What are the things you have noticed that your child has found challenging?
Feeling Comfortable
Adjusting to disruptive behaviour and bullying
The long school day
Homework load, daily travel by bus, size of college, making friends
Bullying (Unable to get any result talking to the dean)
Anti social behaviour, homework (amount & variety)
Handling money, Bullying
New subjects,
Having to make her own decisions

What have been their successes?
Making good friends
Improved reading
Excellent progress in music and guitar, positive academic approach
School work and teachers
Academic achievement, socially comfortable, self motivation and organization
Rugby, Mountain biking, getting work in on time.
Great teacher support and good  success in assignments.

In your opinion, was your child well prepared for High School? Yes (83%) No(17%)

If NO, what do you feel needs to be improved upon
More consistent homework, problem solving skills, self defense
Buddy system at new college, more challenging work in year 8
More Science at year 8, more responsibility and harder work.
More use of community sport/ time management etc.
 

What differences can you see between the learning experience of your child at their new school and that of their old?
Old
More Personalised
Socially comfortable
Coeducational
More like a family
Few students
Ask for and get help
Nurturing caring environment

New
School work consistent
Noise level increased
More extra curricular
Socially uncomfortable
Single sex
Responsible for their learning
Told to wait until end for help
Larger number of teachers & personalities
Many students
Impersonal factory
More challenging learning
Learning is fun and has a point to it.

Have you had to make contact with a teacher at the new school?  Yes (36%) No (64%)

If you answered YES above, how easy was that contact?

Very Easy

50

50

Very Difficult

Were you happy with the outcome?     Yes (75%) No(25%)

Have you visited the transition website this year? (www.havelock.school.nz) Yes (22%) No (77%)

Looking back over the last 3 months, what things would you change about how you have operated as a parent during the transition of your child?
Listened to concerns she had and acted earlier, rather than expecting there would be a transition period and thus perhaps averted some serious behaviour issues
Nothing
Itís difficult-Feel itís a little like pushing them off the deep end-no other options however as a parent I feel somewhat powerless to influence or change how things are.
I would be more involved in the initiation period at the school. Make sure to stay on the case of the form teacher or Dean to see that all in the class have a buddy.
D---- is our 4th child to go to boarding school. I wish we had the same knowledge, experience and time for our other 3 c hildren.
I would try to provide more sporting variety and encourage him to show more interest so that he more confident to join teams.
Have food out ready for when he gets home-arrives home hungry and grumpy.
 
 
 

Please make any other comments that you feel are important.
Having just completed a self defence course with my child we found it empowering and gives problem solving defence skills which could be brought into primary or secondary schools to help students.
In my experience it has always worked making someone else responsible for seeing to it that new recruits are settling in.
Ongoing transport difficulties continue (3 bus changes, children standing, bad behaviour i.e. discourteous, rubbish thrown out windows of travelling bus)
The transition programme run by Don Payne was very helpful by fostering the interest in college life and building courage.
I do not think transition was very helpful. What is more important was taking D____ to the new school prior to starting so that D_____ was familiar with the environment.
Altogether my child has settled in as the year has progressed. Has had teething problems which I expected & dealing with. All together a growing experience for our children.
Being in a class where all the children are the same age group is more stimulating academically, but the community spirit they learn at a tiny school is very special.
An issue arose with another boy from my sonís school also going on to college. For the sake of both boys it would have been easier if they had gone to different schools.