Moving from primary to secondary school
About Pyramid
Pyramid clubs are special clubs for children who are shy, quiet, withdrawn and who may feel anxious about home or school situations.
On this page you will find out more about how Pyramid can help children moving from primary to secondary school.
Over the 10 weeks of the Pyramid club there was a significant change in A’s behaviour and she became much more approachable and friendly, no longer making unkind comments to other children. Her teacher had noticed a positive change in her behaviour. Best of all, she was happier, more relaxed and playing with other children!
Changes at school
Even for confident children, moving from primary school to secondary school can be a worrying time.
The worries can become immense for children who are less confident, are going to a school that none of their friends or going to, or who have been told all sorts of scare stories about secondary (heads being flushed down toilets and so on).
The situation is not helped, of course, by impending or actual puberty, with worries about appearance and popularity, and the hormones that turn young people from little children to stroppy teenagers in a flash.
As children separate more from their parents and turn towards friends, the absence of good, solid friendships becomes more of an issue.
Pyramid clubs address the big worries that occupy children in the run up to the move to secondary school. It supports those who are at risk of not making a good transition and perhaps getting lost in the big machine that is secondary school.
It helps lessen fears by practising the skills needed to deal with them while offering a lot of fun.
Case study from Ealing
Aalia (not her real name) was not one of those that her teacher had concerns about, but Aalia’s own assessment revealed her to be a worrier.
She was particularly anxious about moving to secondary school, feeling that she would not fit in and was going to be bullied.
She also didn’t think it would be easy to make new friends, and she was a bit concerned that teachers didn’t like her very much.
In the first few weeks of the club she was very quiet and looked a lot to the leaders for reassurance.
However, she greatly enjoyed the arts activities, and arrived each week with a big smile on her face. She didn’t speak up much in front of the other children until week four, when she initiated a number of conversations.
During the following weeks she became increasingly outspoken, asking questions, making comments and generally joining in and having fun.
On the last week the group had asked to do a talent show. The leaders were astounded at their willingness to stand up and sing or dance in front of their peers. Aalia was at first reluctant and then said she could play the guitar, so a guitar was found and she played all the way through ‘What shall we do with the drunken teacher’ twice, to rousing singing from the others in the group.
The children completed a post-club questionnaire and Aalia’s showed that her fear about fitting in at secondary school had lessened hugely and she was no longer worried about bullying.
She felt much more confident talking in front of others and talking to adults, and felt that teachers now liked her. She wrote ‘Pyramid Club helped me a lot’ on her form.
Contact us
We welcome your queries about joining or running a Pyramid club in your school:
- Email pyramid@uwl.ac.uk
- Call 020 8231 2930 or 07810 853561
