How did you transition your Y7 to secondary school / more independence

[Bringinguptherear]

How do you build your new Y7s up to independently managing travel to secondary school snd the time after school?

DS will be starting secondary in September - attending a school a few miles away by public bus with a couple of friends. He has AUDHD and is quite socially immature/naive.

DH and I normally alternate WFH but about once every 1-2 weeks we both need to be in the office on the same days.

Eventually I am obviously expecting him to be able to get himself from and to school on his own by bus, let himself in and manage for 2-3 hours until we get home. And presumably he will get to have independence to come and go to friends houses etc as well.

i’m just not sure how we get from where we are now to that level, when where we are now is walking to school with his younger siblings and only doing things like short errands to the corner shop independently.

Do we just accept that come September he will have to manage all this from Day 1? Or ease into it?

DH and I could arrange to drop him off / pick him up initially but would that help or hinder?

It all seems like such a big leap for him!

We started a lot earlier for one thing, but you don't have a time machine!

1. Start him travelling to primary independently asap even if it's catch a bus one stop.
2. Do the journey to secondary multiple times over the summer. First with him, then nearby (walking 10 mins later, other end of the bus - whatever works) and then he does it on his own, maybe with a friend?
3. Get a tracker for his phone. Practice tracking each other.
4. Rehearse a few "what if" scenarios like if the bus doesn't come, if he loses his bus pass or keys etc.
5. Maybe get a key safe?
6. Contact the SENCO and ask if they do safer travel training.
7. Make sure he has a means of payment. DD has a Go Henry card.

Does he have an EHCP?

No EHCP, he’s not got that level of need. But he’s not at the level of social maturity of a typical child going into secondary.

I think the actual process of getting on a bus and getting to school is pretty manageable (providing we help him get out of the door on time).

It’s getting back home again and the level of independence he has over e.g. coming straight home vs. doing his own thing which I think will be tricky.

He doesn’t have a phone right now and I have no intention of getting him a smartphone so the whole communication aspect is a new one to navigate as well.