Preparing for a Successful Start to the School Year

As summer draws to a close, we are all delighted to welcome back our students! Mr. David Ingram, Head of College at Dulwich College Shanghai Puxi, shares his illuminating ABC tips to assist parents during the "Back to School" transition. These valuable insights are designed to empower parents, equipping them to guide their children towards a successful start in the new school year.

David Ingram
Head of College

————

I look forward to welcoming everyone back to school on 1 September. With our new Senior School facilities, refurbished restaurant and upgraded sports field, there are so many positive developments to experience.

I am often asked about the best way of preparing children for the return to school. This is my parenting ABC for a successful start to the school year.

• Acknowledge

The beginning of the new school year can be both daunting and exciting at the same time. It's normal for some children to experience ups and downs as they adjust to a new routine, new classmates and new teachers. It can also take a while to get back into the swing of early morning get-ups and homework. Acknowledge this with your child before they start school. It will help them prepare and and will also help them keep things in perspective. Encourage your child to talk to you about their feelings and offer support and guidance as needed. Remind them how they managed the start of school last year. Share your own experiences of starting something new as well. These can become special parent/child moments.

• Belonging

Successful students feel a strong sense of belonging at school. We nurture this in many different ways from welcome assemblies to team building games and from the House system to social events. You can support this as parents by encouraging your child to get involved in school events and extracurricular activities. Participating in activities outside of the classroom helps students develop new skills, build confidence, and make new friends. We strongly recommend that Junior School and Senior School students join a sports team, and/or music ensemble and take part in activities that interest them. This includes putting themselves forward for leadership positions. You can also support by arranging playdates with new classmates. We want you to feel a sense of belonging and look forward to seeing you at morning drop off and upcoming College events.

• Consistency

We encourage everyone to enjoy the last few weeks of the summer holidays. Once school starts, however, a consistent routine will help your child feel more secure and organised. Getting into a rhythm with downtime, homework time, meal times and bed times is very powerful. It will help them stay on top of their learning and get off to a good start. We definitely see a difference between those students who settle back into a strong routine and those who don’t.  

Top tip to help with getting back into a rhythm: give your child a bedtime book that you know they are going to enjoy the day before school starts. This gives them something to look forward to as part of the nighttime routine. I use this strategy for myself and it really works.