The transition to secondary school should be treated as a year-long process, new research suggests
Qualitative findings are a step towards England’s first national framework for supporting students through 'critical period’ for belonging, engagement and wellbeing.
New research from Anna Freud, a mental health charity for children and young people, suggests that the transition to secondary school should be treated as a year-long process.
Our experts say that, overall, the qualitative findings shared in the new Seen, heard and supported report indicate that a successful transition is about helping students feel 'capable, connected and in control', not just short-term inductions and academic readiness.
It includes the voices of many Year 8 students reflecting on the transition, including one young person who recalled thinking: “Oh, my gosh, I’m going to be so lonely. I’m going to have no friends.”
Settling into Secondary School
The report and findings mark the first phase of Settling into Secondary School, a four-year programme led by Anna Freud and funded by Bukhman Philanthropies, exploring how best to support the mental health and wellbeing of students in Year 7. The project will lead to England’s first national framework to help support young people's mental health and wellbeing during this transition, along with training and resources for schools and parents.
Our researchers spoke to 49 Year 8 students across seven secondary schools, including one special school, in England about their experiences during this transition.
The report's key findings
Students consistently described transition as an ongoing process rather than a single event, with adjustment, belonging, confidence and wellbeing developing over time.
Many students said they felt overwhelmed by the size and complexity of secondary school, with feelings of loneliness and uncertainty regularly featuring in their accounts.
Relationships with teachers and other staff were among the most important protective factors identified by students.
Clubs, pastoral communities and enrichment activities were repeatedly identified as helping students build friendships, confidence and belonging.
Our recommendations
The findings come during significant government reforms to the education system, which include a focus on strengthening belonging and engagement. In the report, we call for the transition to secondary school to be recognised in national and local policy as a critical period for building both belonging and engagement, along with wellbeing. This should include:
sustained support for throughout Year 7, moving away from a short-term focus on induction and academic readiness alone
the inclusion of meaningful mental health and wellbeing measures in the new national Pupil Engagement Framework
the provision of a good practice guide for starting secondary school, including practical approaches and case studies to guide schools.
Previous research has shown that the experience of starting secondary can affect wellbeing, mental health, and academic outcomes.1,2,3 More than one in four students begin to disengage during Year 7, with factors like attendance, trust, agency, and wellbeing declining.4 Students from disadvantaged backgrounds, with special educational needs, experience of adverse life events, or those who are anxious about the transition are particularly at risk of poorer outcomes.5
Our reflections
Roisin McEvoy, Head of Schools Training and National Programmes at Anna Freud, said:
"Our research suggests that a successful transition to secondary school is about far more than helping new students find their classrooms. It's about helping them feel capable, connected, and in control, from induction and beyond."Students told us about the excitement of starting something new, but also the challenges of navigating a bigger school, making friends, and learning what's expected of them. What came through clearly is that transition happens across the whole of Year 7, not just in induction week, and students need sustained support to build autonomy, competence, and connections."We're very grateful to the young people who supported this work, whose voices will be at the heart of a new national framework we’ll develop to support wellbeing during the transition to secondary school."
Daria Bukhman, Co-Founder and Chair of Bukhman Philanthropies, said:
"I have witnessed this first-hand as a mother, when my son moved from a small primary school into a large secondary school. It felt overwhelming, lonely and, at times, bewildering for him and for our whole family. The building was bigger, the expectations were higher, and the friendships he had relied on for years were suddenly scattered across different classes. That experience is why we're supporting this programme. Young people in this research describe the same things my son did, and they are telling us clearly that support needs to continue well beyond induction week. We're proud to be working with Anna Freud to turn what students say into a national framework that schools and families can use."
Download the report