  3. Practise the route to school – once you have chosen a secondary, walk past the school regularly so that children get the ‘feel’ of the area.  If you already know where they will be headed when the time comes, let them get used to the route.  Not only will this help put any nerves to rest but it may help build a sense of excitement

  • Involve them in the decision – ultimately, the choice of secondary school is your decision.  But involving your child with it at every stage – from reviewing websites to visiting the school – helps nurture a sense of ownership.  It also makes it easier for you to gauge how likely they are to flourish at any given place.  Look at any promotional materials jointly so that children’s opinions are valued

Parents regularly tell us how fast the final year of primary tends to disappear.  Starting to plan ahead now will help ease the transition to secondary and build excitement as they prepare to take the next step in their education.

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