Anyone else excited about their childs move to Secondary school ?

My son has just got to the end of Yr7 and it's been fantastic!

I'm fed up with the three tier system, it's all the stress of getting them settled each time after you've got them into the flipping school in the first place. DD's off to upper school for her induction day this week. Then I have to do it all over again with DS and middle school next year.

Had a very upset friend on the phone earlier with a hysterical DD about her new class (different upper school to DD) and am feeling quite stressed about everything whilst trying to have an air of calm around DD. I just feel we've one all this adjustment stuff once and we're starting all over again.

Dd is sooooo excited - its her transfer day today and she insisted on walking to the Secondary by herself. It is only 7 minutes up the road from us.

I had to follow her in the car a few minutes later, very secret squirrel, to make sure she was ok.

Thank goodness I did as she went in the wrong entrance of a choice of three. I got out the car pretending I was on the way to the shops and got her to the correct entrance.

Dd was completely unperturbed and at the end of the day was moaning that she had to go back to primary on Monday.

My son is really excited about High school - they go after 7 years of primary here so roughly the equivalent of your year 8 but the entry dates to school are different so not an exact comparison. he has had problems with bullying at primary so is going to a different High school from the rest of his class, just him and his best friend and we are all looking forward to it. his last day at primary was very emotional.......and we have it all to do again next year with No2 son!!

Sorry, didn't mean to deflate you!

I was VERY excited when DD started, it felt like such a big step and it was all new. Also her school is soooo different (in a masssively better way!) to my antiquated 50's stylie girls grammar in the 70's, I was a bit jealous - wishing I was going there

Oh don't be deflated Sleepydog. All will be fine-just different.

Well, it's a common problem amongst my friends
I think Y9 can be pretty bad too!

I think it does. And Year 7 is spent getting them ready for High School without the SATS pressure of the year before.

I didn't know about the Year 8 behaviour thing.

That probably works quite well - they are ready for a different system/approach when they get to about 10. And Y8 is notorious for a dip in behaviour, etc.

In middle school Year 6 is just the middle year when they happen to do the SATS so they just go into the next year as normal, with High school a year later.

DS is VERY excited about secondary - he has been ready all year to move on and can't wait for the greater range and level of sports! He is also looking forward to being more responsible for himself and having more freedom.

I was excited when his sister went 2 years ago, but am now dreading the mornings when they will both be trying to use the bathroom at the same time and the first-term acclimatisation to masses of homework after nothing for months since the bloody SATs....

LittenTree what you say strikes a chord. Both of my boys felt a huge liberation from the pettiness of primary school.
The primary was a small village one and the old head was an old school very un- pc dodderer who didn't wrap them in cotton wool. He was replaced by a new ambitious young woman who immediately turned it into a babyish prison (according to my DS). No more football, no dodge ball, no running, no Fun. They were not even allowed to walk up the steps to the front door, had to use the ramp.
While there are structures and rules at secondary school they are also respected more and treated in much more an adult way.

Vertical tutoring is also a very good idea.

I must move to be in your catchment (though I moved into this as the local comp is allegedly the best performing in the county !). We knew the primary was 'workmanlike' and a little pedestrian but it really is rather beige, iyswim. The DSs are at last in their catchmented school(s) which was a big aim so we were prepared to accept that this primary, though far more MC than their previous Junior, is duller and less inspirational but I wasn't expecting the Rules to be quite so perverse and toddler-centric!

I had never thought of it like that Litten. Middle school has been really good though, DS2 currently in Year 5, and it seems quite grown up.

At DS1's Secondary they have vertical tutoring which I really like.

The 3 tier system! I think it's great. I wish we had it here. It better matches with a DC's developmental stage when compared to a 2 tier systems, where DCs like my DS2 find themselves a good 2 years from puberty in a school with adults, really!

I was on a thread on MN about it not that long ago, but it rapidly degenerated into covert 'DM' paedo hunting when it was suggested that the playground needs of a 4 year old girls might not be the same as those of an 11 yr old boy... Personally I don't think the best needs of either DC is as well served as they could be if the 4 year old's oldest playground encounter was with a 8 year old; an 8 year old's with a 12 year old's, and a 12 year old's with a 16 or 18 year old, but there you go. As I mentioned, we had a sort of encounter with better age setting (leading to more appropriate rules) as the DS's were in an Infant (R-2) and then Junior school (Y3-6).

It's really odd here. Secondary in Year 8 after Middle School.

It's more their excitement, though, isn't it? I certainly don't have stars in my eyes about secondary- I do have a 13 year old in one! But I can't help but feel that DS2 will rise up to the challenges delivered to him in this new, more grown up environment after the veritable kindergarten of Y6!

Um yes that is true Exit. DS1 is not at the Secondary school that he started off at in September.

Enjoy your excitement.

The pitfalls are many and varied - although I have a DD at an all girls school (otherwise known as a nest of vipers)

DS1 has a chocolate bar every day Litten. Don't tell anyone. Today's was a biscuit Boost.

Oh, and major excitement over having a locker.

Yep, that's the sort of thing I mean! I am not suggesting that the 'no nuts' etc rule in primary is 'petty' at all; but no chocolate, no crisps, only water to drink, having DS2 bring a cereal based muesli bar home uneaten because he was terrified it'd be spied by a dinner lady, etc.

Yes, yes, yes, encourage 'healthy eating' but enforcing rules about it to 11 year olds, complete with punishments? No.

One of the rules DS1 very much likes at Secondary is that he can have whatever he wants in his packed lunch.

Mm.. my experience of 'petty rules' has been considerably worse at the primary than at secondary, seeker! I guess it all depends on the school(s) and the perspective of the DC and oneself. DS1 has found the secondary rules to be quite fair and reasonable, by and large; whereas my quiet, well behaved DS2 has, along with the vast majority of other older DSs in particular, found the rules in the primary he's been at since Y4 (and having come from a Junior, ie Y3-6, where the rules were appropriately written to meet the needs of 'older' primary schoolers) silly, restrictive and completely based on the concept that 'younger is right'. All the boys were banned from playing football during their 'turn' on the astroturf pitch because a Y2 girl ran into the middle of the game and was bowled over. One dinner lady 'went off' on one about nasty boys, ban was immediately enforced- (BUT was immediately rescinded due to a completely unforeseen 'uprising' by us parents!- which in itself tells me they're knee-jerking their rules rather than having a cool, calm rationale that everyone can understand attached to them). This is but one example, others in regard to the infantalisation of the DC is that they sing 'All Things Bright and Beautiful' more or less daily in assembly (and 'react' when the Y6's make faces). I mean, at DS2's age (11), I was at my GS being challenged with 3 part harmonies in assembly!)...It is a very MC school so it's absolutely not one that has to rule with an iron rod to keep anti-social 'elements' under control.

Roll on secondary with its rules designed to ensure everyone respects everyone else, their safety and their property.