Getting Ready for September: Supporting an Anxious Child Back to School

By Emma Owen, Qualified Teacher & SEN Consultant

For a lot of SEN children, the run-up to a new school year isn't exciting - it's one of the most anxious times of the year. New routines, new expectations, sometimes a new classroom or teacher, all at once. A few things that genuinely help.

Talk about it before it happens, not on the day

If possible, visit the school or classroom before term starts, even briefly. Look at photos together. Walk the route. Familiarity, even a small amount, takes the edge off the unknown.

Rebuild the routine gradually

If bedtimes and wake times have drifted over the holidays, shift them back a little each day in the final week or two, rather than all at once on the Sunday before term starts.

Expect a wobble, and don't take it as a sign something's wrong

A child who seems fine about school one day and tearful the next isn't necessarily struggling more than expected. Anticipatory anxiety often comes in waves, not a steady climb.

Give them a way to communicate when things are too much

Even nonverbally - a card to show a teacher, an agreed word, a specific place to go. Having an escape plan often reduces how often a child actually needs it.

Loop the school in early

If your child has specific sensory or communication needs, a short conversation with their teacher or SENCo before term starts, rather than after the first difficult week, gives staff a head start on supporting them well from day one.

If September feels like a bigger hurdle than usual this year, a Support Session can help you put a plan together before term starts, not scramble for one once it has.