Parents Encouraged to Prepare Children Well for the Transition from Private to Public Schools

The start of a new year comes with changes. For some, this change means transitioning from a private to a public school because of different circumstances like parents no longer being able to afford private education, relocation to a new city or province or even the death of a parent – there are many reasons. 

Some of the parents who have moved their children from private to public schools, have shared how their children adjusted to the transition, stating that these schools were good choices.

Vanessa Ndlovu’s son, Jayden, spent his first five years of school at a private school. She wanted her child to have a solid foundation at a school where he could be given enough attention in a smaller classroom and boost his confidence through the extra-curricular activities.

“When he was starting school, it was the same time that online applications were being introduced. It was a nightmare getting into a good model C school of your choice as the system only allowed you to choose schools based on the area you live in or area you work in,” says Ndlovu.

She explains that her child’s first experience of public school was in 2023 at Ridgevale Primary School which was closer to home. The new school was a culture shock for Jayden who went from using E-learning to hard copies. Learning in a different home language led to a drop in his academic performance.

“It was unexpected, and I thought I was going to stay at my old school for the rest of my school years. The new school had different subjects and grading system. I was sad to leave my friends,” explained Jayden.

Even though he struggled academically at his new school, Jayden got exposed to school sports and was able to make new friends. Him and his mother have since moved to Cape Town because of a job opportunity that his mother found, and he will be starting school at Table View Primary School.

Another parent, Napogadi Masipa, wanted her child to be at a school where teaching and learning was a priority. Her son attended a private school for six years but this year, he’s moved to a Lord Milner School in Limpopo.

“We had an agreement that we will do the foundation phase, make sure that I give him a quality foundation and then come high school he will change schools to whatever is interesting to him and whatever field,” Masipa says.

She adds that she would have liked to keep him at the private school, but he did not want to be there anymore and her new job, which required her to travel, was the biggest factor that contributed to the change of schools.

Masipa’s choice of school was influenced by the need for her child to learn in his home language, Sepedi. It was also highly recommended by other parents who had their children going to the same school. The school fees were also affordable.

While her child will be learning Afrikaans for the first time, she is not worried about him struggling because the school offers extra support for learners who might struggle with certain subjects. She also believes that being at a boarding school will bring some order and a sense of responsibility into her child’s life. 

Adjusting to the change

Educational psychologist, Patricia Tau, says that the transition from a private to a public school may affect learners differently. She says how the learners react to the transition depends on the approach used to inform them about the change, the kind of public school the learner will be going to, the learning and teaching environment, language and extra-curricular activities.

“Parents need to prepare their children before the transition can happen so that they can understand why they are changing schools. If not done, the child might think that they did something wrong and are being punished by being moved to that particular school,” says Tau.

The sudden change in schools may lead to learners feeling neglected, anxious about making new friends, feelings of loss because they left their friends at their previous school and feeling like a misfit in instances where they must now speak another language instead of English. The learner’s performance might also decline because they might struggle to learn in a larger classroom.

Tau further highlights that the learner might start being withdrawn, misbehave or even become a bully; and become suicidal because other learners are bullying them for not “fitting” in. She further adds that under-resourced schools might not be able to assist such learners because of the lack of educational psychologists at most of them. Parents who are already struggling financially might not be able to afford private practitioners which is also not covered by some medical schemes.

There are ways to minimize the challenges faced by learners who are struggling to adjust. Some of these include parents asking their children about their day at school when they return home after school, building trust with their children by listening to them and making them feel seen and heard by their parents. Parents can also look for extra-curricular activities in their community for learners whose new school does not have any.

“Parents might need support to also adjust to the change of losing their income or no longer being able to afford private education and psychotherapy might be a solution for them to help children cope with change. They must not think that children do not understand, and they need to come down to their level to talk about any change in their home and school environment,” Tau says.