Surrey Homes | SH59 | September 2019 | Education supplement inside

SH Education Supplement sponsored by
Room to Grow
Steven Winter, Deputy Head of Bethany School, explains the steps you can
take to help your child transition from primary to secondary school
“
I
don’t remember my first day at senior school, but for
my children it was a very big deal indeed,” says Francie
Healy, Headmaster of Bethany School in Kent. He has
wide experience of supporting pupils – including his own
three children – through the transition to senior school.
Through the autumn term, parents will no doubt be
considering the next step for children in Year 6. Those
relocating may be moving their child(ren) to a new school
at other points within the year. Aside from obvious anxieties
about new teachers and a new group of friends – and for
some pupils a move to a new country – pupils moving from
primary school often find it difficult to adapt to needing
to navigate around the school during the day, instead of
staying in one classroom, or to the longer school day.
At Bethany School, the numbers of new Year 7 pupils
joining us this year are particularly buoyant. With new
pupils coming from a wide variety of schools, a great
deal of thought is given to making the settling in process
as easy as possible. However, pupils do join in other
year groups – and occasionally at other points during
the school year – and all are given personalised support
to ensure that they settle in as quickly as possible.
The following tips come from our experience in helping
to support young people with one of the most significant
transitions that they will face in their young lives:
1Involve your child in the process of choosing their new
school – take time to speak to them about what they
want from a new school. Do they want to remain with
friends or have a new challenge; or is it important for them
to have particular needs met? Give them the opportunity
to accompany you to Open Mornings and on individual
tours so that they too can make an informed choice.
2Grasp the opportunity for your child to take part in
taster sessions or days to help with the orientation
process. At Bethany School, pupils in Year 5 are offered
the chance to join us for a Creative Education Day and
then, in Year 6, we offer them a series of five Masterclasses
in a range of subjects and activities, including High
Ropes, Music and DT to support with the transition.
3Take part in all induction opportunities for pupils and
parents. At Bethany, we offer places for Year 7 entry
in December and the first such induction opportunity is
a team building morning for all those who have accepted
a place in March, this is quickly followed by ‘Getting to
know Bethany Day’ in June for parents and pupils and a
final induction for new pupils in August, which includes an
introduction to boarding for those who will be boarders.
4Create a network of new parents to support the
development of future friendships – one of the keys
to success with this transition is to minimise the anxiety
around making friends. Many parents who attend ‘Getting
to know Bethany Day’ use the opportunity to connect
with fellow new parents to set up play dates and sleepovers
for their children to get to know each other and create
some shared bonds before they start s chool together.
5Be mindful that your children may find this
transition exhausting. Whether that is finding a
new classroom to new subjects or meeting lots of new
people and remembering their names. Ensure that you
support your child by managing their rest, especially at
weekends, if necessary, reducing their extra-curricular
activities for a short period so that they are fresh for the
start of each new week with their homework done!
“At Bethany, we put the child at the heart of every
decision, and that is particularly evident when it comes
to welcoming new pupils. Our approach ensures that
the pupil settles in quickly, makes friends and makes
good academic progress, even if they struggled at their
previous school. Developing and implementing best
practice in helping children adjust to school life is just
one of the reasons why Bethany School is so successful
in inspiring individual excellence in every pupil.”
Francie Healy, Headmaster of Bethany School
bethanyschool.org.uk
5 surrey-homes.co.uk