Everything you need to know about your child starting senior school

Starting senior or secondary school is a major landmark in a child’s life. As a parent, you might feel it was just yesterday that you helped your now-not-so-little-baby transition from nursery to primary school and now, in the blink-of-an-eye, they are ready to start senior school! While it is an exciting point in their lives, it is also a crucial one as senior school lays the framework for their GCSES, A-Levels and well, the rest of their lives. Which is why it is essential to be informed about the ways of senior school and help your child settle in well. This post shares a few important points to keep in mind:

1. Choose a school that is best suited for your child

Every child is different – some are more academically inclined while others prefer sports and extra-curricular activities. It is important to select a senior school where your child will thrive rather than just survive; parents often choose a school that is close to home or ranked number one or highly recommended, or perhaps children choose a school based on whether their friends are going there as well. However, choosing a high school for girls or for boys must be based on the abilities and needs of your child – of course, listen to recommendations and also visit the prospective schools with your child and see whether your child will fit in with the school’s ethos. Remember, a senior school will lay the foundation for the rest of their lives, so make a wise choice.

2. Help them adjust to senior school life

Senior school is quite different from junior school, where kids were more sheltered. The jump from junior to senior school is quite drastic and can be overwhelming for some. So use the summer holidays before they start to show them the ropes and help them adjust to this big change.

For instance, children will now (mostly) travel to and from school on their own, either walking there or via public transport. Practice the journey a couple of times with them beforehand so that they aren’t nervous or overwhelmed.

3. Teach them how to effectively deal with bullying

This is not to say that every child will get bullied, nor is this meant to frighten your child, but it is worth discussing the issue with them. Unfortunately, various forms of bullying does happen sometimes, and if your child is aware of the issue, he or she will be better equipped to deal with it effectively. Read this post on tips to teach your child how to deal with bullies.

4. Have ‘the talk’ with them if you haven’t already

Again, a slightly uncomfortable thing to do but also an essential one. Your child will be entering puberty in senior school and will also be exposed to a lot of things they weren’t exposed to before. Speak to your child about body changes, feelings for the opposite sex, dating, sex etc. It is important that they know certain changes are normal, and how to deal with them. They will feel more confident if they know what to expect and how to address these issues.

5. Peer pressure

Peer pressure will be more intense in senior school as it’s the age kids are growing into young adults, asserting themselves more and wanting to experiment with various things (smoking, alcohol and the like). Again, have a talk with your child about right v/s wrong and how to deal with peer pressure.