From being a big fish in a little pond, now your pre-teen is small fry again.

The playground can be a lonely place, especially if you've moved to a new school and left old friends behind. How can you make sure your pre-teen isn't left out?

Making friends
Did they move with him or have they gone to other schools? Will he ever make new friends? He will, but he might be lacking the self-confidence to realise this. He may be worried about bullies, and all the other things that he's heard on the rumour mill.

Bad company?
In secondary school there will be a wider range of pupils with different values and attitudes. You may worry about the kinds of friends he's making now he's left the protective environment of primary school, so encourage him to bring friends home. After-school activities are a good way to find friends with shared interests.

In with the in-crowd
Unfortunately, this is the age when having the right clothes, a cool image, liking the right music and generally 'fitting in' becomes critical. With so many different children at the new school, where will your child fit in? Will they think he's too small, too big, too fat or too thin... ? Watch for the beginnings of body image worries. He may come under pressure to buy designer clothes (or veer in the opposite direction, towards Oxfam grunge or corpse-like Goth).

• Onwards & Upwards: Starting Secondary School
• Education Timeline: 11-12 Yr-Olds: Year 07
• Education Timeline: 12-13 Yr-Olds: Year 08
• Support Organisations: Education