Mumsnet Talk

Oo, could I have the recipe please Couthy? Even the name of it sounds edible

I've already started fretting about how he'll cope at secondary school (he has Asperger syndrome, but isn't statemented), the school bus is very noisy and it takes an hour or more to get there by bus.

The recipe sounds interesting!

First day back at school today since the deadline past, and the subject of what school we put first was topic of the day in the playground.

It seems that a lot were really impressed by the new build and have gone for that - it makes me doubt my 1st choice of the old style boys school for DS.

I'll try to find it later, am off out right now!

We are in the minority too. I've stopped discussing it with them. Most are sending theirs to the large secondary up the road that we are a feeder school for. We have put the next nearest catholic secondary which is actually about 2 and 1/2 miles away. They have taken offence at this as it must mean that either their choice of school or their DCs is not good enough for us. (ok, this is true on both counts ) but its other factors too. They haven't said it out right but the grilling and utterly put out looks I get makes it not worth a discussion.
The thing is their DCs are more or less guaranteed a place at their choice whereas our first choice is more of a risk for us. if we don't get in they will be gleeful

I have been trying to forget about the school thing, but every so often it ops into my head. I wish I really could just forget about it til the 1st march!

Forgot about this thread. DS3 passed the 11+ for one of the boys grammars in the next town , but not for the super, super selective grammar in our town, no surprises there! So we've put good but out of catchment comp where DS1 and 2 go (no sibling criteria) down as first choice, good but out of catchment comp where all his friends will go as second choice and next town grammar down as third. No point putting a fourth as he's guaranteed a place at the third choice. Roll on 1st March.

I'd like a look at the sticky spicy mince recipe, Couthy...

No sibling priority at all, Ellen? That's pretty unusual, surely.

Breakfast -- we too have opted for a next-nearest school instead of the catchment secondary that our primary feeds into, and it does make for slightly awkward conversations! In our case it's because DD's brother was bullied into misery at the catchment school. DD will be following him to the (less highly rated) school he's moved to.

I hope.

But as it's not our catchment school, she may not get in, so I'm being careful what I say to her and to other parents!

MaryBS: DS2 has Asperger's and will be starting secondary in Sept 2013. I'm already worrying about how he will cope. Closer to the time, I think we should start a hand-holding support thread, maybe in Special Needs - children.

3b1g, we had a hand holding thread in SN education 2 years ago for when my DS2 (with ASD) and others started secondary school. It had lots of useful advice on it, I'll try to link it later. But SN children is busier, TBH.

Kitties, stupid school has a fair banding system and no sibling priority at all. (Local school for local people!) DS1 got in on a low birth rate year, it was his 3rd choice and much better than the local comp. DS2 has a statement of SN, though still had to do the fair banding test, he was guaranteed a place as it was named on his statement. DS3 has to take pot luck. It was more important that DS2 went to the right school for him than choosing a different one with a sibling policy that would have helped DS3 (tempting though that was!) Hence our first foray into eleven plus territory.

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/special_needs_education/1171065-Moving-up-to-secondary-school-lets-flap-about-it-together

This was our hand holding thread. Very useful, do start one of your own in SN. X

Thank you!

The countdown to allocation day starts now. Yikes!

DD is literally counting down days. She's so excited and I am so "Meh".

I think there will be a lot of hand wringing locally once the league tables and results are published this month.

Many parents & kids were blown away by the new schools facilities, but if the results are as poor as I have heard rumours they are, things are going to get uncomfortable for a lot of people.

Were last summer's results not already widely distributed? They were for us, all the local schools, especially because of the English-exam-timing fiasco.

No. Not at the new school - they lauded their general GCSE results, but were strangely silent on the figures including Maths & English.

And even on the DfE website, the information is sketchy up till now as the school was formed by amalgamating two failing schools.

Talking to other parents, it seem they took the information available at face value, so there will be some disgruntled parents later.

No. Not at the new school - they lauded their general GCSE results, but were strangely silent on the figures including Maths & English.

And even on the DfE website, the information is sketchy up till now as the school was formed by amalgamating two failing schools.

Talking to other parents, it seem they took the information available at face value, so there will be some disgruntled parents later.

I should have said, last year was their first year in the new building, but they had been amalgamated two year previously.

Bumping in the hope I we can use this thread as a support thread as the allocations day draws closer.

8 Weeks today til Allocation day!

I'm happy to hold hands with you. I know DS3 will get at least his third choice school, but really hoping for 1st or 2nd.

Well, I was right to be suspicious about the new schools results - they are down 5% on last year, and they are advertising for lead teachers in English, Maths, Drama, RE as well as several other teachers.#

A bit worrying really.