Joanna Fortune: My daughter is finding it difficult to find her tribe in secondary school 

She clams up if I try to speak to her about it and it's difficult to see her struggle

The fact she had a group of friends in primary school reflects she has good social skills, can make friends, and experiences the joy and value of friendship as part of social engagement. Picture: iStock

My daughter had a close-knit group of school friends at primary school, and she thrived. It’s been very different since she went to secondary school. She’s in second year and has yet to find her tribe. I’ve tried to speak to her but she clams up every time. It’s difficult to see her quietly struggle.

This is something I frequently see in my work with teenagers. The transition from primary to secondary school is a big leap for children, and, of course, it occurs at the transitional point from middle childhood to early adolescence.