Mumsnet users share their experience of their child moving up to secondary school with O2

[EllieMumsnet]

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Sending your children off to secondary school can feel like a milestone in your child's life and a big step as a parent. It's likely also a time where your child is seeking more independence, leading you to wonder "is it alright to...?" on a regular basis. With this in mind, O2 would like to hear about your experience or concerns about your child moving up to secondary school.

Here’s what O2 has to say: “#IsItAlright to let them use a tablet at breakfast? We hear you. Parenting is full of #IsItAlright questions, challenges and dilemmas. That’s why we’ve launched O2 Family, to bring advice, safety tools and kid-friendly offers to parents across the UK. We don’t pretend to have all the answers. But hopefully we make it a little easier to navigate the everyday messy magic of family life."

September will see a whole new start for loads of kids around the country and parents have to adjust too. Whether you're about to do it, or remember it well, how do you cope with your child making the move to secondary school? Are you giving them the independence of doing their homework without reminding them? Perhaps you’re debating whether the move to secondary school is a good time for them to get a smartphone? How have you changed the rules to give them more independence while keeping them safe? And how are you handling the emotional side of seeing them all grown up (yet still your baby)?

Share your experience or concerns with O2 in the comments below and you could be in with the chance to win a £300 voucher for the store of your choice (from a list).

Thanks and good luck!
MNHQ

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I worried a lot, however my son was completely unconcerned & settled in without any problems at all

its a bewildering process made harder by the fact the building is always so much bigger and oppressive. you should gradually build up to this day by giving your child confidence in themselves so they dont feel daunted by venturing anywhere on their own

I was really worried about my eldest son starting secondary school last September, but he was so excited and took it all in his stride. The school had given us lots of information so we were well prepared which I think makes it all a bit easier.

My so settled in straight away but the transition was much harder for me as all of a sudden I wasn't getting information or feedback from school, and he didn't tell me anything! I did learn to step back and not nag over school or homework (even though I could see all his homework on an app) as I realised he had to start taking responsibility.

The year flew by and I can't believe he's now going into year 8.

My daughter is starting secondary school in a few weeks 😦 (how did that happen) I have mixed feelings of anxiety, will she make friends (also a new area for us) excitement (what great things are to come) and worry that fact she is getting older and all the responsibility that comes with it.

The cost of the uniform and equipment has been horrendous, and I do worry that my daughter won't cope. She is terrible at organising herself, and I have to constantly nag remind her to be so. It will also be the first time she uses the bus without me reminding her when to get off. Getting her up earlier will also be a challenge. My daughter is going to a girl's school so I think she will miss learning with boys too. But she is bright and was doing extremely well at her primary school, so I hope she continues to do well in Year 7. If she remembers to bring everything.

It can be difficult to transition to secondary school but my dd was ok as she was lucky that there was someone from her primary class going to the same school so they met up on the first morning and walked to school together making it less daunting

For me I've worried about everything possible. My ds is the only child going from his primary school, the school is over 6 miles from home and I've never let him do anything on his own before this summer. My biggest worry is Home losing something important;bus pass, phone, bag, but I've now realised that he has to make the mistakes and deal with the consequences.
He's really excited about it.

We are facing this for the first time in September. At the moment we are very much focusing on the positives. TBH i think that it will give him the chance to blossom and and grow.

We live in Suffolk so it is still the old system of Primary, Middle & High... At first I thought this was harder for children (2 moves) as I was raised in London (just the one). I actually prefer the two change now as there were no problems with changing schools for us and I think they are better aged to cope with the last major change to High school aged 12/13.

Make sure they know they can talk to you if they are finding it hard at school or if anything is not right then make sure you talk to their teachers.

I think it's the change in popular culture that seems to happen overnight that is most of a shock. All of a sudden they want an iphone, instagram and facebook account! It's like a different world!

Its so scary, more for me than the kids, I fret about bullying and such

took it in their stride think it helped that sisters were already there

My concerns when going to high school were the stricter rules, on homework, behaviour and uniform (which is not a bad thing), but as my eldest DS has ASD he was often disruptive in class. The school was lovely, he had a SEN statement, so was offered 'trial' days at differing parts of the day, morning, lunch and hometime, and had a one to one support in class. I could not have been more relieved as to how he settled into school. In my experience the rules and expectations mean a child know what is expected of them, and there is a zero tolerance to any breaking of the rules. The school bus on the other hand is more challenging - perhaps there should be discussion on how children deal with the 'yellow busses' given that there is often one bus driver who has to deal with 30 plus riotous children (particularly at home time).

It is such a big change - large school and many students to get used to. I wish they could divide secondary education into 12-14 and then exam years all together.

My eldest starts High School in September. I am worried about how the teachers will deal with bullying and/or behaviour, how he will cope with stricter rules, if he will make new friends and as he has done well at primary school, I worry that he won't keep up the progress. He meanwhile, is worried about nothing and excited to go.

My son is starting secondary school and has ASD so it will be a real challenge. His brother was a t the school so he knows his way around it and we will have to practice the journey. i hope that he will be able to overcome his anxiety for the first day

When my children were getting ready for senior school I think i was more worried than them! I talked a lot about the new school, and made sure they were happy with everything. Once they start it is a huge shock as the other pupils seem so big!, I used to help with organizing their bags for the first few weeks so they got the hang of it, be prepared for them to be shattered and its normal for them to be a little quiet, dont bombard them with questions straight away, when they are ready they will tell you about their day.

My kids were very resilient but still found it difficult . I think schools are good these days at prepping them though x

Make sure you let them sort out their own mistakes, rather than getting involved in everything. If they forget PE kit/books etc, dont take them in to them - let them learn that there are consequences, and hopefully they wont make the same mistakes again

We've got a few years left yet, but have been reading this thread with trepidation!

Being responsible for himself, with regards to school work. Homework,supplies and pe kit etc

My youngest just finished her first year at secondary.

Both mine had very smooth transitions - despite train/bus crises etc.

Mobile phones make everything so much less stressful. And Find My Phone apps mean that I can keep tabs on exactly where they are .

Talk about how different it is from primary school, but the teachers will still help them if they need and help or advise :)

She coped fairly well as could still walk to school and made new friends quite quickly. I was shocked with the change from her wanting to be with us all the time whilst in primary school to spending all her time in her room!! She's a bit better now after a couple of years!