An important milestone in the parental journey is when your child starts at secondary school. You will have mixed emotions and so will your son or daughter. Enjoy this transition together! You will soon come to miss the afternoon pick-up from the playground and all the snippets of information you can gather whilst in the company of other parents and the verbal reports, good and bad, from the Year 6 teacher. Your child is growing up and you will soon come to rely on them to share their day with you whilst you get used to the numerous apps and online reporting platforms shared by the school.
The induction days in July will have given you peace of mind with some of those important aspects of the new school. You have much information to digest whilst also containing the excitement, or nervousness, of your son or daughter! We would like to share some tips to help you support your child in that important first half term: Adapting to your child’s new routines. Encourage your child to have their school bag and uniform ready the night before. They will need help with this to begin with. Moving up to secondary school doesn’t make a young person independent overnight so plan in time each day to encourage your child to talk about their day. It will be during this shared time that you can pick up on any issues, some of which you may need to raise with the school.
The importance of being equipped for learning. Make the habit of being ‘equipped for learning’ stick, and ensure your child has the equipment they need in their bag every day. You will need to make these checks initially and should then slowly step back. Taking an interest in homework. “Are you doing your homework?”. I expect you will come to find that you use this phrase far more often when your child has ten or more subjects on their timetable! Take an interest in the content of the homework (and provide the space and resources) and don’t allow homework to become a negative issue. Trust teachers to track homework completion and inform you when, and if, it’s not being done.
Mobile phones. You should make yourself aware of the school policy and support the school with this. The distractions that mobile phones bring do not support learning. Remember that school receptions are always staffed – this is the first point of contact. Making the most of every opportunity to get into school. The engagement of parents is vital in ensuring pupils, and schools, flourish. When a child sees the school working with the parents it has a very positive impact on the child’s progress. Reading, reading, reading! At every opportunity encourage your child to read. This will be happening in school across all subjects. What part can you play in this? Always remember – do not be afraid to reach out and speak to the school if there are any worries or questions, we all want the best for your children.
