Starting High School: The Move From Year 6 to Year 7

Your child's new school will tell you what time to arrive and where to go. It's worth checking whether Year 7 starts on the same day and at the same time as the rest of the school, rather than going by an older sibling's first day.

The practical preparation between those dates, from orientation day through the summer, is in our Year 7 transition checklist, which you can work through with your child and come back to as the term goes on.

The Department of Education reminds parents that it's normal for a child to feel nervous about starting secondary school, and that the nerves can last past the first day. So a tired or flat child at pick-up doesn't mean the day went badly.

“How was your day?” often gets “fine”. Questions about one thing can get further, like where they ate lunch or which room was hardest to find. The Department's advice is to keep asking about what they like and what they find hard, even when the answers are short.

The Department describes one of the big changes in Year 7 as learning to manage themselves. Your child reads a timetable, moves between rooms on time with the right equipment, uses a locker and keeps track of homework for several subjects, each due on a different day. There's usually no home classroom to return to, though many schools set aside an area for Year 7 students. Learning all of this at once can be tiring, which is one reason the first weeks can feel long even when they're going well.

In the first week, you and your child can sit down with the timetable and see which days are full and which need sports gear. Once homework starts arriving, you can look at the diary or school app together to see what's due.

When something keeps slipping, such as a form not coming home or a task found the night before it's due, you can ask your child what would make it easier before suggesting a fix of your own. The Department notes that when a child is having difficulty at school, they can say what they think might help, and an idea that's theirs is often easier for a 12-year-old to stick with.

When the trouble is maths itself rather than keeping track of it, our guide to Year 7 maths explains what the class covers and how you can help at home.

For English, our guide to Year 7 English explains what your child will read and write in Year 7.

For many children, who they'll sit with at lunch is the question they think about most before the first day. Some arrive with friends from primary school and some know nobody, and in both cases friendships can shift as the term goes on. Old friends may end up in different classes, and new friendships often start with whoever sits nearby or turns up at the same lunchtime activity. If your child's group looks different by the end of Term 1, that usually isn't a sign anything has gone wrong.

Over a few weeks, the names that come up can help you follow how friendships are developing: who appears in stories about the day, who they sat with and whether lunchtime sounds like something to look forward to or something to get through. The Department says that some children have trouble settling in and making friends. If lunchtimes keep sounding lonely, you can talk with the school about what might help.

Several people at a secondary school help Year 7 students settle in, and who you go to depends on what the worry is about. The Department encourages regular contact with your child's teacher or year level coordinator, the staff member who looks after the whole Year 7 group.

Schools name these roles a little differently, so the school office or website can tell you who's who at yours.

It's also worth asking what the school runs for Year 7 beyond the first day. The Department lists information sessions for new families and buddy systems, where an older student looks out for a younger one, among the ways secondary schools help with the move, and each school decides what it offers.

Sometimes, once the routines have settled, one subject is still hard after several weeks. After a conversation with that teacher, and any extra help the school offers in that subject, one-to-one tutoring is another option. TMJ's tutors work with students in Years 7 to 10, at home or online.

Your child has time to get used to how secondary school works. Much of what seemed big on that first evening can be part of an ordinary week by the end of March, and for anything that isn't, you'll know who to ask.

What happens on orientation day?

It's a day for Year 6 students to spend at their new secondary school before the summer holidays. The Department sets the date for all government secondary schools but not the program, so your school will tell you what the day involves, the times and what to bring.

Will the new school know about my child's health or learning needs?

Some of it. If your child is at a government primary school, their details are confirmed and documentation is transferred to the secondary school. Coming from a non-government primary school counts as a new enrolment, so you provide documents such as health information and emergency contacts yourself. For how your child learns best, or support they had in primary school, you can ask the new school for a conversation early rather than assuming it has been passed on.

Is there NAPLAN in Year 7?

Yes. Year 7 NAPLAN runs from 10 to 22 March 2027. Our guide to Year 7 NAPLAN explains the four tests and how to read the report.

What if my child is starting at a Catholic or independent school?

Most of this guide applies wherever your child goes. Non-government secondary schools set their own orientation and first-day arrangements, so your school will give you its dates.

We checked these official sources on 6 November 2026.