The end of the school year is fast approaching and some people may already be starting to worry about the transition to secondary school from Year 6. I’m not talking about the children, here - it is their parents I have in mind.

The transition to secondary school can potentially be as difficult for parents as it is for their children. Here are some useful tips on how schools can help parents to prepare, so that they can better support their children through the change:

1. Trial the school day

You can avoid the shock of the new routine of planning for different subjects each day by trialling this in the last weeks of primary school.

You should encourage parents to give children ownership of preparing themselves for each school day. Specify what pupils will need in terms of equipment and uniform the day before and suggest that parents let children get these things ready themselves. This should include ensuring they have packed their homework and you can then move this forward by having them prepare their own lunch or snack.

If both children and parents get into the habit of these routines now, then it’s one less aspect of change to deal with in the first week of secondary school.

2. Learn to travel alone

Where possible, we would suggest that children travel to and from primary school alone in the final term, while everything is still familiar.

This allows them to get used to having responsibility for the route they are taking: crossing roads, possibly using public transport and a mobile phone, and being aware of who or what is around them.

For parents, having a trial run of the process while children are still in primary school will help them to get used to this aspect of the change and will allow for troubleshooting. 

3. Use a shared device

Many parents seem to see the start of secondary school as the right time to give their child their first mobile phone. 

It is helpful if a mobile phone can be introduced beforehand, perhaps as a family device that the child can access. This will give children the chance to form good habits around online safety. Having a shared device means children will get used to using the phone in front of their parents and discussing what they are doing and who they are contacting.

This type of communication becomes even more important as children start secondary school and have to make more of their own decisions.

4. Prompt discussion

Ideally, parents will have ongoing communication with their child about what they are looking forward to at senior school and anything they are worried about.

It is natural for children to feel a mixture of apprehension and excitement about the move up, and it’s important for their parents (and primary schools) to give them a chance to openly discuss this.

Encourage parents to have these discussions and prompt them to look back on their own experience of starting secondary school and to share these experiences with their child. This can help to normalise the feelings the child is having. 

5. Encourage a positive mindset

It’s very important to emphasise to parents the need to be positive when talking to their child about transition. 

They should be positive that it’s the right school for their child to be moving on to, even if it wasn’t their first choice, and positive that their child is prepared for this step. They should also be positive about the fact that their child will enjoy their time there and succeed.

If children think their parents are proud of them and that they are going to do well, they are much more likely to cope with the move up.

Malcolm McKinlay is headmaster at Parkgate House School in Clapham, London