Co-op and Barnardo's help Glasgow kids prepare for school
The initiative saw students attend weekly sessions at the school to familiarise themselves with the environment and ease any anxieties.
Read more: 'Truly well deserved': Eight Glasgow pupils honoured for 'exceptional' achievements
Debbie Wilson, whose daughter Elizabeth participated in the programme, praised the sessions.
She said: "Elizabeth 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.
"This service has been great for letting her 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."
Elizabeth, 11, described the initiative as "really cool" (Image: Supplied) Another participant, 12-year-old Sean, will be starting at Holyrood in August.
He said: 'Coming here has helped me find my way around.
'It's such a big school, I was nervous about getting lost."
Sharon Watson, headteacher of Holyrood Secondary School, 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 as possible.
"I'm very grateful to all the young people for coming every week and giving it their all."
Sean was thankful for the programme (Image: Supplied) The sessions ended with a special graduation at Holyrood Secondary School (Image: Supplied) At the June graduation, project worker Jay, 26, reflected on the impact the sessions have had.
He said: "One of the young people here was so anxious at the first session, they couldn't even get out of the car.
"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."
Co-op and Barnardo's research revealed 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.
In response, the organisations have extended their national partnership, aiming to raise £7 million and support one million young people.
The transition group sessions were part of Co-op and Barnardo's 'Southside Youth Zone' service.
The initiative saw pupils attend weekly sessions at the school to familiarise themselves with the environment (Image: Supplied)
Read more: East Kilbride school's 'superheroes' launch campaign to boost attendance
Corrine, a project worker from Paisley, described the service as a "lifeline".
She said: "Young people in Scotland face a lot of disadvantages.
"Lack of essential basic needs and services makes life really hard for a lot of people.
"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."
Katrina McGovern, Barnardo's & Co-op's children's services manager in Glasgow, said: 'Barnardo's and Co-op are both 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.'
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