What I needed to know before I went to school

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As you make the move to secondary school, the relationships with teachers changes. Primary school teachers have different relationships with children. This chapter helps our young people understand the new teaching environment - but with vital importance - it helps them to see their teacher as a person who is there to support their learning.

We all want our young people to grow up with empathy and compassion for the people around them. These skills develop at different speeds for different teenagers. This chapter is an important conversation about sympathy, empathy and compassion in our daily lives and behaviours.

Perhaps the biggest and the most important question any young person will encounter as they progress through school. What is the point of their education? Where do they want it to take them? How can they make the very most of it?

Unfortunately learning how to deal with conflict and confrontation is a key life skill. This chapter helps a young person to think objectively, communicate clearly, and de-escalate disagreement to avoid unhappy outcomes.

Fantastic yearly results are build on great daily habits. First we construct our habits, then our habits construct us. This chapter helps our young people to make decisions that build great personal behaviours and repeatedly help them to thrive and succeed. 

Because life is full of the unexpected. How do you cope when things don't go to plan?

The importance of life outside of school and how investing in outside interests and activities can help you to build interesting and compelling applications for life after school in college, apprenticeships and jobs.

This chapter encourages young people to take a pride in their reputation. It is all about understanding the impression that you leave upon people and how they feel about the things that you stand for. We look at how big business has utilised brand building to create identity - and how young people can do the same.

We are all human so we all make mistakes. Here we seek to encourage personal responsibility, honesty and a determination to learn from what went wrong. We include advice on how to apologise properly when what we say or do has an impact on others.

The teenage years are the years we navigate the risks surrounding drugs, alcohol and smoking. This chapter includes clear advice on the risks, and how to make proper informed choices to stay safe and have fun at the same time. The advice surrounding smoking also includes advice on the growing phenomenon of vaping.

We all have mental health - and just like physical health it needs to be supported and nurtured. Here we look at the key issue of self esteem and learning to appreciate yourself no matter what.

Here we explore positive thinking - the limitless pot