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Go Big: The Secondary School Survival Guide
A secondary school self-help and survival guide - helping readers navigate exams, overcome peer pressure and start building toward their future goals - by the nation's favourite Head Teacher and star of Educating Yorkshire
Ace exams. Embrace your weirdness. Build toward your brilliant future.
Secondary school can be scary. Corridors can seem wide. Older children look terrifying. And all of a sudden there are important exams, messy friendships and stressful homework to contend with. But, whether you're about to land at secondary school, or your wheels have already hit the runway but haven't touched down smoothly yet, this insider's guide will have you working hard and worrying less.
From common misconceptions and acing exams, to overcoming peer pressure and planning future goals, the nation's favourite teacher, Mr Matthew Burton, will guide you through your worry-free school journey.
Ace exams. Embrace your weirdness. Build toward your brilliant future.
Secondary school can be scary. Corridors can seem wide. Older children look terrifying. And all of a sudden there are important exams, messy friendships and stressful homework to contend with. But, whether you're about to land at secondary school, or your wheels have already hit the runway but haven't touched down smoothly yet, this insider's guide will have you working hard and worrying less.
From common misconceptions and acing exams, to overcoming peer pressure and planning future goals, the nation's favourite teacher, Mr Matthew Burton, will guide you through your worry-free school journey.
- GenresNonfiction
208 pages, ebook
Published February 20, 2020
12 people are currently reading
32 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
March 6, 2023
I did not enjoy the book because I found it very boring and It kept making me tired. Although it had good advice.
August 8, 2023
British narrator
Great advice for all students who are moving to secondary school. Each chapter is filled with great nuggets of information and wisdom sprinkled with fun humor to maintain adolescent’s attention.
Bonus for American students- discovering new words and phrases and deciphering similarities and differences between school in the USA and England.
Great advice for all students who are moving to secondary school. Each chapter is filled with great nuggets of information and wisdom sprinkled with fun humor to maintain adolescent’s attention.
Bonus for American students- discovering new words and phrases and deciphering similarities and differences between school in the USA and England.
August 11, 2020
Informative, funny and reassuring guide to secondary school in UK. First part of the book great for new Year 7s. Good chapter on bullying. Also useful for pupils moving to a new school and some great advice about how to face anxiety, particularly regarding exams.
December 31, 2022
I read this aloud to my Year 6 class just before they left in July and they loved it. It alleviated a lot of their worries and allowed them a chance to ask questions they might not have been brave enough to otherwise! Really funny and really relevant.
July 4, 2023
Nice book to prep students for secondary school.
September 29, 2025
I wish this book was available when I went to secondary school.
July 2, 2020
Sophie’s first book for July was Go Big by Matthew Burton. This really useful book is a guide for kids about to head up to secondary school, and will also be useful for those kids who have recently made the transition. The book is aimed at a British audience and covers the British secondary school experience which can be very different from the US one, although Sophie is sure many sections would translate easily.
Written by a headteacher with lots of school experience, Go Big is divided into four main sections. “On The Way Up” covers some of the biggest fears kids may have about moving to “big school” including getting lost and the myths and rumors that swirl around the move. Sophie agrees that despite hearing about it, she has never known anyone who actually got their head flushed down a toilet.
Section two, “Getting Comfortable” encourages kids to embrace their weirdness, frankly discusses bullying and what to do if it happens to you, handling friendships and fallouts, and it also talks about why uniforms are a necessary evil. “Conquering Challenges” – section three – covers exams, how to handle subjects you struggle with, and what might happen if you find yourself getting into trouble with explanations of terms like detention, isolation, and exclusion. The final section is “Leaping Into the Future” and looks at careers and what to do after final exams.
With a son coming to the end of Year Five, Sophie thinks this book will be invaluable for him and his friends and will be encouraging him to consult it when he has questions and fears about his upcoming move. She highly recommends it to all parents of Year Five and Year Six kids.
Written by a headteacher with lots of school experience, Go Big is divided into four main sections. “On The Way Up” covers some of the biggest fears kids may have about moving to “big school” including getting lost and the myths and rumors that swirl around the move. Sophie agrees that despite hearing about it, she has never known anyone who actually got their head flushed down a toilet.
Section two, “Getting Comfortable” encourages kids to embrace their weirdness, frankly discusses bullying and what to do if it happens to you, handling friendships and fallouts, and it also talks about why uniforms are a necessary evil. “Conquering Challenges” – section three – covers exams, how to handle subjects you struggle with, and what might happen if you find yourself getting into trouble with explanations of terms like detention, isolation, and exclusion. The final section is “Leaping Into the Future” and looks at careers and what to do after final exams.
With a son coming to the end of Year Five, Sophie thinks this book will be invaluable for him and his friends and will be encouraging him to consult it when he has questions and fears about his upcoming move. She highly recommends it to all parents of Year Five and Year Six kids.
February 25, 2020
This is an informative, reassuring and funny introduction to moving up to secondary school. I would have loved a book like this when I was in year six, to ease some of my worries about leaving primary school. I’ll be buying it for my friends’ children when it’s time for them to move to big school. There’s also some handy tips for kids already at secondary school - again, something I would have appreciated when I was that age.
April 28, 2024
good book for entering high school from a headteachers perspective,perfect!! Informs your kids that there’s nothing to really worry about and to stop stressing<3
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews