Moving on

This summer marks the end of primary school for 10-year-old Carl from Exeter.'I have been thinking about my new school a lot,' he says. 'I'm visiting soon and after that I'll know if I like it or not. I probably will. I know about the school already because my sister goes there. But she gets a lot of homework to do. I know they've got lots of computers and sports equipment and I'll like that but I'm a bit worried about getting lost.'

Carl seems fairly confident at the moment about his transition to secondary school. His sense of excitement, mixed with a little trepidation, is what seasoned school liaison officers (appointed at both primary and secondary schools to co-ordinate the transition process) would expect from the majority of children. Jonathan Galling is the liaison officer for Willowbank Primary School in Cullompton, Devon. He identifies the key concerns for children moving to high school as homework, finding their way around, and the fear of being bullied. John Winter, liaison officer for Tiverton High School, also in Devon, agrees. Both talked to me about how they prepare pupils for the move.