Prepare children for the transition

PREPARATION for secondary school helps children to make that leap to a new environment. Below is a brief list of things you can teach your child. These are important pieces of information that can be brought up in casual conservation with children; try to inform them of what to expect in a casual way and avoid overburdening them with instructions. It’s enlightenment you want to create, not anxiety.

What to expect:

Change, excitement, fear and uncertainty.

Longer days, earlier mornings, after school activities and study.

New subjects like arts, science, music, home economics, metal work and wood work, new languages such as French, Spanish and German.

Older students in the school setting.

Tests and how are these done? Are there block tests at Christmas, summer or midterm, etc.? Do they work on a model of continuous assessment in class? The new Junior Cert cycle means there is classroom based assessment in certain subjects.

That pupils will need to change class every 35 minutes depending on how the secondary school operates.

Pupils will have more than one teacher per day. Secondary school means new pupils will need to adjust to having between six or 10 teachers in a day.

Instead of a class teacher you may have what’s known as a ‘Year Head’ who pupils can link in with for support, information and help.

Things that make the transfer easier:

Knowing older students in the new secondary school helps the transition.

Knowing how to read a timetable will help alleviate stress and instil a sense of newfound confidence and self-control in new pupils.

Availing of a mentoring programme. This is available in some schools where older students take on the role of mentoring first-years.

Attending Open Days and Induction Days is a great way of absorbing the new surrounds and gaining a feel for the atmosphere of a new school.