For many children, the first week back at school after a long holiday break can be a nerve-wracking time.
If your child is moving up into secondary school, however, he or she may not be with their usual friendship group. Plus, in secondary school, children don’t stay in the one classroom with the same peers. They are put into academic or mixed ability groups.
With lots of unfamiliar faces, plus a different set of subject teachers and a bigger environment to negotiate, the first week in a new school can be overwhelming.
Most senior schools support year 7 children through this transition time. Often a separate dining hall and play area are set aside to help children get used to their own year group first.
Plus many schools have a buddy system to ensure that children at the new school are never alone.
Tips for parents
As for parents at home, it can be an anxious time too. What helps is to establish a steady routine early on. Getting your child’s school bag ready the night before avoids complete chaos the next morning.
Packing their lunchbox and getting breakfast bowls/spoons out ready can also give you extra time each day.
Bed time routines are equally as important. Over the summer, early bed times go out of the window. Playing on an iPad or Playstation stimulates the brain too much. So encourage a calmer wind-down activity before sleep: reading or a bath.
If your child shows signs of struggling with a subject early on, it’s best to support them with it as soon as possible. With a new curriculum on the cards, children are facing much more challenging lessons.
Luckily, we’ve a host of lovely private tutors across Manchester and Cheshire who can help your child with tricky subjects! Just get in touch!
Tags: coping with new school, first week at school after holidays, school routine, starting at secondary school