The Summer Before Secondary: What happens in the gap between leaving one school and starting the next

The first day is rarely the hard part.

It is not one change. One teacher becomes ten. A walk with you becomes a bus on their own. Being the oldest becomes being the youngest, overnight.

A short book about the six weeks. Why the gap is harder than the first day, and what is worth doing in a summer everybody wants to spend preparing.

Almost all of it is practical and almost none of it is emotional. That is deliberate.

"Do the bus journey. Buy the bag late."

Who it's for

For the parent with a Year 6 child, a long summer, and a list of things everybody says they should be doing. Ages 8 to 12 (3rd to 7th grade in the US), and for the adult more than the child.

The book

Paperback · 64pp · 127 x 203 mm · ISBN 978-1-911837-54-1
Published by The Regulated Human Co. Printed to order in the UK.

This book supports everyday emotional awareness. It is not a screening tool and it is not a substitute for professional guidance.

A parenting book, in pocket guide format.

Everyday Signals is our range for the grown-up. Short books about the moments that repeat (the shut door, the worksheet, the group chat), written for the person managing them rather than the child having them. Little Signals is the companion range, written for children themselves. No quick fixes. No hype. Regulation before optimisation.