Most of us remember our first day at high school well. Whether it was filled with excitement, fear, or even just a sense of how tall everyone looked, it's an experience we're unlikely to forget. And for most parents it's relived as they drop their own P7 child off for that first day at 'big' school.
Renfrew High School is working closely with parents, carers and prospective pupils to help smooth the transition between primary school and high school. By supporting families and giving everyone the opportunity to air concerns, the school is helping make change easier not just for new pupils, but for mums and dads too.
Building a rapport
Already lauded as a 'School of Ambition' and with its parental involvement work highly rated, Renfrew High School was already well aware of the importance of nurturing robust family links. However, as well as developing relationships with the parents of some 850 children already attending the school, Renfrew High decided to focus on laying foundations for the future. This meant building a rapport with the families of P7 children who would eventually be attending the school.
After establishing contact with local P7 parents, the school's depute headteacher visited the parent councils of each of the associated primary schools, to canvas support. A focus group was also organised where local parents were able to offer suggestions as to what might work well in terms of engaging families. Together the groups identified topics which would be of interest to P7 families and outlined key support areas and discussion points. Armed with this information, the school set about planning two events.
Getting organised
Entitled 'Getting ready for change', the first event was held in February 2009 and attracted the attention of more than 50 parents and carers. Informality was integral to the approach and parents were encouraged to share memories of their own first days at school, exchange viewpoints and offer support to each other. As one parent put it, 'Most parents are in the same boat as me, and there's nothing to worry about.'
As well as giving parents the chance to reassure each other, the event allowed families to get to know teachers and school staff and chat informally about how they felt.
While the adults chatted and enjoyed workshop activities including 'People Bingo' and group work on flipcharts, the young people were kept well amused. A sports session was held to coincide with the parents' event, allowing the P7 pupils to have fun while forging new friendships with children from other schools. The pupils' enthusiasm encouraged the parents to attend.
The second event, held in May, was based on the theme of 'Getting organised' and showed parents and carers how to support their child's learning. Looking ahead, the school is coming up with more ideas to encourage parents to participate and helping ensure that the very 'first day' is memorable for all the right reasons.
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