Year 7 is a mixed bag for lots of children and their families. The excitement of the new place, the anticipation of a different school, the nervousness of the unknown, the terror of sibling stories, the sadness of leaving a primary school. And that’s just the children!
As a family, there are big changes too. Changes in dropoff and pickup arrangements, changes in trust, changes in homework commitments. The more these things are addressed over the summer, the smoother the start of Year 7.
Here’s some ideas!
Family arrangements
Discussing as a family who will be dropping off and picking up will immediately stem any anxiety from growing over the summer. Maybe even a trial run from bed to school gate would help. It also shows the child that you are all in it together and that they are going to be safe and thought about, even when they are on their own in September.
Age related trust
For some families, this is the first time that your child will be trusted to go to school on their own, walk home and even maybe trusted with a key or in the care of older siblings. Whatever the arrangements, there is likely to be a change and at the very least, another thing to think about. This probably needs some talking through and any questions could be asked and answered.
Homework expectations
There’s usually a big step up in homework as students move into Key Stage 3. So if your child likes to whizz off their homework last thing on a Sunday evening, they may need more of a plan (see below). Having a dedicated space for homework may be needed. Have a chat to your child about where they work best. The kitchen table might be fine for some, but others may need quiet or a place where they can move around or play music. Whatever, some readjustments may be needed!
Logistics for homework completion
Talk to your child about planning their time. The chances are that there will be more homework so that means planning. This is definitely something you could do together as a forerunner to independence later. Talk about your own need to prioritise and plan for tasks in order that everything gets done and that this is a natural part of getting older/more responsible. Maybe talk about ‘swallowing the frog’ or your own personal version of doing something you don’t like first and why deadlines are important.
If you find that a booster in a subject would be useful, have a read about our Summer Booster sessions. We’d be happy to help with our fab teachers.
Here’s some more about transition success and a blog about staying September fresh.
At Red Bird, we have provided Summer Booster sessions from the very first year. Our intention was to provide a touch of learning in the long summer holidays, but there is so much more to our Boost
SUE
Owner of Red Bird Tutoring
Sue launched Red Bird Tutoring in 2018, combining her 20+ years experience as a teacher and school leader with her interest in coaching.
Since its launch, Red Bird has helped hundreds of learners achieve success!