The start of a new school year is an exciting time. A chance to aim high and set new goals. You may be beginning new subjects, leaving behind ones you weren’t so keen on, or simply continuing your studies from last year. You may even be changing schools. With a relaxing, refreshing summer break behind you, now’s the perfect opportunity to prepare for the challenges ahead.
Whatever stage you’re at - whether you’re embarking on GCSEs, A Levels or are not yet at exam stage at all – we have some simple tips and advice to help you transition comfortably into the new school year.
Get Organised
Uniform is the obvious one here. What do you need to replace? Do you need anything different this year? Stationery? School bag? How will you travel to school? Any timetable changes? Is your bike in good order? Do you need to renew any transport passes? What are the arrangements for lunch? Don’t forget to stock up on healthy snacks and breakfast items!
Prepare Your Study Space at Home
Where do you normally study? Is the space clean and tidy? Or even visible?! Have a good tidy up. Recycle or store away anything you don’t need and make sure everything you do need is to hand.
Adopt Good Sleep Patterns Now
You may enjoy staying up late and having long lie-ins during the school holidays but that’s not ideal, or even practical, once the new term starts. Try adjusting your routine now. Start going to bed and getting up a little earlier and you’ll certainly reap the rewards once the new term starts.
Wake Up Your Brain
If you’ve spent the last few weeks relaxing and switching off from your studies, this may be a good moment to wake up your brain! Why not go to the cinema or read a non-curriculum text? Do some wider reading and learn about something that interests you or aligns with your future career aspirations. You’ll quickly reduce brain fog and set yourself up nicely for your return to school.
Refresh Your Memory
Do you find it difficult to get back up to speed with your schoolwork after the summer break? Information that was at your fingertips in July might have slipped off your radar by September! Why not get ahead by setting aside a little time each day to remind yourself what you studied last year? Have a read through your essays and revise key content: formulae, grammar, dates. It’s a sure-fire way to get off on the right foot come September.
Did You Have Any Work to Complete During the Holidays?
Have you done it? If not, there’s still time - but not much! The last thing you want is to rush through your work a few days before you go back to school and leave yourself feeling stressed and irritated. You should be going back to school full of energy and enthusiasm, so if you have work to do, do it now!
Look Ahead
Older year groups might like to have a look through the specification of the subjects they’re going to be studying this year. There might be some reading you can do in advance, a novel perhaps or a new period of history to research. Any work you can get under your belt before the busyness of the school term begins will be worth its weight in gold. But don’t go overboard – there will (and should) be masses of content which means nothing to you at this stage!
And Finally, Set Some Achievable Goals
It’s important to set realistic goals, otherwise you’ll quickly become discouraged and give up on your good intentions. Keep your goals small and achievable. For example, if you’re a disorganised person who scurries around looking for sports kit when you should be on your way to school, make sure you pack your bag the night before. If you’re not such a healthy eater, aim to drink a glass of water with each meal. Small behavioural changes can have big results so take a moment to visualise the new improved version of you and make it happen!
In Conclusion
We hope that implementing some, if not all, of these simple tips will help you enjoy a stress-free return to school! Of course, if you need support with the academic side of your school life, we can help with that too.
Here at Titanium Tutors, we work with a fantastic team of tutors from undergraduates to Heads of Department and Exam Board Examiners, and can arrange both short and long-term tuition across the curriculum. Just get in touch with our friendly team and we’ll be only too happy to talk through some options with you.
Blog Post Crafted by Sue
Sue co-manages our Admin Team, and has a strong school teaching background.
Sue graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Italian and Latin from the University of Hull and subsequently completed an MA in Language Teaching while teaching at Westholme Upper School in Lancashire (where she also set up the Italian Department). As well as her passion for languages and ancient history, Sue loves discovering new countries and cultures. She completed the London Marathon in 2012 and keeps intending to lace up her running shoes again!