Making the jump from primary to secondary school

Keeping active is a good way to spend some time together, get some exercise, and is the perfect way to prepare for a big change like starting school. Take the time to do something together over the summer – like going for walks. Grab a water bottle and stay hydrated. 
 

Helping them to reorganise their room can be a great way to clear out all the stuff they don't use anymore, and can make them feel more "grown up".

Encourage them to draw a plan of the layout before and after using a ruler and protractor to make them as accurate as possible. It's a fun way to get them used to measuring things and using their protractors before they use them in the classroom. And you get a tidy room at the same time! 

Help get them used to the buttons on the scientific calculator by seeing who can make the numbers 1-20, using only the digit '4' and the operations buttons (e.g. + and -). You could even put a time limit on it!

And what childhood would be complete without sending each other secret messages on a calculator? 

Just like you, your child might be feeling just a little bit nervous about their first day of school. Writing down their thoughts, feelings and ideas as they make the move up to secondary school is a good way to express that.

One thing they can do is to think about what they'd like their new teachers to know about them. 

When children are in secondary school they’re expected to be much more independent than they were in primary school. You can help them prepare for this by trusting them to do things on their own over the holidays. For example they could start taking the dog out, making their own lunch, finding out how to get somewhere or budgeting for a day out with their own money. Working out how to do things on their own will help build their confidence for big school.

If you’re not already doing this, now is a good time to start setting aside a regular time to chat together on your own. This could be when you’re doing something together, like going for a walk or getting the tea on, or before they go to bed. This gives you both a chance to check in with each other, and if anything is bothering them before or after they start school, they’ll be more likely to tell you about it.

If your child’s worried about getting to school on time, doing a trial run of their journey will help calm their nerves about this. 

The move from primary to secondary school can be a big jump, and can also mean a jump from your child being a wee kid to becoming a young person with their own opinions and interests. 

• Our page on starting secondary school has more advice for supporting them through this transition.
• Our section on mental health and wellbeing has lots of advice for supporting their mental health as they grow up.
• Our section on family, friends and relationships has advice on building a good relationship with your child and helping them through the ups and downs of friendships and peer pressure.

As parents, we do everything we can to keep our children safe. We hold their hand crossing the road. We teach them not to talk to strangers. We do our best every day. But when it comes to online safety, it can be hard to know where to start. The good news is, the steps you can take to keep your child safe online are the same as the ones you use to protect them offline.

Our section on online safety guides you through the steps you can take to help keep your child safe online, as well as looking at what you can do if your child has a negative experience.

Back to school can be an expensive time for parents but we have some top tips for saving on school costs here. 

If you’re looking for help with the practical side of things, and for money advice, you may find the following support useful:

• Visit the Money Talk Team website or call 0800 028 1456 for a free and confidential chat. You can find out if you can get help with things like school uniforms, school lunches, income support, child tax credits, income support, housing costs, council tax savings, and disability costs.
• You can find more advice on money and debt on the Citizens Advice Scotland website.

For help with getting your child to and from school you can find out more about free school transport here and the Young Person's free bus travel scheme here.