What helped your SEND child settle into a new school year? Share your advice – you could win a £200 voucher!

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Whether it’s a change of teacher, a new classroom, or even a whole school, September can be a nervous time for children with special educational needs and disabilities, and for parents too.

That’s why we’d love to hear from you if you can relate to any of these experiences, and what helped the most (or didn’t) for you and your child during the transition.

Was there a particular strategy, tool or routine that helped? Did a teacher or SENCO go above and beyond?

Your tips or shared experience could really help another parent going through this for the first time.

By sharing, you’ll be entered into a prize draw to win a £200 VEX voucher - so you can spend it on whatever helps your family start the school year off right!

Principal of Whinfell School (Autism School) Paddy Sandham and Suzanne Mulligan, headteacher at Beverley School (SEMH School), will also be available in a few weeks to give their advice on the thread!

We help by making uniform easy to get on and off, no labels, and practice runs getting it on and off before school. Velcrow shoes and elasticated waist trousers.

For DD (secondary age) it makes a big difference when we double-check all.her teachers are aware of her needs. We used to assume the message would be well disseminated but sometimes teachers didn't realise. Now we always double check

I have mixed emotions, I will miss them, and I know they will not want to go and use every trick in the book to avoid school, but I know they will eventually settle in - we don't make a big deal about a new school year, they know 'the drill' of the school day. I wash the new school uniform, take the labels out - they hate these, and they wear their new school shoes in the house before they wear them full time so they are super comfy,
I know school do work with the SEN children before transitioning to a new school year, to prepare them.

Can we have a thread with tips for moving from year 6 to year 7 - this is the year I am most worried about - what a change that will be 😪

Iike @chickenpotnoodle says - if it's year 3 to year 4 it's doable with planning within the school, but from year 6 to 7 - it's a whole new world of stress and hurdles to cross, from transition days in small group, moving from classroom to classroom, navigating a huge dining room and having to deal with money - this took so much planning, our school ran sessions with the SEN children, taking them to their new school, and practiceing paying with money or a smart card.
My tips would be to start thinking about year 7 in year 5 and focus on money, homework areas and the layout of the school in terms of which classroom teaches maths, sciences and english for example.

My tips for secondary school is to do the 'school run' on the bus a few times, to gauge the journey, paying bus fare / scanning a bus pass, learning to keep the bus pass safe, which route to cross, what to do if the bus misses, or is late - I tried to cover every eventuality so that if something does go wrong, they can cope and are prepared for the change.

Access to ear defenders really helped, and as they were not the only one in the playground with them it was not too bad - this was only for the first 3 weeks until they got used to the noise, fidget toys, or sensory breaks are offered when they need them.

When my eldest with ASD transitioned from year 6 to year 7, along with trips to the school in your 6, during the summer break we created a transition bookled which Included photos of classrooms, corridors, key staff (teachers, SENCO, pastoral lead), the timetable they would be following and what classroom they would need to be in for that subject - it's a large change from being from one classroom to multiple ones.

Knowing that he could hold up his white card and have some time out in a quiet room when the noise and other stimulation in the main classroom got too much for him made all the difference to him settling in.

My son is starting in September and i am very nervous! He is non verbal but teacher said she is learning makaton over summer and going to incorporate it into lessons which has eased some anxiety

My middle daughter is about to begin Y11 and we just accept it’s a hige step backwards each September. She is always best in August; Communicative, happy, confident (to an extent) and then school starts and she goes mute and anxious. It slowly gets better but I have no magic strategy (and I’m a teacher with autism training). There is no one way to help her but it helps massively that the teaching forms in her secondary school are vertical and heads of year move with their year groups. If you have a sen child, it’s really worth considering schools with vertical tutoring where the same tutor or / and Head of Year stays with the year throughout.

TBH the best thing we did was to home educate.
PDA does not mix with school, and the gaslighting, lies and accusations we faced for years still leave their marks on us all.
We were open, involved, eager to help. We were all treated appallingly.
Took dc out of school, never looked back. Hard work, but at least my child was then able to access an education.

Getting back into getting up/bedtime routines before go back to school.
New pencil case to have something positive to take with them.
If new school have practised the route many times.
Looked up their new topics and learnt a bit about them.

If possible ask the school if you can visit the school with your child and meet their new teacher before they attend, also to take photos of the child's new classroom/school to familiarise them with it before the term begins. The photos can be used daily prior to them going making it a more familiar setting.

I found that taking a toy from home helped my DS when starting reception, it was only a small one which he could keep in a pocket, and touch for reassurance. Teacher agreed that it would help, also we took time in making a packed lunch which he knew was made from home, and it was a comfort.

Wearing the uniform at home helped us, trying it on, dressing and undressing, and when we did this a few times before school, it was a familiar feeling, we also did the 'school run' and met the teacher and classroom beforehand.

I have several autistic children. The youngest is 5 and she started panicking about going into year 1 at the end of R autumn term, last year.

The SENCO started doing work to transition her into the new classroom for a whole term and a half. They made a book for her as well with pictures of all the areas that she will use and she knows her new teacher. Her reception teacher also did plenty to reassure her.

She stopped stressing about Y1 well before the end of reception.

The new teacher has made an effort to explain to DD that some of the class room rules are different for her and that's ok. This has reassured her that the new teacher understands her and she won't be in trouble or need to explain herself to be allowed to use the toilet/have drink more often than is usual amongst other adjustments

My SEN child kept their support assistant throughout school, and this really helped with transition, another thing which school did was for us to be able to visit school, and the new classroom when they went from the infants to the juniors side of the school which was a new build, and very different to the old school.

This book has been a big help to many children and their parents too.

Lenny is an 8-year-old boy who cannot speak, except to his mum and dog. When he has to move to a new school, his anxiety rockets, in particular because he will miss his favourite teacher. Yet Lenny settles in a way that neither he, nor his mum dreamed of imagining.

The book features short chapters, lots of illustrations and as a parent, it made me cry and laugh.

It also made me realise that many children can teach us adults a thing or two about how to behave. 📔❤️

https://www.booktrust.org.uk/book-recommendations/bookfinder/i-am-lenny-brown/

I come from the valleys of south wales. And it’s not the school you send your children to, or the background, it’s the child. God bless you son.

I had meetings with the schools SENCO and we organised visits to school, negotiated a quiet area for lunch and break times, where there were are small number of other SEN children, who were supervised and looked after. School organised a couple of visits to the school and classroom, to walk around and get used to the smells and layout of the school. My DC is very smell orientated and it takes him a while to get used to a new environment.

Thank you for sharing this insight @NDstress

We couldn’t agree more – having a dedicated SenCo who truly understands each child’s needs makes a huge difference. At Cambian schools, our SenCo's work closely with specialist teams to ensure children have the right routines, movement breaks, and peer groupings to help them thrive.

We also know how valuable consistency is, which is why we prioritise familiar environments and staff to reduce uncertainty and support every child’s journey.

A great TA really does make such a difference – how wonderful that she is moving up with him and already understands his needs so well! We always prioritise smooth transitions by offering taster days and carefully planned transition activities so young people can become familiar with their new classroom and staff. Extra time for settling in, alongside strong communication and EHCP guidance, helps us make those vital adjustments for each child’s success.

It sounds like you’ve already done so much to make that transition more manageable, and those steps - like practising the bus journey, visiting at different times of day, and making use of a quiet room - are exactly the kinds of strategies that can make a huge difference. Schools often really value when parents share what has worked before, as it helps them tailor their approach and put the right support in place from day one.

Linking in early with the SENCo or form tutor to share these strategies - such as early lunch passes, quiet spaces, or familiarisation visits - can help them replicate the routines that reduce anxiety for your child. Each school has different provisions, but they can only act on what they know, and your insight is incredibly valuable in creating a plan that works for your DC

Your approach is already setting such a positive foundation - washing the uniform, removing labels, breaking in shoes early, and keeping the routine familiar are all brilliant ways to reduce sensory and emotional stress. Transitioning from Year 6 to 7 is a big leap, but there are lots of steps you can take to make it smoother: Arrange visits to the new school where possible - many schools offer transition days in the summer, and attending these helps reduce the unknowns.

If offered, ask for an extended transition or a link member of staff to be their point of contact. Knowing who to go to for help makes a huge difference.

Try to get the timetable early, together you can practise the routine, plan routes between classes, and even role-play parts of the school day.

In the evenings, create a ‘decompression’ time with calming, fun activities, favourite hobbies, quiet games, or a walk—so school doesn’t feel like it takes over their whole world.

Keep talking about it in a low-key way, familiarity helps, but a calm, consistent tone avoids adding pressure.

It’s natural to feel mixed emotions, you’re letting go a little while still holding on to help them feel secure. Most children with additional needs take a little while to find their rhythm, but with the right preparation and support from school (SENCo, form tutor, pastoral staff), they do settle and often thrive in the new environment.