New Year 7 tips...

[starryeyed19]

I was wondering if anyone had any tips that would help with my DD starting Yr 7 in September? What do you wish you had known before your child started? What really helps? What really doesn't?

All advice gratefully received

I just asked DD (who is currently in Y7). She says "don't try to look hard to the big kids, talk to lots of people so you make friends and then hang out with your friends."

Probably good advice (though I'm now a bit worried about what happens to the Y7s who do "try to look hard to the big kids".

Funny about all the cool stuff that DC need to be aware of. DD has a blue Sistema lunchbox with the compartments and the blue water bottle and never had any comments and she's due to start year 10 in Sept. She also found her pink fluffy pencil case from Year 6 recently and changed her usual one for that and again no comments. She does shrug off stuff though and doesn't get riled up by things although is actually rather sensitive.

She still has a Frube every day in her lunchbox 😀 Oh sometimes I let her bring in a pack of chocolate bars to share with her group which goes down well or a pack of cookies.

She also wears frilly socks and a scrunchie in her ponytail at times and nothing is ever said. I know her class is quite opinionated bitchy so can only assume she isn't picked on or if she is isn't bothered.

There was a time that the class loudmouth moaned to the teacher that DD had never had a detention and it wasn't fair and the teacher actually agreed with her - like it's a right of passage or something 😮

Oh meant to add that if anyone asks you what you think of someone be non committal or just say "They seem okay" because sure as the sun comes up the next day whatever you say will be repeated back to them. DD found that a lot as she didn't know anyone at her new secondary school so people were sounding her out. Her friends love that they know she'll never gossip behind their backs.

Not a y7 parent, but multiple time y7 tutor.

Here's the advice I tend to give:

1. Give home a copy of your timetable to go on the fridge
2. Pack your bag the night before (parents, support them but let them do it themselves)
3. Put all letters and notes in your diary/planner. I'll never be cross with a y7 for forgetting but would be having a gentle reminder chat if they were repeatedly not using their diary
4. Talk to people in your lessons and get involved in school life. Avoid staying in primary school packs.
5. If you're stuck, ask a member of staff for help on anything (or older students but we are very lucky to have amazing older students who think nothing of helping new little ones). Even if it's things like a girl needing sanitary products, we'll find some for her.
6. Be honest. I've turned a blind eye and given additional chances where students are polite and honest (and don't milk it obviously)
7. Enjoy it. Make the most of the opportunities available to you.

Both my DS(Y9) and DD(Y7) settled into secondary very easily. It wasn’t the Big Deal I thought it’d be. Mainly because they are both at fabulous schools they love, and have both made good friends.

Here’s some tips, just repeating stuff above I expect:

• Tested out journey and asked them to look at other kids shoes & bags before the summer holidays. They both have Superdry backpacks which are very sturdy & resilient
• Each has a cork board/whiteboard in bedroom with photocopy of two week timetable on
• Each school has its own parents app with the timetable, reports etc on v useful
• Each school has its own prepay lunch cards, one School has auto topup which is brilliant
• DD uses WhatsApp to check homework etc easily with her form, I’m in a parents group for both schools which is v useful for checking all sorts of things
• Both pack bag the night before

Really helpful. My soon to be y7 was very interested.

For the first half term I helped dd make sure she'd packed everything she needed as i wanted her to settle in happily before she started getting detentions for forgetting stuff. I found with a 2 week timetable there was a big jump from primary to secondary in how much stuff there was to remember. Timetable on the fridge and a box for school books. Buy sticky back plastic in advance if your school requires exercise books to be covered to avoid having to rush out for it the night before. List of possible things they might need each day to check through. Eg. Water, instrument, money etc

YY to monitoring social media and devices, be clear that this is the condition of them having phones/iPads. All passwords/pins new app purchases to be in your control. It's a jungle out there!

Also, find out if the new year 7 has set up a Facebook page. They are very useful for finding out info that doesn't make its way back home.

Keep your dc in touch with old school friends for the first year - it can be a life line if they have issues settling in.

Pack plenty of snacks everyday. Learning how to navigate an intimidating lunch hall and coordinate it all with clubs etc can be hard.

*Facebook - I meant Facebook groups set up by parents - they are useful!

We are lucky in that mine went to a junior school where they move classes for each lesson and so that wasn't a big deal but the homework organisation took DS1 a while to get used to and I suspect it will be the same with DS2 in September. They get at least an hour every night and don't get home until 5.30 so evenings need planning and some activities fall by the wayside. Some teachers set for the next day.
Computer access is already an issue and they both need to do a significant amount of their homework online.
DS1 has his locker key on a piece of elastic tied to his inside blazer pocket which has been a big help (he's in Year 8 now and nobody has said anything about it)
We pack all sports bags for the week on a Sunday evening (they have something every day and additional school sports on a Saturday).

It's getting late in the day now for next year's Y7 (but maybe useful for next year's prospective Y7s!) but some of the skills listed on here would ideally be practiced in Y5/6 (or even earlier) which will make the transition so much easier. (Yes some get harder in Y7, but if you've e.g. never packed your bag at all in primary school, it's a big jump to start doing it in secondary school)

Things that jump out
-packing their own bag

• sorting out their own uniform ready for next day
• making sure all messages/homework recorded in diary
• using public transport alone (if will use it to travel to school)
• being at home alone
• travelling between (e.g.) friend's house and own house without adult (or whatever is appropriate in your area)
• letting self into house using key
• locking/alarming house when leaving (if applicable)
• guidelines/use of social media /phone in general
• expectations around doing homework
• making a small snack when getting home

There are probably others.

I think a lot of the posts you see on Mumsnet in September from people who are upset their child has got a detention for forgetting something are from people whose child packed their own stuff in Year 6 (as mine did) and the parents haven't realised there's a bit more involved in Year 7 and a lot for them to remember so they might need a bit of support initially. For example all exercise books are kept at school in many primary schools, whereas at high school they often need different ones each day on a two week timetable. There's so much more new stuff for them to negotiate in year 7 that a bit of support goes a long way, regardless of how independent they were in year 6. The stakes seem higher too. Dd has been kept in twice in year 6 to do forgotten homework. It wasn't called a detention and didn't faze her. Might seem a bigger, more formal thing if it happened early in year 7 though.

Don't panic too early. Give it till Xmas to decide if your child has settled. It's a massive change and some kids need time to adjust. Some need a few weeks. Some a term some a year.