Dear Parents/Carers,
As we approach the end of term, it’s important to recognise that the end of the school year can bring mixed feelings: some sadness and uncertainty as we say goodbye to familiar people and places and, hopefully, some pleasure and hope in anticipating what might lie ahead.
I hope you will find some of the following resources helpful as you think and talk about the forthcoming changes together:
Supporting children’s transition to secondary school: guidance for parents and carers is an evidence-based guide for parents and carers, written by teachers with input from clinicians at Anna Freud. It provides tips about how children preparing for, or going through, the transition to secondary school can best be supported by their parents and carers.
Moving up! The transition to secondary school is a 4-minute animation by Anna Freud aimed to help Year 6 and 7 pupils feel more confident, less anxious and better equipped to cope with the changes associated with moving to secondary school.
My MOVING UP TO SECONDARY SCHOOL booklet from Compass “will answer some of your questions and help you feel more prepared for starting secondary, no matter how and when this takes place. We recommend year 6 pupils and parents/carers go through the booklet together to give every one a chance to talk about their thoughts and feelings.”
The move from primary to secondary school isn’t the only change pupils might find worrying. Moving to a new school in a different area, moving up from Infants to Juniors, or simply moving up to the next year, where the teachers are different, the work is harder and the people in your class might have changed, all bring uncertainty. Some pupils appear to take things in their stride; others show their anxiety through changes in behaviour. The Transition Storm, a 2 page resource from Beacon House, provides practical advice to help adults support children who might be feeling vulnerable on the inside:
- Adults: get prepared
- Name it to tame it
- Be crystal clear
- Help their body
- Stay connected
Why not have a read through and try one of the approaches which you think might be helpful? It might be the difference that makes a difference.
Best wishes,
Louise Mullier
Educational Psychotherapist