General tips

Your child will benefit from being organised at secondary school and a good routine will help the day start smoothly and with minimum stress.

encourage your child to pack their school bag and lay out their uniform before going to bed each evening  try to make sure your child eats breakfast - this provides essential energy and will help him or her perform better at school  allow plenty of time for your child to get to school - build extra time into your morning routine so that if there are transport or other problems he or she won’t be late for registration (8.40am)

Communication

Taking an active interest in your child’s school day will also help to get the message across to them that school is important.

ask about homework - find out when work is due and whether they need any help with anything.  You can access our online system ‘Show my Homework’ to help with this. ask if there was anything (or subject) that they particular liked / disliked / found easy or hard check the school newsletter or website for upcoming events or  activities and mark them on your calendar - don’t rely on your child letting you know check your ParentPay email regularly for letters home or permission forms as this is the main form of school / home communication.

Support your child's reading

According to a study by the Institute of Education (IOE) children who read for pleasure are likely to do better in maths and English.  Reading for fun is also proven to be very important for children’s cognitive development between the ages of 10 and 16.   You can develop your child's interest in reading by:

encouraging them to read magazines, comics and newspapers as well as books buying books for presents - those that tie in to a favourite television show, pop band or computer game are often a hit reading together - try picking reading material on subjects you both enjoy like a sports team, music group or holiday destination  reading the books or plays your child is studying in school and discussing what you've read with them