Moving from primary to secondary school can be worrying. Will you know how to find your way around? How will you make new friends?

Feel reassured that everyone has these same worries. We have created some top tips to help you feel confident moving up to secondary school and overcome some of the barriers specific to having dyspraxia.

Before you start secondary school

• If you can, visit the school a few times so you get to see it and become a bit more familiar with it.
• Practice how you plan to get to school each day a few times before starting. Do a few practice runs so that you know which route you plan to take.
• If possible, arrange to travel in with a friend or arrange a place at school to meet each morning before school starts
• Have emergency phone numbers also written down elsewhere than your phone, just in case you run out of battery or lose your phone and need to contact your parents or carers.

Be organised

• Set an alarm on your phone
• Pack your bag the night before
• Use a colour coded system to distinguish your books. For example use different coloured sticky dots in the corner for each subject
• Have your timetable on your phone and up on your wall so you can be sure to pack for the right subjects each day
• Use reminders on your phone for remembering things like PE kit, cooking stuff, and instruments
• Make sure to have somewhere safe and secure in your bag for your phone/money/cards/bus pass
• Attach your keys to a stretchy chain on/in your bag for all your keys (house, locker) so as not to lose them

Homework

• Use a planner to mark when each homework is due in. Put the pieces that need to be done first at the top
• Use colour coding in your planner to easily see what has been done or still needs doing. You could also use colour coding to prioritise urgent pieces or deadlines
• Ensure you have a good workspace that is big enough for you to do your homework with good lighting and seating

At school

• Make sure you have a copy of your timetable and school map on your phone as well as on a bit of paper
• Always have a spare pen packed in your bag in case you lose your equipment or your pen runs out