September can feel like a long month for children. After six weeks away from school, they suddenly find themselves back in a busy classroom, following routines, concentrating for much of the day and getting used to everything that comes with moving into a new year group.
The first few days can be tiring for almost everyone, and a little reluctance or frustration at home isn’t unusual. By the end of September, however, parents have had a few weeks to see how their child is settling in, and this is often when small concerns start to become a little easier to recognise.
Perhaps homework is taking much longer than expected. Your child might be talking negatively about a particular subject, becoming frustrated with reading or seeming unusually anxious about going to school. None of these things automatically means there is a serious problem, but they can be worth paying attention to if they keep happening.
Give Them Time To Settle
Starting a new school year involves far more than moving on to the next set of work. Children are adjusting to a new teacher, different expectations and, in some cases, a completely different classroom or group of children.
It takes time.
Some children settle almost immediately, while others need several weeks before they feel completely comfortable. Tiredness is particularly common during September, especially for younger children who have gone from the freedom of the summer holidays straight back into full school days.
A difficult evening, a bad piece of homework or an occasional complaint about school doesn’t necessarily tell you very much on its own. What’s more useful is noticing whether the same difficulties keep appearing.
Look for Patterns in What Your Child Is Telling You
Children don’t always come home and announce that they’re struggling with fractions, reading comprehension or spelling. Often, the clues are hidden in the things they say and the activities they start avoiding.
You might hear “I’m rubbish at Maths” when a particular topic has knocked their confidence, or find that a child who previously enjoyed reading suddenly doesn’t want to pick up their school book. Homework might regularly end in frustration, or they may begin asking for help with things they could previously manage independently.
It’s worth listening to the language they use. A child repeatedly saying that work is “too hard”, that everyone else understands something or that they’re always getting things wrong may be telling you much more about their confidence than their academic ability.
Talking about what they’re finding difficult can help you understand whether there is a particular problem behind the frustration. Asking what they did in Maths that day or which part of their English lesson they found difficult can often lead to a much more useful conversation than simply asking whether school was OK.
When Homework Suddenly Becomes Difficult
Homework can be one of the first places parents notice that something isn’t quite clicking.
A task that should be relatively straightforward can become a source of frustration if a child hasn’t fully understood the lesson behind it. They may spend far longer than expected completing it, repeatedly ask for reassurance or become upset when they make a mistake.
This doesn’t necessarily mean they’re falling behind. Sometimes a child has simply missed one step in a topic and needs it explained differently before everything starts to make sense again.
If the same issue appears regularly, it’s worth speaking to their teacher. Teachers can often provide useful context about how a child is managing in class and whether they have noticed the same difficulty.
Year 7 Can Be A Particularly Big Adjustment
For children who started secondary school this September, the past few weeks have involved an enormous amount of change.
They’re learning their way around a much larger school, moving between classrooms, remembering equipment, managing a timetable and adapting to different teachers and teaching styles. Homework may now be coming from several subjects at once, while children are also navigating new friendships and greater expectations around independence.
By the end of September, some of the excitement of starting secondary school has worn off and the reality of those new expectations is beginning to settle in. This is often when parents start to notice if their child is finding a particular subject difficult or struggling to keep on top of everything.
A child can be perfectly capable academically and still find the transition challenging. Organisation, confidence and the ability to ask for help all play a part, particularly when they’re suddenly expected to take much more responsibility for their own learning.
Giving children space to talk about what they’re finding difficult can help. Sometimes the problem is a particular piece of work, while at other times they simply need reassurance that it’s normal for secondary school to take a while to get used to.
When A Little Extra Support Can Help
Children don’t need to be significantly behind before additional support becomes worthwhile. Addressing a small difficulty early can prevent it from becoming something they begin to worry about every time that subject appears on the timetable.
One-to-one tuition gives children the time to revisit something they haven’t fully understood, ask questions and work through it without feeling rushed. It can also help identify whether the difficulty lies with a particular concept or whether confidence has taken a knock and the child needs some encouragement to trust what they already know.
At Stonefall Tutoring, Claire works with primary-aged pupils as well as children in Years 7, 8 and 9. Sessions are tailored around the individual child and can focus on the areas they’re currently finding difficult, whether that’s Maths, English, reading or broader confidence with their schoolwork.
For some children, a few focused sessions are enough to help something click. Others benefit from regular support while they build stronger foundations and become more confident working independently.
Talk To School Too
Tuition can provide valuable individual support, but your child’s teacher should also be part of the conversation if you’re concerned.
They see your child in the classroom every day and can tell you whether the difficulties you’re noticing at home are also appearing at school. They may be able to explain what the class is currently working on, suggest areas to practise or reassure you that your child is settling in as expected.
Keeping that communication open can make it much easier to understand what your child needs and whether additional support would be useful.
A Few Difficult Weeks Don’t Define the Year Ahead
By the end of September, there has been enough time to begin noticing how your child is adjusting to the new school year, but there is still a great deal of the academic year ahead.
If something doesn’t seem quite right, paying attention now gives you the opportunity to understand what is happening before frustration has a chance to build. Sometimes children simply need more time to settle. Sometimes they need a concept explained again. Sometimes their confidence needs rebuilding after a difficult start.
The important thing is to keep the conversation open, listen to what your child is telling you and ask for support when it would help. A difficult September doesn’t mean the rest of the school year has to follow the same pattern.
