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Transition from Primary to Secondary

Potia

My son is currently in P5 (of the Scottish education system) and has another 2 and a half years to go before secondary but we already beginning to worry about how to handle this transition.

He's currently in a mainstream primary and academically is doing well.  The main problem area is temper outbursts which can be dramatic and loud and sometimes violent. Depending on where they occur they can also result in him running off the school premises and taking himself home (which is fairly close to the school but does involve crossing a main road) - that as they say is another issue though.

Recently we have been told that while he is coping ok with mainstream primary his class teacher and the school head feel he wouldn't cope with mainstream secondary.  The primary feeds into a pretty large secondary which has a rough reputation anyway so we were already thinking about alternatives but now don't know quite what to think.

I've been reading up on this area but would appreciate any insights and advice other parents who have gone through similar things may have.  If there's any educational professionals about I'd appreciate any insights from their perspective too.

  • Thanks for the input and advice so far.  I hope to be able to visit some of the secondary schools that might be suitable in the new year as well as get more advice and guidance from the school psychologist and others about options.

    I try not to worry too much but sometimes it's hard not to.

  • Hi,

    From experience drive the transition to your child's needs.

    Arrange what you feel they need - visits, 1 - 1 etc

    Make sure the secondary staff are not only aware of their needs but have had some kind of "acclimatisation" training to understand what they need to do.

    Sadly you'll probably need to ask them to do that every year.

    Good Luck

  • Hi Potia

    I am in a similar situation as my son is in Year 5 so heading to Secondary School in 2012. Its going to be a huge change for him from being in a small primary (200 children) to a huge secondary school (the smallest of my local schools has 800 children). I decided to start early and go along to all the open days this September and October. I am really glad that I did because I got a lot of insight into how they operate and I can begin to identify what support my son is going to need. It was telling I thought that despite several pretty slick presentations not one of the six schools I visited spoke about their SEN provision at the open day. I had to find a member of staff to ask about it and each time I was told to "give the SENCO" a ring !!

    I am going to request 1 to 1 meetings with each SENCO after xmas to discuss my sons needs and how they would support him. Then I will start taking my son along to 2 or 3 to get a sense of how they respond to him and him to them. We are also going to look at Special Schools. 

    I am also keeping detailed notes so that if there is trouble with the LEA I can prepare a written statement.

    There are so many obstacles to overcome during this huge transition for our kids. Even things like layout will be important for my son. He will not find his way around even without help. When I visited each school I tried to look "through his eyes" and found so many things (lighting, identical corridors, acoustics) that would stress him. Still now I know what he will be dealing with !!

    Good Luck

    If I come across any usefull information I will let you know

    Ps Fun mum - you are so right about the worrying. I have just come to that conclusion myself after so many sleepless nights

  • Hi Potia

    I was worried sick when my daughter moved from Junior school to High School. We have a odd system here and start High School in year 10.  I don't know that I did the right thing but she went to mainstream school.  She managed, did better that we thought she would with her studies and social interaction (homework being a nightmare!)

    When she left school she did a "skills for working life" course with youngsters with different needs (the course described as suitable for students who had attended mainstream school with a statement-or should have had one) and this was wonderful for her.  She learned to cope at the local FE college and developed in confidence enough to  complete a childcare course. However with other students with different problems we encountered serious social problems - another student having my daughter as her obsession.

    I have learnt to try very hard not to worry about things to far ahead.  I have spent too much time worrying about my daughters future and I feel that this energy would be better used to make each day better for her.

    So my advice would be try not to worry - listen to people you trust and follow your instincts. 

    Good luck

  • Hi,

    My advice would be sort it out yourself and do what you think is best for your child.