VivaLeBeaver and Seeker - how is your DD/DS getting on at their new school?

[YvonneCalling]

I was posting a lot at the time regarding secondary school admissions and remember that both your DC didn't get the hoped for schools . How are they getting on now? Or is it too early to say?

[gazzalw]

Think they've posted on other threads but can't remember the particulars..... What about Schoolnightmare too???

[YvonneCalling]

Bumping.

Yes, thanks gazzalw,how about SchoolNightmare too?

[DilysPrice]

Oh thank heavens for that nightmare. I followed your story and was really impressed by how thoroughly you informed yourself and passed that knowledge on to others. So you didn't have to go to appeal at all? Excellent! (as I recall your grounds were reasonable but not actually likely to carry weight with the boards).

[gazzalw]

Yes, lovely to hear that your DS's saga had a happy ending, SchoolNightmare! That he is happy and enjoying himself is the main thing!

[VivaLeBeaver]

Hi,

Yes dd didn't get a place at the local grammar on distance even though she passed the 11plus. We appealed without success so she goes to a local comp with the majority of the kids from the village.

She's getting on OK, has had a few friendship issues as she's fallen out with her friends but seems to have made new ones. She's been put in the top sets for everything apart from PE. So she tells me anyway, parents' eve in a couple of weeks so will see what the teacher says.

She enjoys the lessons, says the teachers are nice. Says there's some bad behaviour in the school from other kids but I guess you get that anywhere these days.

The school didn't do very well in the last lot of GCSEs, slipped from an average of 65% of kids getting 5 gcses to 53%. I'm hoping that was just a blip but its a worry.

[VivaLeBeaver]

SchoolsNightmare, glad your situation worked out well.

I don't know if dd is at the best school for her. She's at the easier option, not as much homework, doesn't have to push herself as hard. She's not the type to motivate herself unfortunately. Wheras if she was at a grammar with other kids been academic she'd have wanted to keep up.

As it is she's happy to coast along with her mates who have no interest in school at all.

I think that her ecam results/career options won't be anywhere near as good as if we'd won the appeal.

[VivaLeBeaver]

Yes I did think the results could be due to the grade shifting blip malarkey.

I'm coming to the conclusion though that dd although bright perhaps isn't very academic. She's doing the minimum she can for homework so can't imagine the teachers been interested in giving her extension work, etc.

Im sitting her down and making Her do her homework, lots of moaning on her part. One thing I helped her with she got told off for not enough effort. She had to make a logo for re. So we did big letters of R. E and put symbols from different religions in them. Re teacher wasn't impressed, I thought it was quite good. So looks like I'm not even much help to dd! I know she ought to be doing it on her own, I'm just trying to get her started in a good direction so she gets what she has to do and does it.

But other homework has been quite basic, measure ten items in your house. Yes, she did that in year three.