What i would have liked to know before my DC started yr 7

I am with Orm our DC's started together (not at the same school) but we had a thread running for about 18 months which was fabulous.

I just know that secondary school will be the making of DS2 - who is due to start in September. He is already too "big" now for primary especially being one of the older ones

My DD is in yr8 and has not become interested in make up or fashion, did not want to wear a bra even though she needed to

I think one of the biggest problems with my DC were the friends.

The kids are going from being very big fish in a lake to small fry in a sea. Some children handle this by trying to get bigger and this often involves sitting on their old friends to make themselves feel bigger, which is what happened to DS.

Also although some children will naturally go off and find new friends and seem to forget their old ones who may end up feeling upset and hurt.

DC's school strongly recommends that the children join at least two clubs when they start and my DD made a lot of her new friends from the clubs as well as her form.

Be prepared for your daughters to become very interested in make up, fashion and want to wear a bra even though there may be nothing to put into it.

DD's school let them use the school phone if they need to - I'm sure most would do that.

cool thanks Tilly :) we are going to do the bus on her taster day. Big phew about bags not being searched!!

All schools say they are not allowed phones (DD's friends all went to the 4 corners of London), but as long as they are turned off and hidden, no-one will be strip / bag searching for them. So don't panic!

If you are really worried about the bus, do a dry run to and from the school at the right times near the ned of the hols to sed your her mind at rest! and you could even go with her to the bus stop on the first day and see her onto the right bus!

It is the bus bit that scares me - dd will be getting the bus to a different town. Buses arent very frequent round here and I dont drive so what if she misses it or even worse gets on the wrong one and ends up in Timbuktu? They arent allowed phones but I'm considering hiding my old PAYG at the bottom of her bag just in case (but fretting that that will get her into Big Trouble.

She is nonchalant, I am terrified!

I was a bit worried about repeating alot of Y6, but DD hasn't repeated any work she did in Y6 (although obviously building on where she was in maths) - her school baseline assessed them at the start of the year and then moved on from where they were at (they stream them) She has LOVED having specialist teaching and learning loads of new stuff.

voteAV, DD was also tiny and had refused to go anywhere much without a friend or one of us. Now she will happily get a bus / walk completely independently, and did from day 1. So I'm sure your DD will be fine too.

Madsometimes mine is also in denial. I think i might be as well. She is tiny, about the size of an eight year old. Last time she went out on her own a woman thought she was lost and asked where her mummy was

Well DD got a mountain of homework in the first term. However, it has lessened a bit, and she has got better at managing it all, thank God! Apparently they like to shock them into the importance of doing your homework She only joined a couple of sports clubs after school because of the amount of homework, but I think that was wise. She mad loads of friends in lessons, etc anyway!

fox DD is a very late July birthday, but after a steep learning curve in the first 2 weeks, she was fine. Now it seems like she was always there!

I've been told by many that our High School assigns much less homework for y7 than local primaries do for y6.

I think the homework will be a shock for dd. My dcs go to a primary school with barely any homework - the most they've ever had to do takes about 20 mins a week and we have been told by others in our area that the secondary schools are a shock (in terms of homework) for dcs who have come from our borough's primaries so I'm waiting for that!

I still can't believe that my little baby is off to secondary school . I am normally very un mushy about stuff like this but can really barely believe it! Where did that time go! She's also an August child so does seem younger still compared to the others (though is tall as she's had an early growth spurt!).

He will be OK.

DS1 starts secondary in September. We too have encouraged him to join every club going, do his homework at school and not expect to be home before 5.30.

Having said that he really isnt capable of crossing a road on his own and has never been good at social relationships or handling any kind of change in his environment so worryng like mad and will send him and his brother (going to the junior school on the same site) in a taxi as we have no school buses round here.

He will

I also advised my DD to join every club going...if she later decided that pottery and chess weren't for her, then no harm done, but friends might be made in the interim.

DD went to secondary in september knowing no-one else. And she was going on the bus for the first time.

I needn't have worried at all.

She loves it. Has made oodles of friends. Seems to have blossomed in all ways. It is a pleasure to see her growing into a young lady.

Thanks for the practical advice ginger and wakeup - that's very helpful and I appreciate the tips .

Does anyone else had a child that is in denial about going to secondary school?

I am trying to get her to become more independent, but she is not interested. She does not want to leave the house without me. I guess I could take her to school because it starts 30 mins before dd2's primary, but it is only around the corner so I am sure she could walk on her own!