Primary to secondary school transition :
We look forward to welcoming your child to the SWR community. We understand that transition to secondary school can be a daunting prospect. Click on the links below to access some very helpful support resources for you and your child.
| Starting secondary school checklist / Parent guide | a useful checklist for students starting their new school and the matching parents/carers guide from OxfordOwl. |
| BBC Bitesize | a dedicated website full of peer to peer advice for students who are transitioning to secondary school. |
| Young Minds | a dedicated parents/carers guide by the charity Young Minds focusing on children’s mental health. |
| Child Safety Online | a practical guide for parents and carers using social media |
KS3 :
Research shows that your interest and your involvement in your child’s learning and education is more important than anything else in helping your child fulfill their potential. According to research conducted with 10,000 students in the US, parenting is more important than schools in improving academic achievement (Dulfur et al., 2013). Pupils with two involved parents enjoyed school 51% more and achieved higher grades more often than those who didn’t have involved parents.
Start the conversation:
1. Tell me one thing you’ve learned today that you didn’t know this morning.
2. What did you do today that made you feel proud?
3. What was your favourite subject/lesson today?
4. Can you show me something you learned (or did) today?
6. Did you need to ask your teacher for help with anything?
7. Who did you sit with at lunch?
8. Did anyone do something nice for you today?
9. Did you do something nice for someone?
10. What will you do to solve a problem at school or improve your work?
| The special teenage brain / | 2 videos to explain the changes that will help you understand what things might feel harder during adolescence. The special teenage brain by Nicola Morgan and the adolescent brain by Dan Siegel. |
| Supporting reading | a guide to supporting reading for parents of secondary school children |
| Microsoft Teams for education | 1 page guide on how to use Teams |
| NPCC | a web page with facts about keeping children safe and where to get more support |
| Winston’s Wish | Figures from Child Bereavement UK show that a child loses a parent every 22 minutes in the UK, equating to around 111 children being bereaved of a parent every single day. If this affects you or your child, Winston’s Wish offers bereavement support services. |
KS4 :
Your child is about to embark on their GCSE journey. How exciting and nerve-wracking! Parental support, encouragement and interest can make a huge difference to your child’s motivation and ability to cope with the academic and organisational demands of the exam period.
| The “complete” parent guide | Some step by step free guides presented as useful independent modules from the tutorful company. |
| How to support your child through GCSE revision | A very good blog from Justin Craig education with really clear parental advice on how to support children in the run-up to exams. |
| Revision planner | A printable revision planner. Alternatively, your child might enjoy of these free apps to support planning of revision – Exam countdown / My study life / Adapt revision timetable |
| Exam stress | a summary webpage by BBC bitesize on exam stress and how parents can help specifically. |
| On Your Mind Gloucestershire | A fantastic site supporting mental health and signposting where further support can be found |
| Sleep | Sleep tips for teenagers (NHS) |
BEYOND:
It has been our absolute pleasure to educate your child these last five years and to see them starting to grow into the wonderful adults they will undoubtedly become. We of course look forward to welcoming back the sixth form students who will be returning to SWR6 in September.
Please find some advice below on what to expect post-16.
| UCAS | Information on qualifications, apprenticeships, and study programmes – to help parents and carers support their child in choosing what to do next. |
| National Careers Service | Planning the next steps after getting A level, AS level, GCSE or vocational and technical qualification (VTQ) results. |
| Childline – special exam results | Finding out about your exam results can be a stressful experience. Here is a dedicated page for children who may be worried or unsure about what’s next. |