When mine went I just made sure they had the ‘right’ bag. Sounds stupid, but just making sure they fit in and don’t look too different to everyone else helps.

I don't have any advise but I'm in a similar boat. My son doesn't like sport and is very sensitive, I'm worried senseless he is going ti be bullied.

Organisation. That is the number 1 thing that helps in senior school. If they are organised and remember their PE kit, books etc and then don't lose them that takes away a large amount of the stress.

Homework, the term until October will have the most amount of Homework. They will do more homework then than in the next two years.

You can't change sex. You can dress how you please within the school uniform constraints but sex is immutable.

I think your over thinking it. I work in a large comprehensive and there's kids of every type and the majority get on with their day with no incidents what so ever. As with subjects they usually start off slow so I wouldn't worry about drip feeding them subject knowledge. However if you really want to bbc bitesize is great or there is a free website you can sign up to called Seneca that has great resources they read etc and then answer questions on. Don't forget all year 7s feel the same when starting secondary just some are better at hiding it then others.

We told DS to smile and say hello to everyone, and then find his friends more slowly.
Taught him how to send a location on WhatsApp incase he got on the wrong bus.
Got him set up with everything he needed, and told him there was one upgrade/replacement if it was wrong. Helped him in the first term to organise what needed to go to school, what homework needed doing, getting set up on all the electronic systems etc. That has dropped off, and now (Y8) we just question the one off things needed.
I dont think consent needs to happen now - well, more than a primary level of pants rules. But we have taken advantage of opportunities as they arise to drop things in - so when the playground gossip was about a pregnant 6th former, we talked about relationships, sex and contraception.

Make sure you find out about clubs etc as soon as they start. If they know that on Monday they go to choir, Tues is Book Club etc, they won’t be at a loss at lunchtime not knowing who to hang out with. We keep our Year 7s BUSY, and it helps keep them out of mischief if they are that way inclined, and helps the quieter ones to find friends.

I think you are overthinking this and need to be careful your anxiety doesn't start to rub off on your DC.
The main things are be confident getting to and from school however that may be.
Identify any uniform that is just "not the done thing" for example my DCs school has a jumper at the uniform shop but I haven't seen anyone wear one ever!
If you know any kids that go to the school already ask them what sort of bag to get and when the kids start let them know they can tell you if they want to get a new bag, trainers, shoes etc if they find they have the "wrong" ones.

Mine is the same age.
I'm not planning on worrying him too much yet. He's a quiet, quirky one.

1. There's a lot of swearing, don't say things if you don't actually understand what it means.

That conversation won't take place until he's just about to get.

I would say a little card with your phone number on in case they lose their phone!

Also I spent a lot of time with my daughter teaching her the bus route and the way from the bus stop but it when the bus broke down midway one day she didn't actually know where to walk to get to the next bus stop. Same as last year - there was a missing child alert all over FB - turns out he has got bus wrong direction but obviously didn't realise / didn't know what to do. He was found 7 miles from school at end of bus route in other direction.

So I think sensible planning about what if you get wrong bus / teaching the whole route to school is something I will do with my youngest!

Mine is year 7, and that year group who didn't get to do much in year 5 &6 due to lockdowns so not all that prepared.



Get the phone early in year 6 so its not a novelty. Programme the new schools number in, so if they are running late they know to call the school to say so.



If they are travelling by public transport, use that form of transport quite a bit to get them used to it. Put them in charge of their own ticket.



If they are going with other kids from their primary school, have meet ups/playdates regularly with the those kids in year 6.



Year 7 kids hang out together, so they are all in the same boat.

Oh and one thing to remember, the teachers are 100% nicer than they were when we were in school!

I didn't do any of the right trainers, bag etc thing. Dc1 started with their mates so were OK but dc2 had no friends at primary and it's a completely unique geeky individual.

They chose their own bag which was a sensible backpack from mountain warehouse. I just kept reminding them that high school is bigger than primary and that they would find their tribe there and that if someone is eating lunch on their own or sitting alone at break then they are probably lonely so if they are someone from their year go say hello (had to specify from their year as otherwise my child would take me literally and go start chatting to a 6th former or something).

Anyway dc2 now has a nice little group of fellow geeks, it's in maths club and spends a ridiculous amount of time in the library.

I don't see the point telling our kids tat they need to have the right trainers and bags and coats to fit in, it just makes them more stressed on the lead up.

I don't see the point telling our kids tat they need to have the right trainers and bags and coats to fit in, it just makes them more stressed on the lead up.

Oh I dont think you should actually tell them this just steer them in the right direction when it comes to shopping for school stuff.

Definitely rehearse bus travel.

My DS missed the his stop to get off and ended up going all the way to the end of the route, when the very kind bus driver let him stay on the bus while he turned round and drove back to each stop.

Just bear in mind that it’s a big change. Some take to it like a duck to water and others need time. They can get anxious about whether they have the correct PE kit or whether they wrote the homework down correctly. Make sure they understand that their form tutor and Head of Year are there to help them. Moving about a big building can be confusing too. Even my nephew who still is a complete geek with Aspergers survived the move and made a friend. Come to think of it, so did I!

One thing I haven't seen mentioned is 'ignore, call it out, tell'.
e.g.
mean comments
bullying
someone cheating in a french test
someone using their phone in class
friend confides self harming or being hurt at home

Personally I don't think you have been strong enough on gender issues. I would be clear that you can't change sex, nor be born in the wrong body. That puberty can be confusing but you get through it. Stereotypes are harmful and girls can like whatever and boys can like whatever.
However also the stuff you said, some people have different views and not to get into arguments, be kind, but no boys in girls toilets etc.

Oh another one ! If they need to use public transport to/from school, an emergency £10 in their bag /blazer is a good idea for the day when you get a call that a tree has fallen on the train line and there's no trains, so can say "ok go get a taxi from outside the station".



Be clear, discovering the shop your year 7 walks past on the way to the station sells pokemon cards does not constitute an emergency for said £10 to be spent.

If you aren’t talking to your children about things like sex, gender, consent, pornography…how are they to deal with these topics among their peers?

Sex is real, gender is woo, talk about it. Consent - children should always have autonomy over their bodies except when it’s a question of extreme importance - eg no one touches my 11 year old without her permission, but if she needed some kind of surgery she didn’t want, well sorry my love but I have the final say in that. Teach them that pornography is images/videos of people without clothes on, and how to respond when someone shows them, as they inevitably will.