Education: Calming children's worries before new schools

Anwen has enjoyed picking out her school uniform ready for primary school, says her mum Bethan

What will the teacher be like? Where are the toilets? Are the other children nice? These are some of the key questions for children starting school.

As the new term begins, families are preparing for the first day in primary or the move up to secondary.

Three-year-old Anwen from Llanelli will be starting primary school in the next few days.

Mum Bethan said she hopes it will "be a smooth transition and there won't be any tears".

"But whether they come from me or her I don't know," she said.

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Anwen's family have visited the school and had a one-to-one meeting with the headteacher.

"We learnt a lot from it. It's only our first child and we hadn't been to a school for years and seeing what they've got to offer is great," Bethan said.

Anwen has been asking about her teacher and her new classmates and she has enjoyed buying and trying on the new uniform, said her mum.

In the three-year-old's nursery, Anwen and the other children have read stories about moving to big school and looked at scrapbooks with photos of the new teachers in.

They have also visited the school to ease them into the first day.

Anwen and her class mates have been looking at a scrapbook with their new teachers in

Mair Billington, the leader of the nursery group, said: "We want our children to be happy and to be comfortable. It makes life so much easier when they go over and think it's fun and are comfortable with the environment.

"The transition into school is for the child but also for the school to be prepared for them as well," she said.

Ms Billington said this preparation is particularly important for children with additional learning needs.

While Anwen is starting her primary school career, 11-year-old Beatrice is moving up to secondary school.

She said taster visits to her new school in Colwyn Bay, Conwy, felt like being in "a high school movie".

"They've given us loads of tours in the school so we don't get lost and we've met loads of the teachers and we've had lessons with them," Beatrice said.

"I'm really excited to come because I've already made some new friends.

"I'm a bit worried about the homework but in my old primary school they give us homework, so hopefully it isn't too much."

Her primary school classmate, Sam, is also a bit apprehensive about the move.

He said he is a "excited for a new challenge" but thinks he will "get lost a little bit".

"I'm a bit nervous about that," he said.

Sam and Beatrice have both visited their new school over the past few months to reduce their nerves

Having a taste of lessons during transition week has helped prepare them.

Sam said: "We've just been doing lessons like science, maths, history. We've been doing all of that and it helps get us into Year 7."

The focus on the transition from one school to another has intensified in many schools, especially since the extra pressures brought by the pandemic.

To mitigate this, a specific role has been created at Ysgol Eirias to run activities.

Jessica Ramsden, the transition coordinator, said an initial open evening at the school is open to families with children as young as eight.

Activities intensify as they get closer to starting at the school, including taster sessions and a tea and toast session for Year 6 pupils and their parents.

"It helps them settle in, it releases the anxiety of joining us", she said.

Research from Save the Children suggests it can be an anxious time for children and their parents.

Melanie Simmonds, head of Save the Children Cymru, said its research had highlighted the importance of strong relationships between children and the adults in their lives as they started primary school.

"This transition into big school is a big deal for children and for their families," she said.

"The early years of children's lives are really critical for their outcomes and most importantly for children experiencing poverty.

"When the transition's done right, it means they're starting school happy, that they've got really positive relationships.

"These are the foundations for learning and in turn will help their outcomes as they go through their education."

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