Finding your Way in Secondary School

You may be very familiar with the layout of your primary school and can now easily find your way around. You probably feel comfortable in your surroundings. However, you will almost certainly find that your new High school is larger.

Most people initially have concerns about how they are going to find their way around their new school and think about losing their way to classes.   

Some High schools provide you with a layout/map which guides you around the building. Even if you are provided with a map you might find it difficult to follow.

Don’t worry, everyone will find it difficult to find their new classes at first and you can all help each other to find your way around.

If you know that you can sometimes find it difficult to find your way around new places. You can practice your orientation skills by trying out some of the following activities.

Activity Ideas

• Can you draw a plan of your house? Or if you find this too difficult, can someone draw it for you and you can try to label/name each room.  You can use the house plans below to guide you.

• Once you have a plan of your house, can you describe to someone for example, how you would get from your bathroom to your kitchen?
• Use the map above to describe how to get from the garage to the deck, then from the patio to the kitchen?
• Can you look at a local street map and find your street and your school.
• Using the street map can you find your route to school, then show a member of your family how to get there?
• Can you describe to someone, how you would find your way to your friend’s house, either by walking or when going by car?

Handy Tip - Plan out your route to school and have a trial run, before you begin in August.