Transitioning from Primary School to Secondary School is a huge milestone for developing learners. For many, it will be the first time they have changed schools and will see them leaving behind the safety and familiarity of the educational establishment they’ve known since they were four. It’s little wonder that children and parents alike can feel slightly daunted by the changes to come.
Knowing what many of those changes are going to be is one small way to help prepare for the new school year starting in September. So, what are the things you and your new Year 7’s should be aware of?
Whilst every school is, of course, different, a Secondary School is going to be significantly bigger than a Primary School. With, on average, 28-30 students per year group, a Primary School may have up to 250 pupils in the entire school. However, a Secondary School may have up to 8 classes within each year group (so, approximately 240 pupils per year), resulting in at least 1,200 students in the whole school. That’s assuming it doesn’t also carry a Sixth Form.
As a result, there are a lot more people to accommodate, which requires a lot more space. Buildings tend to appear as sprawling labyrinths that many Year 7s fear they will never quite get the hang of. Of course, they will, and far sooner than they could ever imagine; however, it makes sense to talk about these worries. Teachers will always be on hand to offer advice and guidance, and many schools provide floor plans to help new students orientate themselves from day one. Usually, students are given a little extra time to navigate the halls in the first few weeks, so there’s no need to worry about being late for the next class.
There is a huge difference between the purposes of Primary and Secondary education. Primary school teaches children from the age of 4-11, and serves to provide a general foundation in a variety of subjects. Secondary school, on the other hand, aims to provide a greater depth of understanding, whilst also preparing students for further education and ultimately, the world of work.
As a result, the content for each subject is far more detailed than a child would usually receive in Primary school. Let’s take science as an example; in Primary school their class tutor would take them for every lesson, except perhaps PE or music, which tends to be reserved for more specialist teachers. Due to time constraints in the curriculum, science lessons would tend to follow a themed pattern, whereby children may study a physics topic one term, followed by biology tuition the next.
With secondary school, students will typically have science lessons every day of the school week, which means they can cover much more specific content in a shorter period of time. They may have specific timetables for Science; which will be all three Science subjects – Chemistry, Physics and Biology, or this may alternate on a term-by-term basis, depending on how the school manages its curriculum requirements.
The speed at which lessons move may feel overwhelming for some students, especially if science has not been their favourite subject to date. There is a greater emphasis on theories, especially within physics and chemistry. Given that science is one of the core subjects, and something many further education establishments and even employers are keen to see as a good grade, it’s important children are able to embrace this subject and create a good foundation for their learning.
This is one of the reasons why booking some online science tuition is a great idea for your transitioning child. Finding a specialist GCSE physics tutor, GCSE Biology Tutor, or working with online Chemistry tutors or a specialist KS3 tutor for example, can help your child start to adjust to the different topics, concepts and the styles of teaching, rather than leaving everything until September.
As your child moves through their secondary education there will be an increasing emphasis on independent learning. Whilst at Primary school, classes would be taught, and all the information supplied directly to your child. Any homework set would likely have been a retest of existing knowledge, rather than a quest to discover new information.
At secondary school, your child will be encouraged to read around their subjects and advance their knowledge beyond that which is taught to them directly. They will have textbooks to read, as well as websites they are set to review. Working with someone who offers private science tutoring can help them begin to develop this skill during the summer holidays, meaning they are in a better position to commence their KS3 education come September.
At High School your child will be given the opportunity to try subjects they’re unlikely to have had the chance to explore before. Some schools will offer drama and dance, alongside a musical or PE based curriculum. There may be opportunities to study foreign languages they’ve not tried before such as Spanish or French. Equally, they may have the chance to dabble in photography or sculpture as part of their creative art lessons.
Secondary school is a wonderful chance to really discover the subjects that will fascinate and inspire your child, helping them developing their own interests and find out what they may like to study in further depth later in their educational future. Give them the best head start when it comes to this exciting new time in their education by speaking to one of our online tutors today.
If you’re looking for a tutor to help you, give us a call on 01509 265623 or email us at info@tutorspot.co.uk and a member of our team would be more than happy to help.
