When discussing the transition from primary to secondary school, the common narrative is usually about the move being disruptive and difficult for students. Well, it can be. But not for every student, and not all the time.

At the University of Dundee, we have found that there are a lot of aspects that young people look forward to and find to be positive when they arrive in secondary school. These include making new friends, access to better resources, the travel to school, working with subject-expert secondary teachers, having more independence, the larger size of the school, the study of different subjects and the opportunity to play a variety of sports. Students tell you this only when you ask them “What are you looking forward to?”; it is very easy to solely focus on “What are you worried about?”

It is important to have a balanced discourse about primary-secondary school transition. The problem is that we don’t celebrate the positives enough - only when there is an issue do we start paying attention to something. As parents, teachers and researchers, we need to be mindful of this.

The ‘strictness’ warning

We recently reviewed nearly 100 papers to gain an understanding of the transitional experiences of young people across various countries, including the US, UK, Canada, Germany, Australia and Israel. We found that only two of those papers - one from the UK and one from Israel - had an exclusively positive focus, whereas 60 papers had a predominantly negative discourse. That is, they presented negative impacts of primary-secondary transitions.

As a parent or teacher, you might read any one of those papers and come to the conclusion that this transition is disruptive and difficult. Of course, while the findings of those studies seem to be robust, it is only when you have an overview of the literature that you start detecting patterns, some of which are that this transition can lead to a dip in attainment and wellbeing outcomes. However, this is not the complete picture.

So, you start questioning whether this is the case for all young people. And the answer is “no”. Is this the case for some students? Yes. Is this the case for those students all the time? No. Can we be sure about that? No.

Why not? Firstly, it is not clear whether the dip in attainment is a direct result of transition. Secondly, research has only focused on pupils’ experiences immediately before or after moving to secondary school. Transition, however, is not a one-off event; it is an ongoing process with psychological, social and academic adaptations over time. When young people start secondary school, their (and their parents’) focus is on developing positive relationships with teachers and peers, so what is the point of measuring their educational outcomes? Wellbeing outcomes should be more important at that time, especially as there seems to be a link between wellbeing and attainment.

Young people are also surrounded by particular discourses in their natural environment. We found that one pupil was told by his primary teacher, “Wait ’til you go to secondary school - teachers there will be stricter”. However, when the boy started secondary school, he didn’t think that was the case and found that he had been worrying for no reason. Of course, this discourse most likely stems from what the teacher had been told by some of their ex-pupils, or is influenced by their own experiences as a young person.

It is true that research suggests young people find secondary schools to be more structured and teacher-led compared with primary schools; they talk about homework being difficult. But other studies report that students are bored because secondary teachers are repeating what they have learned in primary school - or even making it too simple because of the perception of it being hard. We also found that some children weren’t complaining about the difficulty level, but the volume of homework.

Similarly, young people told us that the stories they had heard from cousins or siblings about secondary school had really worried them. However, when they were in secondary, they did not experience those issues. They had spent the summer worrying about secondary when there was no reason for it. On the other hand, you could argue that they did not experience any problems, as they were forewarned and prepared for transition accordingly.

We can’t get away from the discourse we, as parents, have probably led on; we can be worried or excited about our child going to the “big school”, where they will have to “work harder” and be “more disciplined”. Again, our own experiences might play a part in the unconscious messages we pass on.

This brings us to the issue of what is happening for families and teachers. We know that, at the time of primary-secondary school transition, young people are experiencing multiple transitions - such as puberty - with the associated need to assert their autonomy and independence and gain more responsibility, as well as changes in their identity and the many school-related changes.

What we don’t normally consider is that these changes for the young person are triggering changes for people close to them, such as the parent having to learn to let go. Families and professionals are experiencing transitions but are not, normally, provided with support for their transitions. If they are not supported with their transitions, how will they support the young people? In some cases, very well, but at a cost to themselves.

Not only are children triggering transitions for others, but parents’ and teachers’ transitions are also triggering transitions for them. For example, a parent might be unwell for a period of time, which will trigger transitions for the young person, due to their taking on some caring responsibilities. Visualise this using a Rubik’s Cube analogy. If each colour represents a young person’s ecosystem and interactions with significant others, one slight change triggers changes for others. And vice versa. I have called this multiple and multidimensional transitions (MMT) theory.

Also, as we are all situated in an environment that re-emphasises that primary-secondary school transition is problematic, it is difficult to not be influenced by it.

Let’s take the example of books that our children read. One of the most popular is the Harry Potter series, about a looked-after child who sees going to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry as an escape from his oppressive kinship carers.

He is faced with a different environment even before he sets off, more new experiences as soon as he arrives at the station, and again during the journey. Some of these experiences are positive and some negative (and really quite scary).

At school, he is bullied by other children and his teacher, Professor Snape. He faces all the challenges and emerges victorious. But in trying to make the end more dramatic, he has to go through some almost traumatic events.

What is the take-home message for children and young people from the first few Harry Potter novels and films? One positive might be about the importance of good relationships with peers, teachers and other staff. But what about all the negative messages?

The American children’s book and film Diary of a Wimpy Kid is similar in discourse. When Greg is about to start middle school, his mum asks his older brother, Rodrick, to give him advice. Rodrick, who is always pranking Greg, says: “Don’t talk to anyone, don’t look at anyone … don’t get noticed … Who am I kidding? You’ll be dead or home-schooled by the end of the year anyway.”

It is meant to be funny, and it is, but I’m not sure it would be for a child already nervous about starting secondary school.

Several books and films give similar messages to children who are at that stage. Of course, these stories are influenced by what is happening in our environment. They are meant to be the reflection of a society, even when the genre is sci-fi. But they also lead, and can change, discourses.

This ever-present, primarily negative, discourse of primary-secondary school transition can be harmful. As parents, teachers and researchers, we have a part to play in reducing any concerns young people might have about primary-secondary transition. I am not suggesting that we gloss over the issues. What I am suggesting is that we provide a balanced account that allows young people to find their way in a safe and secure environment. Let children and young people lead the conversation, which will have a different starting point for everyone.

Start the conversation early

So, what can schools do? Awareness of the language used in class might be a starting point. The next step is to start having conversations about transition a long time before the start of secondary school. Young people should be given space and the opportunity to voice their excitement and concern. Revisit them after some time. Consider how they are experiencing transitions within the same school.

Where possible - as already happens in some places - primary teachers could collaborate with secondary teachers to allow children to start using secondary school resources and facilities so that they can become familiar with the physical space. This could be followed by, for example, joining classes and doing some lab work with older students, or using the gym spaces and taking part in sports. Invite or send students back to their former primary schools - let them be the ambassadors for secondary schools.

Also, remember the MMT theory and what your training needs might be. Although it was a small sample, primary and secondary teachers in one of our studies reported that they had not accessed any training on how to facilitate transition. They instead relied on staff meetings and/or online resources. There was a mixed acknowledgment of their own transition and transition-support needs. So, more training and dialogue is required within your own school and across schools. This also applies to sharing good practice. We found pockets of very good practice across local authorities that were not known to other schools even within the same area.

Let’s change that. Let’s start a campaign to change the discourse by sharing success stories about primary-secondary school transition - let’s hear about #SuccessfulTransitions.

Divya Jindal-Snape is professor of education, inclusion and life transitions at the University of Dundee’s School of Education and Social Work. She is also director of the Transformative Change: Educational and Life Transitions research centre

This article originally appeared in the 21 June 2019 issue under the headline “Harry Potter has a lot to answer for on school transition”