Anna Freud's Seen, heard and supported report, funded by Bukhman Philanthropies, marks the first phase of a four-year programme that will lead to England's first national framework for wellbeing during the transition to secondary school.
Starting secondary school is often treated as a single event: an induction week, a tour of the building, a timetable to learn. New research from Anna Freud, the children's mental health charity, suggests it is better understood as a year-long process, one that shapes how young people feel about school, and about themselves, well into Year 7 and beyond.
The Seen, heard and supported report draws on conversations with 49 Year 8 students across seven secondary schools in England, including one special school, reflecting on what the move felt like a year on. Their accounts point to a consistent conclusion: a successful transition is about helping students feel capable, connected and in control, rather than about short-term induction and academic readiness alone.
One young person recalled the moment it hit them: "Oh, my gosh, I'm going to be so lonely. I'm going to have no friends."
What students told the researchers
Four themes ran through the findings.
Students described transition as an ongoing process rather than a single event, with adjustment, belonging, confidence and wellbeing developing gradually over the year. Many felt overwhelmed by the sheer size and complexity of secondary school, and loneliness and uncertainty featured regularly in their accounts. One student described arriving to find the social landscape already settled: "I kind of felt a bit left out, if you know what I mean? Because everyone had always already formed these friendships and it was just harder."
Against that, two things stood out as protective. Relationships with teachers and other staff were among the most important factors students identified. And clubs, pastoral communities and enrichment activities came up repeatedly as the places where friendships, confidence and belonging were actually built.
Some accounts show how quickly small uncertainties about rules and permission can escalate. One student explained being too anxious to drink water for fear of needing the toilet and being told off and eventually fainting as a result.
Why we are supporting this work
Daria Bukhman, Co-Founder and Chair of Bukhman Philanthropies, said:
"I have witnessed this first-hand as a mother, when my son moved from a small primary school into a large secondary school. It felt overwhelming, lonely and, at times, bewildering for him and for our whole family. The building was bigger, the expectations were higher, and the friendships he had relied on for years were suddenly scattered across different classes.
"That experience is why we're supporting this programme. Young people in this research describe the same things my son did, and they are telling us clearly that support needs to continue well beyond induction week. We're proud to be working with Anna Freud to turn what students say into a national framework that schools and families can use."
From findings to a national framework
Seen, heard and supported is the first phase of Settling into Secondary School, a four-year programme led by Anna Freud and funded by Bukhman Philanthropies. It will produce England's first national framework for supporting young people's mental health and wellbeing during the transition, together with training and resources for schools and parents.
The timing matters. The findings arrive during significant government reforms to the education system, with a focus on strengthening belonging and engagement. Anna Freud is calling for the transition to secondary school to be recognised in national and local policy as a critical period for building belonging, engagement and wellbeing. That includes sustained support for autonomy, competence and connection throughout Year 7; meaningful mental health and wellbeing measures within the new national Pupil Engagement Framework; and a good practice guide for schools, with practical approaches and case studies.
The case for acting is already well established in the evidence. Previous research has linked the experience of starting secondary school to wellbeing, mental health and academic outcomes, and a recent national study found that more than one in four students begin to disengage during Year 7, with attendance, trust, agency and wellbeing all declining. Students from disadvantaged backgrounds, those with special educational needs, those who have experienced adverse life events, and those who are anxious about the move are at particular risk of poorer outcomes.
Roisin McEvoy, Head of Schools Training and National Programmes at Anna Freud, said:
"Our research suggests that a successful transition to secondary school is about far more than helping new students find their classrooms. It's about helping them feel capable, connected, and in control, from induction and beyond.
"Students told us about the excitement of starting something new, but also the challenges of navigating a bigger school, making friends, and learning what's expected of them. What came through clearly is that transition happens across the whole of Year 7, not just in induction week, and students need sustained support to build autonomy, competence, and connections.
"We're very grateful to the young people who supported this work, whose voices will be at the heart of a new national framework we'll develop to support wellbeing during the transition to secondary school."
Read the full Seen, heard and supported report on the Anna Freud website.