Is your child starting secondary school this autumn?

If so, then you already know that the next few months are full of anxiety, excitement and change. There is so much to take on board, from the stress and worry of SATs and wondering how these will affect your child in their new school, to the Year 6 celebrations and goodbyes, followed by the nerves and anxiety that go hand in hand with starting at secondary school.  

As a parent, helping your child successfully navigate these challenges is a skill in itself. So, in this post, we take a quick look at four of the main areas which may be causing you or your child concern as well as taking a quick look at what you can do to help.

Do SATs results really matter in Year 7?

Yes, and no. The main purpose of SATs is to measure the performance of your child’s primary school to ensure the children at that school are achieving the required standards. However, you and your child’s secondary school will be given the results. It then varies from school to school how much weight is attached to the SATs results, but some secondary schools will use them to help decide how to stream children. Whilst there is nothing wrong with this approach, it can make it a worrying time for your child if they didn’t do as well as they could.  

What about CATs? Does my child need to prepare for them?

Most secondary schools hold some sort of tests at the beginning of Year 7, and these are often known as Cognitive Abilities Tests (CATs). These are designed to test general intelligence and again, will help the school to stream your child. They assess your child’s verbal, quantitative and non-verbal thinking skills. Strictly speaking, your child cannot revise for these, and past papers are not available. CATs are supposed to test your child’s innate potential and reasoning ability. That said, it is possible to help make sure your child is in the best possible position to achieve their full potential in these tests and we look at how below. You can also find more help and information here.

My child has lost so much school time as a result of school closures and Covid

This is a concern across the country and schools are of course aware that the new intake of Year 7 have lost a lot of schooling in the last two years. And whilst, they’re doing everything to help children catch up, you’re probably and unsurprisingly concerned about how this will affect your child and what gaps there are in their learning. It may take some time for issues to become apparent, and it’s likely that every child will have a different set of challenges to face. It also means that it will be more important than ever to get regular feedback on how your child is doing and you may want to consider getting some help specifically tailored to your child’s needs.

My child’s so nervous about starting a new school

This is not surprising either. The step up from primary school to secondary is a big one. Suddenly your child is part of a huge school with significantly older kids, lots more work and more responsibilities. It’s unsurprising that after two years of Covid and lockdowns, many children feel very anxious about this move, and how they’re going to cope and fit in. And that’s on top of any academic anxieties they may have. Building their confidence and giving their social skills a boost is going to be important over the summer.

So what’s the answer?  

Whilst you don’t want to make your child spend all summer studying and revising, there is something you can do to help, and it comes in the form of our Summer Programme. This involves a programme tailored for your child, which will help identify gaps they have in learning, and other study skills, and then help them make up any lost ground.

From your child’s perspective, our weekly workshops feel like a light touch approach to learning with lots of fun and socialising with other children.

But actually, our programmes have been carefully designed to help your child build and improve their study skills, thinking skills and problem-solving skills, giving them all the foundation work they need as they start in Year 7. Our approach is designed to help build their confidence both socially and academically so that they are able to achieve their full potential from the get-go.  

If that sounds good, why not get in touch with your local centre? Your local Principal will explain how we can help and, where available, will invite your child for a free taster session, or a free initial assessment.