Yesterday there were definitely some nerves but this morning she went off happily with her friends (limping away due to a badly-timed football injury).

It would be easy to think “job done”. I’ve made sure she has all the right kit, I’ve taken first day photos and I’ve managed to get her out the front door without incident. It should be smooth sailing from here, right?!

If you are dealing with a child moving schools. Or starting school. Or a child who struggles with the transition back to school after the summer holidays  here are some things to consider over the next few weeks.

Processing new environments, remembering a lot of information, and meeting new people takes up a lot of internal resources (energy). If your child is more easily stressed or angered at the end of the day for the first few weeks it doesn’t necessarily mean that anything is wrong. They may just be exhausted.

Make time to wind down and don’t plan too much in. Focus on taking opportunities to connect. This way if there is anything going wrong they will have space to share it.

Your child may want to get involved in a million new activities and clubs. Or maybe they are wanting to meet up with friends more. This will only add to the tiredness so be aware of this and make sure that they also have plenty of time for the things that relax them.

Sensory overload is real and can trigger feelings of high anxiety. For those starting secondary school having to manage moving around the school possibly at the same time as 1000 other children can be really overwhelming on a sensory level. The noise, being jostled around, needing to find your way can really trigger the nervous system.

Again this will impact on their mood and their energy levels and they may not understand what they are feeling or why. It makes it even more vital that home is kept as calm as possible.

The message from me is to think about your children’s behaviour and attitude at home in terms of the levels of their internal resources being taken up by school. Remember to connect with your child and reflect on the situation before you think about how to address any behaviour.