Young people from across the Southside of Glasgow have been supported in their transition from primary to secondary education thanks to Co-op and Barnardo’s, culminating in a “surprisingly emotional” graduation at Holyrood Secondary School in June.
For two months, young people leaving P7 this year have been attending weekly sessions at Holyrood Secondary School to help them understand what to expect, find their way around, and ease any worries or concerns. Co-op and Barnardo’s have provided the service as part of their commitment to supporting positive futures for 1 million young people across the UK.
“It’s been absolutely fantastic,” said Debbie Wilson, whose 11-year-old daughter Elizabeth attended the transition service. “She was a bit anxious about coming to such a big school, but it’s been great to meet new people and help her settle in. I’ve really watched her confidence grow.”
Elizabeth described it as “really cool” and said that she’d enjoyed “making new friends and playing games”.
Debbie continued: “At this age there’s a lot people like Elizabeth want to do, but there are risks, so as parent it’s hard to start giving them their independence. This service has been great for letting Elizabeth start to grow up and find her feet, whilst still providing peace of mind for us parents because you know they’ve got that support.”
At the end of June, attendees and family members were invited to celebrate the service at a transition group ‘graduation’, marking how far they’d come. 26-year-old Project Worker, Jay, described it as “surprisingly emotional”.
“One of the young people here was so anxious at the first session they couldn’t even get out of the car,” Jay remembered. “Now they’re one of the first people through the door every week. It’s really special to know that we’ve helped to take away some of that first-day-at-school anxiety, because now when they come here in August, they already know what to expect.”
Research by Co-op and Barnardo's revealed in June that 45% of young people in Scotland and the rest of the UK have experienced issues such as anxiety, stress, anger, panic attacks, loneliness or depression in the past six months. Fears about the future have become part of daily life for more than 1 in 3 (36%) young people across the UK, with more than a quarter (29%) saying they don’t feel positive about their future at all.*
In response to these growing pressures, Co-op and Barnardo’s have announced an extension to their national partnership – aiming to raise £7 million and support positive futures for 1 million young people.
The transition group sessions have been provided by Co-op and Barnardo’s ‘Southside Youth Zone’ service, which 25-year-old Corrine, a Project Worker from Paisley, described as a “lifeline” for the community.
“Young people in Scotland face a lot of disadvantages,” said Corrine. “Lack of essential basic needs and services makes life really hard for a lot of people. Through the services we provide, like this transition group, we’ve been able to give people a sense of belonging. A lot of young people had so much self-doubt when they started, but now they’re laughing and getting stuck in every single week.”
12-year-old Sean will be starting at Holyrood in August and said how much he’s looking forward to starting drama classes.
“Coming here has really helped me find my way around,” said Sean. “It’s such a big school, I was nervous about getting lost!”
Sharon Watson, Holyrood’s Head Teacher, said: “Because of the size of our school, we recognise that young people can be particularly anxious about coming here. We wanted to work with people to identify young people that we could support to the best of our abilities, and ensure the transition goes as smoothly as possible.
“We’ve worked with Barnardo’s and the Co-op to put on a transition experience which was fun, but which also meant that young people felt as prepared for Holyrood at possible. I'm very grateful to all the young people for coming on a weekly basis and giving it their all.”
Katrina McGovern, Barnardo’s & Co-op's Children’s Services Manager in Glasgow, said: “Barnardo’s and Co-op are both really passionate about improving opportunities and mental wellbeing for young people. The opportunity that we wanted to give to this community was the informal, supported transition from primary to secondary school, because we know it’s something young people in the community wanted and needed.”
Elizabeth’s older brother, 12-year-old Andrew, said the service has been “very good” for his younger sister, who’ll be joining him at Holyrood in August – and added: “Hopefully it means she won’t always be asking me how to get to class!”
To find out more about the Co-op and Barnardo’s partnership please visit www.coop.co.uk/SupportYoungPeople.
*The research was conducted by Opinion Matters, among a sample of 2001. The data was collected between 10.03.2023 – 17.03.2023. Opinion Matters abides by and employs members of the Market Research Society and follows the MRS code of conduct and ESOMAR principles. Opinion Matters is also a member of the British Polling Council.