Parent guide

Moving up to secondary school with dyslexia: how to make Year 7 easier

By Becky Stamp, Specialist Dyslexia Practitioner · Tiny Tutor York

The jump from primary to secondary is big for any child. For a dyslexic child it can feel enormous. New building, new teachers for every subject, a timetable to decode, a locker, a planner, and homework set by people who do not yet know them. The good news is that most of the pressure comes from things you can prepare for in advance.

Why Year 7 is harder for dyslexic children

Primary school is usually one teacher, one classroom and a familiar routine. Secondary school swaps that for constant change. The reading load jumps, instructions come fast and often only once, and organisation suddenly falls on the child: right books, right room, right day. None of this is about ability. A bright, capable child can still arrive home exhausted simply from holding it all together.

Start before term begins

The single most useful thing is to reduce the number of new things your child meets on day one. A few weeks before term, you can:

• Walk or drive the route to school so it feels familiar.
• Practise using a lock and a planner at home, with no time pressure.
• Read through the equipment list together and pack the bag as a team, so they learn the system rather than just being handed it.
• Talk through the timetable and colour-code subjects if that helps.

Pre-teaching: a quiet head start

This is the part I care about most. Ahead of Year 7, I contact the new secondary school to find out the curriculum, then pre-teach the key topics and subject vocabulary before your child meets them in class. When a dyslexic child has already seen a word like "photosynthesis" or "denominator", the lesson stops being a wall of unfamiliar language and becomes something they can follow. Walking in already knowing a little does wonders for confidence.

Tell the school what works

You know your child better than anyone. Before term starts, share a short summary with the SENDCo: what helps, what overwhelms, and any support or diagnosis already in place. Ask how they will make sure subject teachers actually see it. A one-page profile that travels with your child is worth far more than hoping the information filters through on its own.

Protect confidence above all

In the first term, tiredness and wobbles are normal, not a sign anything is wrong. Keep evenings calm, celebrate small wins, and try not to pile extra pressure on top of a brain that is already working hard all day. Confidence is what carries a dyslexic child through secondary school, and it is the thing most worth protecting.