Year 7 support 2026

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I’ve not noticed a year 7 support thread so here goes….

My youngest child started year 7 today. Inner city, state comp. He’s gone up alone as unfortunately none of his primary school friends got into this school.

Today was the first day. He came home and looked a little deflated…. and tired. Totally forgot how much this term drains them to be honest. A couple of 8pm bedtimes will be on the cards.

He sat on his own eating his lunch. I know it’s early days….but, still. 😢 He refused a snack when he got in from school (not like him at all).

Fingers crossed he has at least one friend very soon. He’s never struggled socially but his primary school was small, and he’s very quiet. How did other year 7s get on today?

Mine had very little to say about actual school, but had football trials and did not shut up about those - he’s not gone to the local school but has a few friends who are there too. But no tears, no tellings off and ate a ton at dinner so I’ll take it as a success - I suspect he’s going to be dead on his feet by half term.

It’s a huge change, a lot of new stuff being thrown at them - friends will happen soon enough.

We're in a similar situation youngest child/city state comp/only one of 2 from his primary school but they are in different forms.

He went in with a massive smile on his face but already complaining his shoes hurt! Biggest challenge for him today is getting the train home by himself.

Thanks for starting this thread. It can be such an overwhelming time for the kids. A big step from primary school.
Fingers crossed they all get on ok over the coming days.
My second has gone off to secondary school this morning. We’ve moved house and so she’s only gone with a couple from her primary school - none of her close friends so I hope she settles in ok.
I think it’s worse than them starting primary!!!

He is my third and it’s a bigger transition than starting primary, well I feel like it is anyway. My son only has a 10 minute walk, so that’s a bonus. His primary school was further away.

I guess even going up with a couple of friends still has its issues. Different forms etc. Early days.

I hope your son is ok and everything settles down. It is hard going from a small primary to large secondary but sure all the friendship groups will move around during the first few weeks. There will be clubs and activities to also join in with.
My daughter is one of the younger ones and struggles a bit with change so not sure how she’ll get on with all the different classes and things to remember as well making friends. she only has a 20 min walk home so that’s something.

Fingers crossed all the year 7s and they have a good few days!!

My DS has just started at an independent school. All his primary friends are going to our local comprehensive. They had an overnight camp Weds and Thurs which he enjoyed but we had a few tears before he went. Today is his first day in class and he had to take a big breath before he got out of the car. I watched him walk off and he looked so small. He seemed to have made some friends at the camp so hopefully today will go well. They have compulsory school lunches so I know he will be eating with his classmates.

@Knickerbockerglory75 my son has also just moved from state to independent with no friends or acquaintances at his new school. He was a ball of anxiety this morning. I'm going to pick him up and am crossing all the fingers that his first day has gone well. He looked so lost as he was swimming in his gigantic blazer this morning.

It’s a big step for a lot of them - especially if they haven’t gone with loads of friends.
It’s awful isn’t it wondering how they get on. I’m trying not to ask too many questions and check
they are ok 500 times!! Fingers crossed for a good day for them all!!

Yes, I didn’t ask yesterday, took the pressure off. He ended up speaking more then about his day etc. I just hate the year 7 transition, last time for me thankfully.

So far so good here apart from some blisters due to new shoes and having to walk loads more than at Primary (which was a 3 minutes walk from our house)

DS said to me "I think you are more worried about me making friends than me" which is true and I'm glad he isn't worried!

So far he has only had a couple of lessons each day thanks to extended tutor time/assembly/enrichment fair and he is already tired. A full week of lessons next week is going to become a marathon!

DD1 just started here. She is at an academy school about 30 mins' walk from home so almost 1h walk a day!

She seemed to get on well, has met a couple of nice girls and been put in top set groups. They use an app called ePraise to record house points/ demerits, and she has had 7 points so appears not to be trashing the place, yet.

Tired though!

I watched him walk off and he looked so small.
He looked so lost as he was swimming in his gigantic blazer this morning.

I used to catch a bus which picked up quite a lot of schoolchildren on their way home. At the beginning of term you could spot all the shiny new little Yr 7s in their new blazers and backpacks nearly as big as they were. Then by Christmas you couldn't pick them out at all; they looked just the same as all the rest.

My son doesn't start til Monday and is the only one going to his secondary. I'm so nervous about him feeling alone!

Good luck for you son for Monday! Hopefully he will have a great day. Hope all the other year 7s settling in - my daughter has been so tired after a two day week. Who knows how she’ll manage a full week next week.

My daughter started this week too. She has been happy and positive about it but it's clearly stressful. I've had to buy her stronger deodorant this weekend as she has come home smelling of sweat which is really unlike her, I think it is just the stress?! Quite strange and she's conscious of it so hope that improves. She is also absolutely exhausted and hasn't wanted to do anything this weekend so we've just left her be!
It's a huge transition, isn't it. Fingers crossed they all settle soon!

Thank you all. Friday night he was sleep walking. I said, are you okay? He replied, yes just going to class 🤦‍♀️. His brain was obviously on over drive. He’s never slept walk in his life. It’s definitely a lot for them.

So far so good after 3 days apart from beef with yr11 boys at lunchtime 😱 but as I've said to everybody, ask me again in 2 weeks and at half-term.
Dd2 started Weds with only 2 others from primary who she wasn't really friends with.
She has autism and trouble with social skills/friendships which tend to be intense and small in number so have chosen to send her to a different school to her sister. I hope she will thrive. She says she likes lessons.
Fingers and toes crossed.

Hope your DS finds his feet a bit more next week. I was surprised how long it took my dd1 to settle properly when she was in yr7.

The first full week is going to be hard for them all.

It doesn't help that DH is having an operation tomorrow (this is his 2nd one this year after being diagnosed with early stage cancer). Thankfully it will be his last and less stressful than the one immediately after diagnosis.

I let his DS2's form tutor know and have received a lovely response which is reassuring as she isn't a teacher I'd encountered with DS2.

I'm trying to get DS2 into the habit of packing his bag the night before like DS1 but he is a far less organised child so isnt quite sinking in yet

@BobbleheadSteve really sorry to hear about your DH, that is a lot! I made DD1 write herself a "night before" checklist.

Today was her first day letting herself into the house alone with her new key. I was actually able to get home early from work so I came home to check she had managed okay - she was NOT pleased to see me 😆 said she was looking forward to having the place to herself, bloody cheek.

I am now officially useless except for giving her money obvs

Thanks Johnny. DH's op went well and DS seems unfazed by it all!

He has got his first homework (decorate his French book) which is a nice easy introduction to HW

Well, we are at hump day in the first full week and the dust is beginning to settle! DS has made some friends and is enjoying the lessons (although not so much rugby, which is unfortunate as his school is big on rugby!) He has come home really chatty every night which is a huge difference from primary school!

My son ended up being sick yesterday and couldnt go in, so after a successful first day on Monday, we had tears going in today! He asked me to go in with him to the gate. I hope its just an off day, because it has really worried me

My ds has just started the local comp which is highly oversubscribed so only one other of his primary school got in.

He is totally overwhelmed- interesting not by the number of people (over 1000 from less than 100 in primary) but by the number of things to remember / do. And quite honestly - I’m with him!

Theres an app to pay for things. There’s an app to see their homework/timetable/behaviour points. There’s an app where they do their homework. There’s a teams app (not sure why yet - to contact each other and teachers?) and now we’ve just been given another app which seems to include bits of each of the other apps and nothing new. It’s TOTALLY overwhelming for me. Never mind the kids.

He is really struggling with the teachers at the end of the lesson telling them quickly about homework or something to bring next week and he doesn’t feel he has time to take it in and write it down so is stressing.

I really think a week of really gentle getting to know the teacher and school exercises would have been better in the long term!

My son is coming home so tired - anyone else notice this?

I can see that he's perhaps trying to process everything. Thankfully he's mentioned new friends - which was perhaps my biggest worry.

It's a much bigger leap from primary in terms of independence and responsibilities than either of us expected.

Mine is so tired. He came home today and just flopped on the sofa.

There is so much mental load as well as physical (moving between lessons and a longer journey to school) that it's no wonder they are tired

From what I can remember from his brother it takes a couple of weeks before they get used to it but about a week letter the end of term tiredness kicks in! I'm grateful we have a 2 week half term so he can have a proper rest