Making friends at secondary

[hopeishere]

DS has started secondary school. He has a few chums from primary there and they seem to be sticking close together. How can I encourage him to make a few more friends. I'm worried one friend is going to leave as he doesn't like the school and the other might dump him for a sporty group.

At lunchtime he just goes to the library and studies which seems very boring.

Encourage him to join a club. If he's not sporty is there:

• chess, science, gaming, lego, environmental, drama, reading, debating, something?

He'll meet people with a similar interest, and through them will meet their friends.

I've tried with the clubs but I think he's too shy to go on his own. Or goes with his existing friends.

I guess it's early days, but at the weekends he's just hanging around the house. He's still in touch with friends from primary school so I should maybe encourage him to see them.

Maybe contact his tutor and ask him/her to suggest suitable clubs?
Don't worry re hanging round the house at weekends. I think it is a MN myth that as soon as kids get to secondary they start socialising left right and centre.

Flag it with his personal tutor that he could do with making some more friends. They'll look out for opportunities for him to get involved in work / activities with other children e.g. set specific groups in a class rather than letting students self select.