Is Year 9 the hardest?

I have a year 9 who has tested the boundaries fairly energetically this year, mostly in terms of school uniform/homework/lateness/bedtime/tidiness. No vaping though - I’ve pointed out to both my kids the findings that cheap vapes can have all kinds of toxic substances in them.

I remember a teacher friend saying years ago that year 8 or 9 were the worst years - they apparently start to realise how important their GCSEs are in year 10. Fingers crossed!

As a teacher, almost to a person across our 13 schools within our MAT, year 8 is the hardest for behaviour.

Year 9 I really, really like because they're settling in their skin generally.

I don't think it's useful as a question though. If you're experiencing difficulties then that is simply the case for your DD.

Keep speaking to school, support them and keep boundaries, expectations and love high at home.

I have a year 8 and in the last few months have noticed a big shift in attitude so I can feel it coming. Mentally, I have made a plan to keep him busy out of school (football) and hold firm on my boundaries with misbehaving in school. Back chat gets sanctions at home too. I think the minute I give in, I'll see a lot more problems. A few short years of battles hopefully will mean I've kept him on the straight and narrow enough to make him into a decent human. All I can say is god's speed, hopefully we come out the other side unscathed 😂

Just ending Yr 8 and my friend who is Ed psych says Yr 8 + 9 are the most challenging for girls. I know Yr 9 was tha year I started going off the rails so I'm really dreading it tbh.
She told me the best thing to do is to try to keep the channels of communication open, my parents certainly didn't do that, and they weren't aware of a quarter of all the shit i did.
The peer group is vital to how your teen copes i think but it's as this age that unfortunately we have no control over that.
So sorry, no real advice, but just know you aren't alone!