The transition from primary to secondary school is a big change for many children, but there are ways parents and carers can help to make the switch a smooth one.

Navigating the switch to a new school can be scary and challenging, for anyone, but it doesn’t need to be.
There are lots of resources available, and that in itself can be overwhelming. It can be hard to know where to turn to get advice that’s right for you and your child without being bombarded with information.

So, we’ve put together a list of some helpful websites, from reliable sources, to help you sail through this important milestone.

Helpful tools

• Ealing Grid for Learning (EGfL) is the council’s communication channel with the borough’s schools and provides information to staff, governors and parents. This site offers a particularly useful year 6 to 7 transition guide, just search ‘school transition’. Visit the website.
• The YoungMinds website is full of advice and information to give young people the tools to look after their mental health. It also offers great advice to parents and professionals to enable them to provide valuable support to the young people in their lives.
• There are lots of brilliant, bitesize sections to navigate; such as school myths, making friends, coping with classwork and more. The best thing is there are short videos you can watch too, including Year 7: a day in the life, so you can hear experiences directly from young people. Visit the BBC Bitesize website.
• Change is difficult, often more so if your child has special educational needs, but the National Autistic Society website has some great tips about preparing for change – for all audiences.

Handy tips

Common worries about starting secondary school can include: friendships, bullying, homework – the list goes on. These are all very normal worries. Netmums has put together a great list of handy tips to help parents, carers and pupils settle into the new term.