Transition Resources and Top Tips
Transitioning to the Ursuline High, Wimbledon – Resources and Top Tips
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Transitioning to Ursuline High - Resources and top tips
Transition Top Tips
Talk to your child and listen to any concerns they have. Be positive and enthusiastic about the transition to secondary school. Your child is more likely to look forward to their first day without too much anxiety if you stay positive.
Look at our website and Transitions Hub (host to our Booklet and FAQs) and encourage your child to do the same. This is a good way to become familiar with policies and school activities.
Over the summer, introduce your child to older children that attend our school, so they will have a friend to look out for during the first few days at the new school. Arrange to meet anyone you may know starting Year 7, this will help them feel less anxious on day 1.
Involve your child and get prepared in plenty of time. This might involve taking your child ‘school shopping' and getting their stationery items, uniform, etc.
During the Summer holidays have a trial run of the route to school. Perhaps do more than one depending on the journey to school (Read our Travel Top Tips below).
Make sure they know what travel cards are needed. Sign up to get the Oyster 11-15 if your child doesn’t already have one. They will need this for bus and tube travel, and as ID to buy discounted train tickets. If your child is travelling to school by train, make sure you have arranged a ticket for this journey (Speak with the train provider about options as they all offer different things).
Note any important information they might need and ensure it’s in their blazer: School phone number (if they are running late), trusted adults phone numbers, route to school (various options). This ensures they have a copy to hand should they not have a phone. It also keeps the safe by avoiding taking their phones out during the commute.
For most children, secondary brings the introduction of a phone. Please ensure your child is clear on our mobile phone and social media policy. See our Transitions Booklet for more information, and recommended parent resources.
At Ursuline, students are allowed to have a mobile phone for travel purposes. However mobile phones are to be turned off prior to entering the school site and stored in their locked locker for the duration of the school day. Any phone seen or heard around the school site, outside of lockers will be confiscated. Failure to comply with this process will result in sanctions following the schools Behaviour Policy. We have a no social media policy for our Year 7s and ask that this is supported by Serviam; Developing our gifts and talents for the good of others. our families. For further information on our Phone and social media policy please refer to our Transitions Booklet and FAQs.
No doubt, during the summer holidays, bedtime will be a lot later than usual and getting up in the mornings will also be a late lazy affair! To avoid giving a shock to the system, during the last week of the summer holidays wake up early as if it was a school day.
Once school starts, help your child become more responsible. Get them into the habit of checking their school timetable and getting everything ready for the next day the night before, whether it be phone charging, the right books, PE Kit, or Food Tech ingredients. Having a homework board and activity schedule on their bedroom/study wall and by the front door can help with this. Make sure they pick up the right habits from the start.
Consider any changes you may need to make at home to ensure there is space and peace and quiet for homework to be completed without distractions. You may want to set homework times and spaces - before dinner in the lounge/kitchen/study for example. A dedicated desk for your child's room can be a game-changer but do what is right for your child (some children don’t study well in their bedroom as there are too many distractions).
Encourage your child to join lunchtime clubs or after-school activities. This is a great way for them to make new friends with the same interests, outside of their form.
Travel Tips
The move to secondary school quite often involves travelling independently and travelling further distances. These are some points you might like to discuss:
➢ The safest route to/from school.
➢ Footpath safety - walk away from the kerb.
➢ The safer places to cross, and the way to use formal crossings properly.
➢ How to deal with hazards enroute.
➢ The benefits of travelling in small groups.
➢ Location of the bus stop, tube, train station and platforms.
➢ The bus/train they need to catch.
➢ How to buy a bus, train, or tube ticket .
➢ Can they read a bus or train timetable?
➢ What time does the train/ bus leave in the morning and in the afternoon?
➢ The need to double check bus/train routes and times, and not to just assume.
➢ Do they know alternative ways to travel to school if their usual route is down?
➢ What should they do if the bus or train is late or cancelled?
➢ Who can they ask for information?
➢ Have they access to bus/train apps on their phone? We recommend Citymapper, National Rail, Bus Times and TFL Go but there are many helpful apps available. ➢ Have they practiced the journey a couple of times?
➢ Do they have any concerns about travelling by public transport? Serviam; Developing our gifts and talents for the good of others.
General preparation for safe journeys
When children start to become more independent while travelling to school, parents naturally have concerns regarding their personal safety. The points below might be useful for you to consider with your child, so that both of you can minimise risks:
➢ Encourage your child to travel to school with their phones hidden and avoid wearing earbuds/headphones. It brings a distraction and is makes them an easier target.
➢ Do they know how to behave while walking or on the bus, tube, or the train?
➢ Does your child know what to do in an emergency?
➢ Wear high visibility clothing for their journey if travelling at dusk or in the dark.
➢ Do they know where it is safest to sit on the bus, train, tube etc?
➢ Do they know what to do if they leave a bag behind on the bus, train etc.
➢ Do they know who to go to for help? How could they identify a trusted adult?
➢ Agree places along the way (shops or friends’ houses) where they can stop if feeling unsafe.
➢ know how / when you expect him or her to get home?
➢ Have an updated list of the phone numbers of your child’s friends, friends’ parents, school, and a neighbour (including surnames, not just first names or nicknames).
Additional Resources
To prepare your child further for the transition from primary to secondary school, BBC Bitesize and YoungMinds offer some excellent resources. It’s worth reading and discussing with your daughter.
Online Safety
There are many valuable online safety specific resources available including Common Sense Media, Dr Lisa Damour’s books and podcasts (Episodes 54 and 152 of her ‘Ask Lisa’ podcast focus specifically on phones and social media), Dr Jean Twenge, Jessica Chalmers (@TheSocialJess), National Online Safety, NSPCC, Titania Jordan, Thinkuknow.co.uk, and UK Safer Internet Centre.
The UK campaigns @smartphonefreechildhood, @delaysmartphones and Safescreens.org are ones to follow and support.
We also recommend watching the documentaries Childhood 2.0 and The Social Network as a family, and listening to the Ezra Klein Show podcast, the Teen mental health crisis, episodes 1 & 2 (May 2023). The Social Media and Youth Mental Health Advisory Report from the US Surgeon General Dr Vivek Murthy is also a very valuable and insightful read.
