Starting secondary school.

[schroeder]

How can I make sure my ds is ready for secondary school?
He lacks confidence, and is quite nervous about going. We live in an area where the kids in his class of 24 are going to about 8 different schools, so he is not going to be surrounded by friendly faces.
What things should he be confident about doing?
I wasn't sure if I should post this in primary education, but I thought you lot would be old hands.

Practice the journey getting to and from school as much as possible. Try to ensure he has at least a full day visit (any more than this is unusual IME) Give him more responsibility now re getting things ready for school and trips etc. Find out what afterschool clubs the secondary runs that he may be excited about joining. Share with him positive memories fromyour schooldays. HTH.

Don't stress too much, but make sure you are on-hand as much as possible in the first couple of weeks to help him establish routines and get organised, as well as to de-brief about his day.

ds1 was very nervous about getting lost on the way (he didn't have a great sense of direction and had a walk-bus-walk journey); I was nervous about him handling his money (bus and lunch) and losing stuff.

In fact he managed really, really well. Never got lost, handled his money fantastically and only lost a couple of items all year.

If he isn't doing so already, make sure he is sorting out his own school bag/homework every day; organising PE kit; sorting out his uniform each day, etc.

Nearer the time give him opportunities to practise the journey to school.

The school will do a lot of transition work- may get NSPCC or similar in .
When he visits his new school for induction, encurage him to chat to other boys in his teaching group and lay down those important foundations for friendship.

If he's going with any of his old class mates it can help to get them together once or twice in the school holidays so they can pal up a bit and make plans to meet up with each other on the first day/ at their first lunchtime.

My DS starts in september too and I'm so nervous about it. He's not a typical "boy" and I think he's going to be a bit of a target.

I'm going to do what the others have said, practice the bus route with him, especially in the summer holidays and I'm also going to encourage him to spend more time with the one boy he knows that is going to the same school!

I think I'm more nervous than he is.

In the summer term before they left year 6, both of my older ones went for a weeks experience at the new school. Not sure if yours does this, but mine thought it was really helpful.

So before the sept, they were able to find their way around the school, catch the bus, find the dining room etc, and meet a few new friends.

Ours have a 2 day induction. I think a full week would have been better personally but I'm hoping it will give him some kind of insight.

ds1 had a 1 day induction and was then in school for another full day for a sports/activity day for the new intake children. Both were good in terms of him finding his way around school a bit, buying lunch from the canteen and meeting some other students.

The school ran some activity weeks during the summer hols, but ds1 couldn't attend as we already had plans.

I'm deliberately keeping summer a bit flexible at the moment in case they do something similar this time and ds2 wants to take part. (He is going up with just 3 girls and no boys from his primary.)

DS will be joining DD at her secondary in sept. I am going to make sure he has everything he needs and that it is all named. We will practice the journey which us a short train journey and walk. We will also start learning how to do a tie which will be a new hurdle too.