Your education questions answered by Brian Mooney

My eldest son is starting in secondary school in September and I am wondering if you have any general advice for me - I'm anxious about him settling in easily and getting into good study habits.

There are many parents in your position right now - moving to secondary school is a big change for the whole family. The vast majority of children make the transition from primary to secondary school very easily - it's a fairly manageable period and one that parents often get more emotional about than their children. You need to remind yourself that children and teenagers are more resilient and adaptable than we are (or give them credit for).

Make sure your son is familiar with the layout of his new school - if he is not, arrange a visit before the end of this term to give him a feel for the place.

One of the biggest adjustments he will experience is the constant change in his day-to-day routine. In primary school, he's had one teacher all day in one classroom. In secondary school, however, that routine changes utterly. There is a subject change approximately every 40 minutes, including a change of teacher and often a change of class. It is not unusual for a student to encounter eight or nine teachers during a typical school day. A tip to help your child cope with this is to advise him to write the name of each new teacher beside the relevant subject name.

It is important to try to encourage a balance between all subjects. Everyone has their own favourites and will excel at certain subjects. The problem is that neglecting a subject in the early stages - due to its perceived difficulty or maybe a personality clash with a teacher - may have an impact on subject choices in future years. Dropping a subject after the first year of the Junior Certificate cycle may limit career choices available come sixth year. For example, certain third-level courses require at least one science subject. Be sure that you or your child (preferably both) talk to the guidance counsellor or the principal regarding subject selections before the end of first year.

Once he gets settled in, help him to manage homework by encouraging him to develop a homework timetable. He will get homework for certain subjects such as maths every day, for others every other day, and others still on a weekly basis (for example, an Irish essay). Help him to devise a method to spread the workload over five nights of the week. Don't underestimate the importance of getting a structure and a sense of organisation at an early stage of secondary school. Learning how to manage time successfully is an invaluable life skill and will make the transition to his new environment a lot easier.

Schools have generally recognised the potential difficulties that first year students face and have good support networks in place. Most schools have a year head (a teacher who has specific responsibility for the entire year). Many schools also appoint class tutors, mentors and sixth year "buddies", or prefects who have the task of making the introduction to the school as pleasant and as painless as possible.

All of this newness is bound to have some effect on your son and in those early days of adjustment, you should try to be supportive, understanding and encouraging, ensuring that he eats well and gets plenty of rest and down times.

For those interested in a deeper understanding of the various aspects of secondary school life, I strongly recommend a new book: The Essential Parents' Guide to the Secondary School Years by Brian Gilsenan.

Brian Mooney is president of the Institute of Guidance Counsellors. E-mail questions to bmooney@irish-times.ie