Starting primary school

Starting primary school can be an exciting yet daunting new chapter for you and your child. The most useful thing you can do is prepare them ahead of their first day:

Practise getting dressed, using the toilet, opening a lunchbox, using cutlery.

Play games which involve turn taking and social skills.

Help your child recognise their name so they can keep track of clothes and find their peg.

Acknowledge your own feelings and anxieties. This is the start of your child’s journey away from you and that can be challenging. Recognise this is normal but try to keep those emotions away from your child.

Talk about your child’s day, emphasising the positive but be ready to help them with any worries they might express. Make time to talk and listen.

Expect teething troubles and always speak to the teacher if you have particular concerns.

Transition to secondary

Moving up to secondary school is an exciting milestone involving significant changes. It’s a lot to go from being the oldest to the youngest. To manage this rite of passage: Talk to your child about how they are feeling and the differences that they will experience.

Focus on exciting opportunities eg new friends and activities.

Encourage age-appropriate independence to prepare them for more responsibility.

Familiarity is a comfort. Look at the school website together, practise the journey, reach out to make new friends.

Encourage preparation. If your child has all their equipment/uniform/books ready every day this will help the school day run more smoothly.

Keep your own worries under wraps.

Discuss phone use and online safety. Set digital boundaries and stick to them regardless of peer pressure.