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We all remember what it’s like to start at a new school. As summer holidays slipped away, worries would creep in about making new friends, coping with homework or getting lost in the labyrinth of corridors that made up our new school. At the best schools, however, much is done to assuage any fears about settling in, whether your child is going to school for the first time, or is moving up from primary to senior school.

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“We really want girls to feel as comfortable as possible,” says Henrietta Lightwood, Director of Admissions for Badminton School, in Westbury-on-Trym, Bristol. “Little children tend to worry about what they will do at lunchtime, who they will sit with and whether they will be able to go to the loo.?

“When they first go into lunch, we sit them all together on a table with their form teacher and they have guides from Year 5 to look after them. Gradually, as the term goes on, we start mixing up the groups so that the new starters get to know other pupils.?

“A lot of pastoral care is provided at Badminton – from our house mistresses, teachers, nursery nurses and people who come in to help with our after-school care service if little ones have to stay late.”

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Many good independents invite children and parent in for a series of informal visits, to help them get their bearings and meet teachers and fellow pupils. “It’s about taking away the fear factor so that when you come back everyone feels more comfortable,” says Mike Horrocks-Taylor, Second Master of King Edward’s High school in Bath. “The children share contact details across the group so that they can telephone each other over the summer and build friendships before they come,” says Mike.

Building team spirit and friendships at King Edward's School, Bath

Prior Park College, an independent school also in Bath, runs similar events and makes sure that they are fun as well as informative. “At our induction day new starters meet their house masters and tutors, and we run a treasure hunt which is a great way of helping them find their way around the school,” says Dr Margaret Ruxton, Director of Admissions. “When they join they take part in team-building activities and a trip to Mill on the Brue, an outdoor activity centre in Somerset, for all Year 9 pupils ensures good integration between boys and girls and day pupils and boarders.”

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Redland High in Bristol publishes a handy booklet to help new starters understand the school. “A couple of years ago we decided it was so important to help our new girls settle in that we commissioned a pocket-sized book, a guide to ‘Getting it Right at Redland High’,” says headmistress Caroline Bateson. “It’s written as a diary, in the voice of a girl called Kat who gives lots of details about her first term at the school. We give it to all our new Year 7 pupils in July so they can take it home and read it over the summer. It helps to dispel any anxiety that might otherwise build up during the summer holidays.”

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Playtime and making new friends can be things that young children in particular worry about when starting a new school. “At Badminton, we have a ‘buddy bench’ where girls can sit if they want someone to come over and play with them,” says Henrietta Lightwood. “That helps the little ones along when they need some confidence.”?

Redland High publishes a handy booklet for startersMany leading schools run buddy systems where an older pupil is given the responsibility to help a new starter settle in. At Redland High, all new girls are given a buddy who meets them in the hall on the first day and looks after them initially to make sure that all goes well. “They can seek their buddy out at any time if they want to and that’s reassuring for many of the new starters,” says Caroline Bateson.?

The buddy system seems even more important for boarders, who may be coming to study from overseas and will have many questions in their mind regarding their new school. “Anyone coming in new to senior school at Badminton in Year 7 will be given a guide over the summer prior to them coming,” says Henrietta Lightwood. “She’ll know the school already and will send them an email over the holidays so that they can keep in touch. This is so helpful for boarders. They ask things like ‘is it cool if I bring my teddy’ or ‘can I bring my iPod?’ They don’t want to do the wrong thing!”

Buddies are important at any age and at King Edward’s all newcomers to the sixth form are given a mentor. “We have a group of Upper Sixth pupils who volunteer to look after new starters,” says Mike. “They go through a training programme to help them deal with teenage issues and they form almost an extra layer of pastoral care. They really understand the value of helping those who are joining from outside.”