P7 Transition Programme

What the Programme Covers

Preparing for Post-Primary School

Children explore what to expect from their new school environment, including changing routines, increased responsibility and some of the practical and emotional challenges that can come with transition.

Managing Change & Building Confidence

Students develop practical strategies for coping with change, managing worries and approaching their new school experience with greater confidence and resilience.

Friendships & Relationships

Starting a new school can mean developing new friendships and navigating changing friendship groups. Children explore positive friendships, peer pressure, communication and making healthy choices about the people they spend time with.

Independence & Responsibility

As children move towards adolescence, they naturally begin to seek greater independence. The programme explores how increased freedom also brings increased responsibility and encourages children to make positive choices both at school and at home.

Communication

Children and parents explore the importance of keeping communication open during this period of change and develop practical ways to talk about worries, challenges and experiences.

Online Life & Growing Independence

Greater independence often extends into the digital world. The programme encourages families to consider social media, gaming, messaging, online friendships and appropriate boundaries as children move into post-primary school.

Emotional Wellbeing

Children learn to recognise and talk about feelings associated with change, including worry, stress and anxiety, while understanding the importance of asking for help when something doesn’t feel right.

A Programme for Children & Parents

The P7 Transition Programme can be delivered as a complete programme or schools can select individual workshops depending on the needs of their pupils and families.

Workshop 1 – Parent & Child

A shared session designed to help families prepare for the transition together.

Topics include:

• Preparing for the move from primary to post-primary school
• Understanding the changes ahead
• Managing worries and expectations
• Changing family dynamics as children gain independence
• Setting appropriate boundaries and responsibilities
• Encouraging open communication at home

Workshop 2 – Children

An interactive session giving P7 pupils the opportunity to explore some of the social and emotional aspects of starting post-primary school.

Topics include:

• Making and managing new friendships
• Building confidence in a new environment
• Coping with change
• Understanding and managing stress and anxiety
• Communication and relationships
• Knowing when and how to ask for help

Workshop 3 – Parents

A practical session supporting parents as their child moves into adolescence and post-primary education.

Topics include:

• Communicating with your pre-teen or teenager
• Supporting increasing independence
• Maintaining appropriate boundaries
• Understanding and monitoring their online world
• Recognising changes in emotional wellbeing
• Understanding when a young person may need additional support
• Knowing where to access help and advice

By the End of the Programme

Children and families will:

• Feel better prepared for the move to post-primary school.
• Understand some of the changes and challenges that may come with transition.
• Have practical strategies for managing worry, change and new situations.
• Feel more confident navigating new friendships and relationships.
• Understand the balance between increasing independence and responsibility.
• Recognise the importance of maintaining open communication at home.
• Feel more prepared for changes in children’s online lives as they grow older.
• Know when and where to seek additional support.

Making the Next Step a Positive One

The transition to post-primary school is about much more than changing uniform or moving to a new building. It is an important stage in a young person’s development as they build new relationships, experience greater independence and begin to find their place in a new environment.

REIM’s P7 Transition Programme helps children and parents navigate that change together, giving families practical tools, greater understanding and the confidence to approach the next chapter positively.

Suitable for: P7 pupils and their parents/carers.

Delivery: Schools can book individual workshops or the complete transition programme. Sessions can be delivered within individual primary schools or as part of a wider transition programme involving feeder primary schools and local post-primary schools.