What do the current S1 pupils say...

Below are quotes from S1 pupils who had the difficult transition during Covid 19.

"Despite not getting our three day visit and many of our P7 clubs, it didn’t take long to settle in and get to know the school. There are S6 students who helped us around on the first couple of days but after the first day I already knew what to do and where to go. I was worried that I wouldn’t have any of my friends in my class but there’s always someone I know and everyone is in the same position so it’s ok! All the subjects are interesting and fun and there’s lots of subjects that you wouldn’t normally do in primary! One thing I was worried about was the transport to school on the busses, and I found out after the first day that there were no S1’s on my bus either! But it was fine and once I got on the bus the bus driver told me when he would pick me up and where I would get picked up at the end of the day! Lots of people get nervous when they’re coming to mearns but there isn’t anything to be worried about! Plus the food is really nice!!"

"This time last year when I was in p7 the lockdown had just started, our trip to Dalguise was cancelled, we didn't get to do our leavers assembly (although we did do a virtual leavers assembly) and we didn't get our transition days. I felt a bit disappointed that i didn't get to do the stuff that you would normally do in p7 but i was looking forward to leaving primary school. I was looking forward to being in different classes and not with the same teacher all day. The subject that i was most excited about was PE because the academy has better equipment and a gym. When i first started the academy i was late to a class a couple of times because i got lost. I wasn't the only one but the teachers didn't give me in to trouble and I learned to get around the school quite quickly. I like the academy better than primary school and I have made new friends. I thought it would be hard not having transition but we managed just fine. "

"When I was in P7 I was quite nervous to be going to secondary, because I was the only person in my class to be going to mearns. However once I started, I made new friends and got along with a few different people. On the first day we were led to our classes by S6’s, since they knew where every class was. That way, we were able to explore the school more and find out where most of the classes were. We were also given timetables, which included our subject, room number and teacher’s name! At the beginning, I was scared that I would get lost and get in trouble. But really, that never happened! That is because the teachers and S6’s there to help. You’ll see that once you get used to the building, it’s not so big anymore! I hope you enjoy your learning at Mearns, it really is quite fun!"

"Academy is so much better than primary, you have more freedom and are classed as the ‘older’ kids. You meet so many new people and become good friends with the people in your classes, and you still get to see your primary friends. It's also nice to be in different classrooms with different teachers - the teachers are really nice as well :)

I always thought I would miss primary loads but I don't, high school is much better. :) We were all unsure about moving up to mearns without the 3 day visits and P7 club but there's nothing to worry about. The prefects take care of you for the first few days and getting around the school isn't hard at all. "

"Looking back at the year going to the academy with little knowledge of the school wasn’t so bad. Considering I'd only ever used the astro and the gym hall and had no idea where any classroom were, I very quickly learnt the layout of the school. I only had a friend in 2 classes but very quickly got to know new people and became friends with a few of them. At the primary I only had one class so it was nice to know that there was so much more in the academy. When I arrived at school I was put in my tutor group and toured around the school, I knew where all my classes were on the first day. One of my worries was not seeing my friends at school but at lunch and break you get to see them, I had none of my friends in most of my classes but it was okay because I got to see them at break and lunch and I got to meet some of my new friends. You don't need to worry about anything at the academy because there is always someone to help you. Have fun!"

"Our transition into S1 wasn't easy and it was very different to previous years, covid caused a lot of problems and made returning to school tricky. A few good things about S1 have been seeing my friends and being able to get all the support needed from my teachers. We only got a few days of P7 club however a lot of people didn't go and we also didn't get our 3 day visit when we first got to Mears, we obviously didn't know the way around, but we were shown by S6s and learned very quickly. Not being able to find your class and getting lost seems to be one of the main worries myself and others had, but with teachers and older students there it wasn’t difficult to find where you were supposed to be at all."