Hints and Tips to Help Your Child Settle into a New School or Class

One of the biggest changes for children’s lives is moving to a new school.

At each educational change similar issues appear... Keeping an open dialogue with your child is one of the most important aspects of helping them settle in a new school. Throughout the process, keep communicating and gauge how your child is feeling about what lies ahead.

Encourage after school activities If there is one thing that will help your child settle in a new school more easily, it’s making friends. In class, their teacher will likely set up a buddy system, so they have someone to help show them the ropes in those first few weeks.

Elsewhere, it’s important to encourage your child to take other opportunities to get to know people. Mirror the hobbies and teams your child was a part of in their old school and let them bond with likeminded children in their new environment. Once they begin to make friends and have settled in nicely, consider organising a play date, like you did years ago. This is a great opportunity to build friendships outside of the formalities of school and gives you a chance to mix with some of your fellow parents.

How long will it take for my child to be truly settled in their new school? You know your child best, but if they still have issues and concerns after six weeks or so, it may be worth mentioning to the school. Children adapt to new things at different rates. Your first instinct should always be patience. Give it time and your child will no doubt love their new school as much as their old one.

If they are starting secondary, heading to ‘big school’ for the first time can be daunting, they are going from a familiar environment where they’re the oldest to being the youngest all over again. They’ll also have to become more independent and cope with a larger workload.

Mobile phone use - While your child might not be allowed to have their phone turned on in school hours, knowing they can contact you on the way there or way home is a comfort for both of you, particularly if they use public transport.

Dispel the bullying myths There are a lot of myths about secondary school – having your head flushed down the toilet by older kids is one of the most enduring. Talk about your own school days with your child (the good memories at least) and let them know that most older kids will just ignore them.

Remind them that everyone in their year is in the same boat and will be feeling nervous on their first day. Even if they have plenty of friends from primary in their class already, tell them to smile at anyone who looks lonely and introduce themselves. Everybody will want to make new friends. Plus, if your child is looking out for other lonely kids, that might help them feel less lonely themselves! Let them have a say in their school uniform No one wants to stick out when starting a new school so let your child have a hand in choosing their bag and uniform. Tempting as it is to buy their uniform a few sizes too big or get them a practical but ugly school bag, letting them choose things that will help them fit in will make them feel more confident.

Keep a copy of their school timetable There’s a lot for your child to remember when they first start secondary school so keep a copy of their timetable so you know what lessons they have and can remind them what they need in their bag each day so they don’t turn up unprepared.

Reassure them and listen when they need you Your child might feel they’re too old to need you now but be on hand to listen to any worries about lessons or friends, however trivial and help them work things out. Be prepared for a few strops as they settle in and give them a bit of leeway. If it’s a struggle getting them to talk about how school’s going, try talking to them while you’re in the car; when you’re both facing forward, it can make the conversational less confrontational, which helps a lot of teens to open up a bit more.

Remember the form tutor is there for you and your child should you need their help and guidance. n