Resource: Understanding school transition
Conversations to have
What can parents and carers do to help when we have chosen a school?
When you have decided upon a secondary school try the following conversations and activities.
How the new school operates
- Download a campus map and study where things are.
- Visit the school on a weekend and walk around (if permitted by the school).
- Practise how to get to school, for example, catch the bus or train together so your child knows the route.
Academic work
- If something is difficult at primary school, what do you do?
- If something is difficult for the parent or carer, what do you do?
Workload
- When you have lots of work at primary school, what do you do? How do you manage it all? Do your
- When the parent or carer has lots of work, what do you do? How do you manage it? Do you know if other adults do things differently?
Social elements
- How did you make friends at primary school?
- How do friendships change at primary school? (for you or someone else)
- What are some good strategies for when you don’t know anyone? What does your parent or carer do when they are in a situation where they don’t know anyone?
- What do you do when people act in an unfriendly manner?
School-life balance
- What are the sports, hobbies, or other fun things in life that you want to keep doing?
- It’s very important that we all have a break from work and schoolwork.
- How do we make sure we have time for fun?
What's next?
Next resource: Transition overview for parents and carers
Back to module: Parent/carer resources – Introduction to transition