Preparing for secondary school
Moving to secondary school is your child’s next big step toward independence. They'll need lots of love and support at this time – just becoming a hormone-happy teenager is tough enough!
Starting secondary school usually means moving to a larger school with more people. Instead of being taught by a few familiar teachers, there’s a range of specialist teachers. Your child will have to get to know these new teachers, whose classrooms they’ll move between throughout the day, as well as become familiar with the other new students in their home classes.
Talk to your child about the changes they should expect. They'll have an exciting choice of subjects, they'll travel to a new location, and maybe they'll be wearing a uniform for the first time. As well as getting the chance to make new friends, it’s quite likely they’ll be moving to their new school with some of their friends from their current school who may be feeling just as nervous and excited as they are.
You'll need to plan ahead for the move to secondary school in much the same way as you did when moving from your early childhood education centre to primary school. The people currently supporting your child and those who will support your child at their secondary school will need to work together to develop a plan to ensure the right support is in place by the time your child starts. You should start thinking about this 12–18 months before moving.
Some of the support your child receives at primary school will change when they reach secondary school.