By the time a child reaches their final years in Primary school, they will be totally familiar with their school environment. They will know their teachers and classmates very well and will probably know most of the other faces in the school too. By Year 6 (in a British school following the English National Curriculum), they are the most senior people in their school and tend to be looked up to by the younger students.

Within a few months, they revert to being the most junior again in a brand new social environment when they transition to Year 7 in Secondary school. Change can be a daunting task for any one of us but when you are 11 or 12, it is a change that takes quite a lot of adjusting to.

The important thing to remind yourself is that children are more resilient than we are. Remember too, that typically in a short while, their new surroundings will become more familiar and they will be running from the gym to the Science Lab and on to the Art room without the slightest stumble. The first couple of weeks can be difficult, though.

Below are some tips for parents on how you can help support your child in making a successful transition from Primary to Secondary school.

What are some of the things children worry most about?

• Making new friends
• Getting lost in the new building
• Being the smallest and youngest in an environment filled with older and bigger students
• Whether or not their new teachers will like them
• Coping with greater academic expectations and more homework
• Having different teachers for different subjects

Remind children some of the great things about moving to Secondary

• Having more freedom (what to do and where to go in your break time)
• Learning new and interesting subjects
• Being treated as more of a grown-up
• Experiencing new ways of learning with new friends and teachers
• Increasing control over what subjects you study
• More exciting tools and gadgets!

How can you feel confident that both you and your child are well-prepared?

• Keep an ongoing dialogue between you and your child and be honest about both the positive and negative aspects of transition.
• Talk to your child about your own move to Secondary school – your child may have different experiences, but it will help you be empathetic and understanding.
• Ensuring your child eats well and get enough sleep.
• Drop by the school whenever you can or visit for a school event.
• Support and encourage your child to get involved in school activities.
• Suggest time management techniques or help set up a study area.
• When needed, don’t hesitate to make an appointment to talk to your child’s Teacher or Head of Secondary

Another big adjustment in Year 7 is that students will study a diverse range of subjects. It is important to encourage a balance between all subjects. Discuss all the subjects at home. Everyone will have their favorites and will excel in certain subjects. Problems occur when a subject is neglected in the early stages. This may happen because of the perceived difficulty of the subject which may have an impact on subject choices in future years.

As a parent, you want the best for your child. So do we! At The British School of Beijing, (BSB) Shunyi, we promise to support your child to be their best and achieve more than they ever thought possible. Our world-class teachers provide an engaging learning environment to ensure your child will love coming to school. Students are well supported by their teachers and excellent pastoral care system. Parents are always welcome to contact us for support.

To ensure that the move from Primary to Secondary is as smooth as possible, BSB Year 6 students have attended trial lessons in each Secondary subject during the last month of school. This helped students get to know their new teachers and familiarise themselves with the Secondary classrooms. They learnt new words in Spanish, created logos in Design and Technology and created masterpieces in Art. They are all very excited about their move to Secondary in August and have used their iPads to make a video to explain what Secondary at BSB is like. Please see some examples of their creative videos here.

Mr. Jim Hartland, Assistant Head of Secondary – Pastoral

The British School of Beijing (BSB), Shunyi is a large International School offering Primary through Secondary education to 1,000+ students from over 60 nationalities. Driven by a philosophy of ambition, we inspire every child to achieve more than they ever imagined possible.

BSB students follow an enhanced English National Curriculum completing IGCSE exams at aged 16 followed by the IB Diploma at aged 18. We also offer a German Curriculum for native German speakers in Klasse 1-4. As part of a family of 60+ Nord Anglia schools, our curricula are enhanced by collaborations with preeminent organizations such as The Juilliard School, MIT, and UNICEF.  Year-on-year our world-leading teachers ensure that students experience accelerated learning and achieve excellent academic results to enable them entry into the world’s leading universities.

This post is provided by BSB Shunyi
Photos courtesy of BSB Shunyi

Recently, Beijing World Youth Academy (BWYA) opened a new campus in Laiguangying, with already over 100 students enrolled from grades 1-5. BWYA expects attendance to double in the fall. Dedicated to following an IPC programme (international primary curriculum), the new campus boasts state of the art sports facilities including a three-court gymnasium and an all-weather playing surface and running track as well as a performing arts and athletic center able to host professional-standard events with seating for up to 300 guests.

Newly renovated classrooms feature interactive whiteboards, air purification systems, and wall-to-wall cork board. Another highlight of the new campus is the open concept “libris café,” a combined cafeteria and library space with video screens, breakout areas, and seating for 200.

“We designed the space in order to provide a familiar and yet much improved learning environment for our young learners. Walking around the school and seeing the smiles on the faces of students and staff alike, I can see that we have achieved in this goal. Our classrooms are bright and spacious and the facilities we provide here are first class.” says, Peder Vinge, director of communications and development at BWYA.

“As a school, and community, we are constantly working hard to improve and develop and this was a significant step forward for BWYA. We will continue to move forward and we already have exciting plans in the pipeline for all BWYA campuses.”

Head of School at BWYA, Wang Hong adds “I am delighted with the new campus. The inspirational and fun atmosphere is tangible and it is already having a positive effect on the whole BWYA community. A lot of hard work went in to making the new campus a reality and I would like to thank all the members of staff involved in making the latest step in the BWYA journey possible.”

Photos: Courtesy of BWYA

By the time a child reaches their final years in primary school, they will be totally familiar with their school environment.

They will know their teacher very well, be comfortable with most if not all of the people in their class and will probably know most of the other faces in the school too.

By Year 6, they are the most senior people in their school, they will be used to being given responsibility and they tend to be looked up to by the younger boys and girls in the school.

Within a few short months these same students revert to being the most junior again in a brand new social environment, with a different atmosphere – Secondary School!

Change can be a daunting task for any one of us but when you are 11 or 12, when dealing with other changes happening in your life, it is a change that, for some children, takes quite a lot of adjusting to.

The British School of Beijing, Shunyi has produced a booklet called “Changes – Making the transition from Primary to Secondary School”, which is available to anyone interested in helping their child make this big adjustment from “big fish to small fish”.

It features an outline of what those big adjustments will be; it goes into more detail about how lesson schedules and homework changes in the Secondary School ; it provides valuable tips to parents on how to feel confident that your child is prepared for the change and it gives first-hand accounts from current Year 7 students on how they made the transition.

The British School of Beijing, Shunyi suggests parents and children together take a tour of the school facilities and see the difference in the classrooms. It’s a great way to help your child get excited about the many new subjects and topics they will be doing.

The biggest concern for students tends to be the changes in homework. Examples are given in the book of how to prepare and manage time to ensure homework becomes part of the daily routine.

For a copy of “Changes” or to take a personalised tour of the Secondary School facilities at The British School of Beijing, Shunyi, please contact the Head of Secondary Mr Steve Lewis (steve.lewis@britishschool.org.cn) or the Admissions team (admissions@britishschool.org.cn).

In the meantime, here are some of the pointers from the book on how to feel confident that your child is prepared for the change from “big fish to small fish”.

• Keep up the dialogue between you and your child and be honest about both the positive and negative aspects of transition.
• Support this stage of growing independence in their lives by identifying ways your child can have greater independence at home.
• Spend a little time remembering back to your own move to secondary school and talk to them about it – your child may have a very different experience to you but it will help you to be empathetic and understanding.
• Drive or walk past the school whenever you can, or visit for an event.
• Support your child to get involved in local activities or clubs where they will come across other children who already go to the school.
• Encourage your child to get involved in clubs and activities in their new school.
• Suggest time management techniques to your child or help them set up a study area.
• Make an appointment to talk to the school’s Head of Secondary or Head of Year 7.

This sponsored blog post has been brought to you by
The British School of Beijing, Shunyi.

 Photo courtesy of BSB Shunyi.

And just like that, it’s back-to-school time again. Many students will be starting classes this week, including those from Beijing City International School, Beijing BISS International School, 3e International School, and the Western Academy of Beijing. It’s a hectic time, fraught with anxiety, excitement, introductions, activities, and school assemblies; many parents will feel like they’re losing their minds. After the jump, find an adapted BTS (yes, “back-to-school” has an acronym) checklist from School Family, a US-based website that focuses on helping families make the most of the school year.

Check Medical Requirements

• Make sure your child has all required immunizations
• Schedule a physical exam for your child if needed to participate in school activities
• Get your child’s vision checked before school starts if they’re due for an exam
• Notify the principal’s office, the school nurse, and your child’s teachers about any health problems or medications

Stock Up on School Supplies

• Check the school website or call for a list of required supplies (Ed’s note: In Beijing, most international schools provide the students with everything they’ll need.)
• Find out whether students will store supplies at school or bring them home each day
• Buy a backpack or bag to carry daily items
• Review the school dress code
• Buy school uniforms and gym clothes, if necessary

Learn About the School

• Find out whether the teacher prefers to communicate by phone, e-mail, or written note
• Know what your child is expected to learn in their grade level
• Familiarize yourself with the information on the school website
• Note the phone numbers for checking school closures or reporting absencesFind out the procedure for taking your child out of school early
• Read the school handbook and make sure your child understands the rules

Plan to Be Involved

• Mark school events on the family calendar
• Attend the back-to-school program
• Schedule and attend parent-teacher conferences
• Meet leaders of the parent-teacher group

Plan Healthy Meals

• Have nutritious food on hand for breakfast andafter-school snacks
• Find out whether snacks and drinks are available at school or can be brought from home (Ed’s note: Some schools in Beijing don’t allow their students to bring in sweets like chocolate and cake.)
• Ask where to obtain weekly school lunch menus
• Alert school staff if your child has a severe food allergy

Arrange Transportation

• Practice getting to school with your child. If they’re taking the school bus, make sure they know where and when to be picked up before and after school. If they’re biking, review road safety and make sure they have a helmet. If they’re walking, walk the route together and review pedestrian safety guidelines
• Arrange a carpool if necessary and introduce your child to the other adults and children
• Compile contact information of parents who can pick up your child in an emergency

Make After-School Plans

• Arrange childcare or after-school activities
• Choose extracurricular activities carefully to avoid overscheduling
• Make sure your child knows where to go after school each day

Help Your Child Prepare for School

• Arrange for your child to play with others in their age group before classes start
• Discuss your child’s feelings about starting school and talk over any concerns
• Talk with your child about their daily school schedule
• Talk about peer pressure with your child
• Have your child memorize your home address and home and work phone numbers

Lay the Ground Rules

• Establish a firm bedtime before school starts
• Determine where and when your child will do homework
• Figure out a plan for balancing homework and playtime
• Set rules for the time spent on TV, video games, and computer use for non-school projects (Ed’s note: Click here for Kathryn Tonges’ excellent blog post on the topic)

School Family also has a downloadable, print-friendly version of their complete BTS checklist available here.

 Photo by jaxhouse (Flickr)

The session runs from 10-11am and will cover the YCIS Beijing model, which follows the UK National Curriculum and incorporates a research-based Chinese curriculum. In order to foster bilingualism, YCIS Beijing primary classrooms have one Western teacher and one Chinese teacher, who share classroom authority.