How do I prepare dd for secondary school? Tips please!

[CeliaFate]

Dd starts secondary school in September. What can I do/say/buy/teach her to prepare her for the change? Any top tips welcome! TIA.

[seriouslycantbebothered]

get her a map lol

[elmofan]

Ds(PFB) is starting in September too . We are just explaining things like he will be walking to a different classroom every 40 minutes & will have a timetable to follow . He is excited about it tbh
Is your dd looking forward to starting ?

[starchilli]

My DD (12) starts this year as well, any tips would be appreciated here as well.

[CeliaFate]

She's excited and nervous in equal measure at the moment. When it gets nearer I think she'll be terrified!

[funambulist]

I have a son in year 8 at secondary school. My tips are:

1 If they will be travelling by public transport practice the journey with them until they feel confident doing it on their own. Do it at least once with you as a silent observer so that they have to decide when to get off the bus, cross the road etc.

2 Foster independence by getting them to practice going to primary school on their own, getting their own clothes and school bag ready for the next day, answering the phone, send them to the shops on their own to buy things, leaving them at home for short periods.

3 Buy them a mobile phone (cheapest possible in case they lose it or it is stolen) so that they can get in touch with you and you will feel more comfortable sending them off on their own.

4 If in London and your child is 11+ buy them an Oyster card and encourage them to travel on their own.

5 Get them to practice making their own arrangements to meet up with friends at the park etc by calling or texting friends.

6 Make contact with as many other families who will have children in year 7 at their new school and arrange to meet at regular intervals from now to September so that your child can start with a group of friends. This is particularly valuable if they will be travelling on the same bus etc. Get to know the parents as well so that you can exchange information.

7 Name and label everything including watch, mobile phone, calculator.

8 Consider having duplicates of some things eg a complete set of pencil case equipment at home so that it doesn't matter if they leave theirs at school.

9 If possible speak to pupils and parents already at the school to get specific tips.

10 Give them their own set of house keys and make sure that they can lock/unlock the door and set/unset the alarm.

[coastgirl]

New year 7s need to:

• be able to accurately read a timetable (you would be amazed how many find this difficult)
  
  
• consult said timetable in the evening and pack their bag accordingly
  
  
• be responsible for their own equipment
  
  
• pack and unpack their bag speedily (I am still struggling with some of my y7s now - they are far too slow to get ready at the start and end of lessons)
  
  
• possibly be able to tie a tie, depending on school
  
  
• make accurate notes i.e. write down homework accurately from the board with hand-in dates, not what they think was written down.

[Kez100]

If she is will be attending a local catchment with her friends, I found the feeder schools were brilliant and neither of mine wanted me interfering - they seemed to treat it in their stride as part of them growing up. However, on the first day itself they walked with friends so they went in together. At the end of the holidays they all got together one day for tea to chat about it although they probably didn't!

What to buy? Get the list from the school and let your child tick off the things they need. Ask them to write a list of stationary they would like - my two love buying stationary!

[EcoHappyHelen]

They should have an induction day - usually more than one, perhaps a three day run. This will help a lot.

My DS is going to his enormous new school this year too but fortunately he moved schools at the beginning of this year and it will be a great opportunity to meet up with all the friends he's missed since then from his last school, as well as those in his same peer group from this year.

I've explained to my DS that he will need a timetable and move classes to find the lessons, and that a map would be a very good idea and they should be issued in large schools. The first week they will all travel around together but by half term they should know their bit of the school blindfold, so need to pay attention to reference points etc.

I'm going to buy DS a school diary before he goes, there will be timetable info in there as well as other useful stuff.

Research transport opps, there may be a dedicated bus but if your child does an afterschool class they will need another way home - we have a choice as DS could feasibly cycle and also catch the public bus.

Cycling - go out on some Sundays and time the trip (essential), investigate short cuts etc.

Ref mobile phones - please, people, I grew up with NO electronic media at all bar perhaps an LCD watch ... Mobiles cause enormous issues at school - inappropriate use, envy, all sorts of nastiness. My DS has one so he can communicate with his dad, but that's all. He won't be taking it to school, in fact he said he'd be scared of someone taking it off him and breaking it if he did. If he was going to someone else's house after I might let him, or other relatively exceptional circs, but my kids have had the free roam of our village since age 7 and can take responsibility for their behaviour including coming home at the right time without needing a phone with them. And it's a very old phone. Very. With JRT tooth marks in.

One way to increase away from home confidence on public transport is to get together with some of the mums and arrange for some of the kids to go to the flicks as a gang by bus in the summer hols. They can all egg each other on to get the right one (teach them to read a bus time table first, these days they are not the krypton factor versions they used to be when I was a kid), and get on and off in the right place. Or the pool. Library. BK. Whatever.

I don't remember having difficulty with time tables and books on the right day etc, but I grew up with a certain amount of responsibility and a lot of self sufficiency and so have my kids so hopefully this won't be an issue.

There is still quite a bit of time to work up to this stuff, for anyone with kids not so confident.

[DaisySteiner]

Re keys - what we've just done is install a key safe on the outside of the house so that we don't need to worry about ds losing his keys and being stranded outside! They're cheap, secure (well, house insurance company totally cool with us having one) and very useful for me too (it has been known for me to have to climb in through open window when I forgot my own keys ) Combination is a particular family birthday, so hopefully little chance that ds will forget it....

[cricketballs]

as a secondary school teacher; please, please inform your Dd that is not anything like promary school and she will have to stand on her own two feet! For far too long, I have know year 7 students to believe that they have no responsability to act for themselves and believe that every staff member has to run around for them!

One big issue for Dd; especially if she knows any students in the other year groups is that she should not expect them to behave with her as they would outside of school. For instance, I had a parent complain of their year 7 child being bullied by year 10 students. It turned out that his brother was in year 10 and thought he could speak to his friends in a very cheeky manner as he would at home and although the year 10 lads were not rough or nasty with him, they did make it very blunt that it was not the done thing in school infront of others who did not know him.

[HSMM]

Lots and lots of independent thinking.

Learn some basic cookery.

Cheapest mobile phone you can possibly find, if they must have one.

[HSMM]

Oh .... and don't buy them a big rucksack if everyone else has a handbag. They really don't have as many text books as we used to have.