Join in here if your PFB is off to secondary school in September or if you have any advice for thew newbies

I can remember being on a "starting school" thread on Mumsnet in 2005 when DS was just joining the nursery of the school he is now at. He is now in Y6 and House Captain (although sometimes I think he has little more sense than when he was 4!)

So, off to Big School . We got a letter at the weekend - he has an induction aftenoon in June and then an induction day the day before term starts. We have a parents induction evening (with wine! hurrah!) in late June, with a talk from the head and then a meeting with his class teacher and the other parents in his class. Sounds well organised.

Transport wise, it is a long(ish - say 25 mins) but direct bus route: he can leave the house with me when I leave for work, get on a bus at a stop 5 mins from home and then the bus stops right outside the school. And its free, courtesy of his zip oyster. 2 other boys from his class are going to the school, and there will probably be some boys from cubs there as well. We have started using the bus a bit more to normalise the journey (its quite close to a "shopping destination", although we tend to drive if we go there at the weekend). We will do some more intensive journey practices over the summer. I'm still a bit eep! about it but he should be ok.

I've promised to sort him out a (cheap, functional, ugly) phone this weekend - on the basis that it would make sense for him to be used to it before he needs it. With a phone and an oyster card I think he thinks he is Jay Gatsby!

Signing in! My PFB starts in September as well. It's the other side of town, instead of the Primary which is just up the road. He'll probably get dropped nearby by DH to start with, but would like him to have the independence of the bus soon. It's a bit tricky to do a practice run on the bus, as it only runs in term time at school run times.

Not enough lockers at our school - they have about 300 for 800 kids

No1 son was too late last year and still none available - asked yesterday about seeing If I could get one for my two to share - at end of day, they get a lift most of the time well all the time so far so I guess others have a greater need.

I have to take my son as he is a placing request but the other kids go with their class if it isn't all day or just turn up as they would do in High school if it is an all day thing

Ah yes, the weight of bags!

They have lockers at the school, but DS seem to carry everything with them all the time, ('it's easier, Mum') and combined text books weigh a frigging ton.

You mean on the practice days in July, they have to get themselves there just as though it was the Real Thing?

I feel like an idiot for assuming they would be taken by the primary school!

Can I join in? PFB off to secondary in Sept and will have to cross town (bus + train) after years of a leisurely walk to school. O my.

my son leaves his in his bag too - it is quite heavy but its the only exercise he gets :) he only carries it about school, he gets a lift there and back - if he was walking I'd make him tip it out every day. He doesn't have any text books either, no idea why it is so heavy.

DS just leaves his notebooks in his school bag all the time. Not that heavy & no textbooks. Works for us.

Great tips from TheWave. Any more?

Get a couple of letter tray organisers with 5 little pull out open front drawers in each, say, put on their desk or under and get them to label one for each subject (some subjects might have to share).

Then every evening they empty their books and papers back into relevant tray and repack their bags with the next day's subjects.

Be sure to get them in the habit of packing bag the night before.

Dinnertime tends to be much later, so it's worth sending them with a break time snack.
At Primary, my dcs eat at 12, but at secondary it's between 10past and 1/2past 1 depending on the day. that's a long stretch to go from a 7am breakfast.

If they're having school lunches, find out in good time how they pay for them.

My PFB goes up this Sept too! Only 2 going to this school. Shes going from a very small school (only 12 in her year) and she is painfully shy, so am very worried about it all.
She has to get a bus morning and afternoon and just the thought of her doing practice runs fills me with dread!!
Shes got an induction day mid july and thats our first opportunity to look at uniform. Think I will get most bits then as apparently it can be hard to get hold of if you leave it too long.

Chippy yep we will be getting an oyster - getting excited about it all now. Will be travelling together in the morning but occasionally he will need to take the train back on his own, a bit nervous about that.

He is the only one from his school joining this year, just hope he is joining a friendly group.

This is a great post. Learning a lot pls keep them coming. Any tips on taking train/tube in London?

Can I join?

DS1 starts YR7 in September - So far, apart from a request for us to confirm his place at the school, we have heard nothing!

My PFB starts in September too. I know that we buy the uniform through the primary school, and dd has an induction day in July. That's it though. She'll be going on a school bus with almost her entire class from yr6 so I'm not too worried about the transport part.

I am sure they will all be fine - he seems to have enjoyed himself, lots of chatter with his brother and brother's friend in the car on the way home about the teachers he got today - bit confused about his class - No1 son has two, a registration class and a practical class. No2 son seems to have run it all together and says there is only one class. He might be right but no-one else thinks so! he's looking forward to going back on Thursday so that's the main thing.

I'm in.
I have a pfb starting in September and I am ridiculously worried. She's been HE'd for the last 3 years and although I'm excited for her, I could burst into tears every time I think about it. Nominates self for get a grip award 2013.

Soon -- dd is also the only one from her school going up, and is very nervy about it. Induction isn't till July so she has lots of time to fret!

well, I just dropped No2 son of for his first induction afternoon. all by himself :( This is scotland so the other kids are mainly coming from the catchment schools so all came up together in their groups and he is the only one from his school. We also start High school a year later up here - roughly equivalent to English year 8 - kids will be 11 and a half at the youngest and up to over 12 and a half. No2 son will be 12 in August but is about 5 foot 5 - he looked so big and grown up but vulnerable and was chewing his nails as I left. I hope he's had a good afternoon.

My DS stated in September. Here are my observations:

I spent the first term checking his planner and making sure he did his homework and handed it in on the right day. He was very overwhelmed by the amount he got. After the first half term I said he had to take responsibility for sorting out his school bag each day and ensuring his homework was done. This has worked really well and he just gets on with it.

I watched beforehand what the other children used for school bags (adidas messenger bags) and school shoes (Kickers) and got him those, which he was pleased with. My problem is he has just started doing the big knot thing with his tie, which I think looks really silly, but all the kids do it (I did it when I was in high school, but have not told him that!!), this has caused a couple of uniform detentions, but it is between him and the school and I am not going to nag him about it anymore.

His friendships have completely changed and he now has a big group of mates, when he had a small group of best friends. It is hard keeping up with who he is close to, and of course I know nothing about their parents and families. I find that a bit sad.

Lastly, girls. He was never interested before and now he has had two girlfriends, one for two weeks and one for three days. It is all very innocent, but I think he is too young. It does feel like I am losing him a bit.

I hope this helps.

I've done 9 years so far of secondary, with DD3 starting in September so am a old hand . Older sisters are quite handy to have to advise on what to do/not do and have/not have, so as not to be embarrassed by little sisters .

Read the school website/look at the calendar EVERY DAY, don't rely on the DC being told (or remembering to tell you) or passing on letters. Learned this the hard way when DD2 missed out on an activity she'd have loved to do, because the previous year she hadn't done a specific activity which her totally rubbish tutor hadn't got round to telling them was available.

A lot of Y7 homework is "making a poster about..." and "colour in to show..." type homework, so a decent set of felt pens (to keep at home) is good. Also stock up on sticky backed plastic if you see it in the shops now, for the last minute "I've got to find pictures of stuff and cover this book by first lesson tomorrow" panics.

Don't buy a coat till October at the earliest, in case "no-one" wears coats (DD1 survived 5 years in school uniform + scarf, then hit own clothes 6th form, and discovered that coats do keep you warm and dry ). Similarly with bags/pencil cases, unless you know what is cool, make do with old/cheap ones till the DC have worked out what's acceptable.