What kind of academic support is useful in 18 months leading up to secondary school?

Just came on to say with two DC in secondary - one year 7 I agree that it's way
more about organisation and accountability than any academic prep.

BUT even more importantly I am in the 'don't wish primary away' camp!

There is nothing you need to do right now - they will change so much and the primary will probably help with this pre transition .
Then once they start you will plenty of access to information about what is expected of them - you can build your routines then!

My DC both write homework deadlines on a whiteboard, do books into bag the night before , and both take a little bag of emergency supplies ( they both wear
Contacts so take spares and a little mirror etc)
DS takes a spare pencil case with just the bare minimum as if he lost his pencil case he would get demerits for not having writing tools.
The being ready for a first period was one I was very grateful I had planned for with DD.

Two pencil cases.

One at home and one in school bag that does not come out. That way it can't be forgotten.

Confidence to speak to new children / answer questions in the classroom really helps. Especially if they've been with the same group or at a small school. Try and get them to do some activities during the school hols where they come into contact with children from other schools and different leaders/adults to the regular teacher they are used to. Scouts/ Guides and sports also great for this.

They could start some duolingo if they know which language they might do at secondary.

Agree with letting them become responsible for getting things ready for their school bag or outings with helping them become independent.

Books & newspapers available around the house and help with general knowledge e.g. as things start to come out in the garden talk about what they need to grow.

Don't worry about it too much as they will be in the same boat as the other Year 7s and they all grow up fast once they reach secondary. But let them (and you!) enjoy the last years of primary as they will be doing GCSEs before you know it!

For girls if they haven't already started period when they start Yr 7 then make sure they know how to use pads/period pants and send them with spare pads + pair tights (if wear skirts) in a cute small toiletry bag to be kept in school bag and re-stocked as needed.

I love this thread! That's a lot of great ideas I could try out with DD.

The most important thing is organisation and independence. With my English teacher hat on, though, I would say don’t stress about whether your child knows technical terms but instead make sure they can confidently write in sentences and paragraphs. You would not believe how many kids come in knowing what onomatopoeia, alliteration etc are but who are clueless about how to structure their writing!

Clock in room
A space for DC to do homework with desk lamp and storage
Lots of file holders to organise books + notes
When they start then print off at least 4 x copies of lesson timetable + 1 x copy of homework timetable. Put the lesson timetable by their desk, in bag, in blazer pocket + on fridge. Homework timetable above desk.
Get them into habit in Yr 6 of organising their own schoolbag, water bottle + PE kit each night before bed.
By Yr 7 they should be capable of getting themselves up, breakfast, ready for school with bag packed for the right lessons for that day.
In Yr 6 get into habit of doing homework the night it is given. Saves arguments at weekend etc.

Basically organisation, resilience + independence skills over academic.

ooh i like this thread! Ds is for secondary in september and organisation is not his forte ! Already had to drop his lunch box in for him twice this week! I wont be able to do that once he leaves primary as he is a bus ride away.

@TheBrightHazelDog my DS (now Y8) is a complete disaster when it comes to organisation (he has ASD and ADHD)

Things that have really helped us (although we still regularly cock it up!):

• Timetable stuck by the front door, colour coded lessons and a note at the top of each day listing what extra things need packing (eg Games bag, lab coat, music lesson instrument/folder)
• Individual A4 zip pouches for each subject - these live in those magazine boxes (one for each day) on a shelf in his room, and are returned there each day into the box for the next day that lesson is. DS is rubbish at sticking in bits of paper, so at least everything goes into the pouch and we can sort it later if necessary. We also store flashcards / revision materials in there. Makes life so much easier to just grab the next day’s 4 pouches and know everything is there.
• Be RELIGIOUS about packing the bag the night before, maybe with a checklist (the number of times the pencil case or laptop doesn’t make it back in to the bag…..)

Once you get into the swing of things, a homework timetable is good - absolutely do not get into the habit of leaving things until the last day. We also had an advice session that suggested starting each afternoon’s homework by jotting down a few bullet points on what was covered in each lesson that day - good early revision skills.
In fact, learning how to revise has been by far a bigger challenge so far than actually covering the curriculum.

Remember everyone will be in the same boat, and schools usually cut the kids some slack in the first half term as they get to grips with things.
I also think learning to fail (i.e. getting something wrong / forgetting to bring something) is a great skill to learn… if it leads to a detention, then oh well, that’s the consequence for messing up, but no big deal, and hopefully that will be a deterrent in the future (I appreciate that attitude may not work for everyone, but with an ASD child, it is important that they don’t get fixated and anxious, as that is totally counter-productive)

Most schools have a relatively easy year 7 academically as the challenge is organisational and social.

So:

Does you child travel to school independently? Will they need to for secondary? If so, practice the journey multiple times and plan for what if something goes wrong.

Do they have a key? Are they capable of not losing it? We put a key box on the house because ours lost so many keys.

PE kit system set up with boxes in their room.

Chances are high they will be in a form with a few kids from their primary who they may or may not get on with. Practice social skills for making new friends. Most secondaries mix up the entrants.

Homework. Do you have a system for doing it? Most secondaries have detentions if homework is not done (after the first few weeks). Most students either have a folder for it which they carry around or do it in their book.

Whoops she not he!

Definitely a clock in their room

A watch is a good idea (basic not smart watch) although DD has lost hers 🤦‍♀️

Write out a grid of what kit they need on which day and stick it up in bedroom and kitchen

Remind them to check any electronic messages… DD gets teacher messages on both email and Teams which isn’t very helpful

Can’t do most of this till school starts of course! And you may find your child gets a lot better at this stuff between y5 and y7 - ideally he should be getting used to doing bag packing, morning routine and hw independently by now.

Also, please just enjoy the next few years. You can try and prepare them too much for secondary and miss the precious years Y5 and Y6 are.
you have the summer of Y6 to make plans for high school. For now enjoy not being at high school! Xx