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Secondary education

Connect with other parents whose children are starting secondary school on this forum.

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Original poster

transition from very small school to enormous secondary

17 replies

Carbonel · 08/03/2012 21:36

DS will be moving from a very small village school with 75 in the whole school to a comp with an intake of 120 per year!!

I am very worried how he will cope with such an enormous change - has anyone else done this and have any tips to prepare him?

OP posts:

TalkinPeace2 · 08/03/2012 21:52

mine both went from 30 per year to 290
no worries
the big schools have pastoral systems
his induction day will explain all

Frikadellen · 09/03/2012 00:34

I dont think it is possible to prepare them my dd1 and2 have gone from primarys of 101 students in total to 2ndary schools with 290 intake pr year. dd1 seemed to take it in her stride loves her school and is happy in year 9 dd2 is still struggling in year 7. I thought she had the better preparation as her school had 2 days introduction in August that they offered for students from smaller schools. dd1 didnt get anything like this. However dd2 has struggled more and even now I am not convinced it was the right choice for her to send her where we did.

I think ensuring they know they layout of the school ( a couple of visits if possible) checking they know where to get the bus.. Ensuring their buspass is sorted and their lunch stuff is in order are the big ones to make sorted.

After that I think it is keep your fingers crossed and be ready with the hugs and support it is a big change but they do eventually make it. Some easier than others.

crazymum53 · 09/03/2012 08:14

120 pupils in a year group is quite small for a comp school. The intake at dds school is 216.
The induction process should be designed to help with this. If they take pupils from lots of different schools there will be plenty of activities to help them adjust and make new friends.

notatigermother · 09/03/2012 15:40

schools are very hot on this issue and will have well prepared induction days and procedures for helping the new intake.
120 is small and presumably the site won't be too large either - which cuts down the worries about getting lost!
It might also depend if your DS is socially confident or shy and if he knows anyone else going to the school? If so, buddy systems work well.

SecretSquirrels · 09/03/2012 15:49

Mine were at a primary with 60 children and went to a rural comp with 140 per year.
There were absolutely no problems at all. The school have well tried systems for transitions and I couldn't fault it. Both boys settled very happily.
They were used to going to school on a bus because they were bussed to primary.

lesstalkmoreaction · 09/03/2012 19:15

Schools are very good at preparing children especially from the smaller schools. My older 2 dd's moved from a primary of 48 to 1200 and never bothered, they loved it from the trial day and just wanted to get there away from the younger children.

dontrememberme · 09/03/2012 19:30

same here my ds1 went from a primary with less than 100 to a comp with over 1000.
I have been very impressed with the set up & just how much they care.
Good pastoral care is possible in a bigger school.

HSMM · 10/03/2012 00:27

My DD went from a primary with 75 pupils to a secondary with.270 in each year group. She loved it. She was just excited to go to a school with a REAL science lab.

RaspberryLemonPavlova · 10/03/2012 00:58

DCs school is a rural secondary. 240 per year with intakes from schools with 35 in the whole school. They rightly pride themselves on their transition programme - it works very well. I would imagine your DSs school will do something similar

Clary · 10/03/2012 21:50

120 per year is a very small secondary actually. 250 a year is not unusual where I live, and one school locally has 350 in a year. A school with 120 in a year will feel very cosy and family-ish.

He will be fine - after all he will have the most interaction with his year, and it's not much bigger than his school. Smaller schools with 75 in the school work like a big family so he will have known all 75 people - so he's only moving up to 120 it will be fine.

Pastoral system will be set up to cope I am sure.

Original poster

Carbonel · 11/03/2012 18:16

Thanks all, feel a bit more confident. He is quiet and takes time to settle and gel with people, but then is not unhappy during the process.

OP posts:

BackforGood · 11/03/2012 19:31

at the idea that 120 is an "enormous secondary". that's a very little secondary round here
That aside, as everyone else said, they will be aware of Parents' nervousness - it happens every year. There will be induction processes in place.

mablemurple · 11/03/2012 21:00

Carbonel, please don't worry, he'll be fine by the end of the first week. My dd (from lower school with 40 children in the whole school to middle school 700+ pupils, where she knew no-one at all) was so nervous on her first day she was physically sick in the classroom, but there was so much to do she was loving it by the end of the week.

bossboggle · 13/03/2012 09:09

My DD because of her disabilities had to go to a school where she knew absolutely no one - 1500 pupils - the induction day was fine and the school were fantastic - they put my daughter with some of the able bodied students in the school and she had a blast - the schools are very good at coping with transition days - they have seen it all before and you won't be the first nor the last. My DS followed my DD and he had a whale of a time, he now in year 11 and ready to leave, they both made loads of friends and after the first day there my DS came out of school looking like the hedge had dragged him backwards and he declared "That was ACE" Don't worry too much!!

bossboggle · 13/03/2012 09:17

Carbonel, I assure you - you will worry more than he does - you'll worry that you don't know what is going on etc etc. Senior schools tend to have a very good pastoral system in place - if you imagine each year group of a senior school rather like the entire junior school your DS is leaving. He is moving up into a slightly larger year group when he enters year 7 with a head of that year group, imagine the head of year as a 'headmaster/mistress' of a junior school. If the school works well then your son's new tutor should get to know him very well and so should the head of his year. Remember he does not have to get to know everyone in the school and if it is a really good school they will gently guide him in for the first few weeks anyway - enjoy the new adventure!! Keep everyone posted!!

Kez100 · 13/03/2012 09:57

This is really common. Our senior school takes in 130 a year and all but one of the feeders have tiny numbers, much lower than 75. There are lot of senior schools with much much bigger annual intakes, all with some small feeders and the children adjust.

I can only speak for our school but the transition is brilliant nowadays. There will always be a few issues for some children, however, the more you are able to visit the school in advance - the pen evenings, productions, shows etc the better I suspect it will be

startail · 13/03/2012 11:32

DDs in Y9 they act as mentors for Y7s, is a huge site with a two week time table.

By the end of week 3 they are redundant, even DCs from tiny rural schools have learnt their way round.

Is your DCs school a feeder school
To the senior school?
Because ours organises sports events and induction days and other things. So most DCs will have been there in Y5 or Y6 and it isn't totally new.

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