- Have a welcoming ceremony for all pupils
- Have some familiarisation activities organised (tour of the school, talk from senior pupils, icebreaker activities)
- Make sure the child is aware of school and class organisation
- Make sure the child is familiar with the different members of staff and their roles
- Use a mentoring system for pupils who may have difficulty transitioning for one reason or another
- To make it easier for the child to identify his teachers during the initial few weeks, a name tag could be given to all teachers
- Remind pupils with SEN of upcoming half days or days off, and ensure that this information has been communicated to the home
- Keep a spare set of keys for the child’s locker
- Ensure that individual subject teachers of children with special educational needs have time to collaborate, and ensure that support strategies are in place to assist the child to access the curriculum or achieve their individual targets for the term, using suitably differentiated material.
- Having a ‘buddy system’ in place can be useful to ensure that children at risk of social exclusion or isolation are included and supported in building friendships
- During the initial weeks of post-primary school, many children will experience tiredness while adjusting to the new, longer school day. This is especially true of children with SEN
- When adapting to a new routine, consistency is important for children with SEN. Try to avoid any major disruptions to the timetable and daily routine of incoming students until such a point where it is felt that they are well settled.
General Educational Information