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

slender - we heard in April that placing request had been refused, so we're in the midst of appeal hell now. Glad to hear your DS has settled well, that's reassuring!

Big stack of forms for me to fill in today. I have to return them by the end of the months but am still waiting for some info back from the school.

Is vegetarianism classed as a 'specific dietary requirement' or would that be just a dietary preference?

It's end of June before we meet her class teacher and DD goes for an Induction Day

Still no word from his future school, poor DS1 is desperate to find out about the school summer camp that they run as a bonding exercise in August.

I just want to get the dates for the parents sessions they supposedly run in June/July - I may need time off work.

I did that too codswallop - my son was bullied at primary so he is a placing request at high school - i told him to start off with everything done middle - i.e. tie done up neither tight or loose, and to look at what everyone else did to make sure that he didn't stand out in any way as I didn't want him being a target. He has settled in brilliantly, has made some friends and enjoys school, brilliant report and is really happy. Luckily his school don't seem to be that bad in terms of needing to be fashionable and media savvy as he is not really interested in that kind of thing. He is coming out his shell a bit now which is great. When do you hear about the placing request? I thought most areas were told by the end of April?

Signing in late...doesn't bode well, does it? I'm slightly freaking out today as PFB has gone for the first full induction day at her new high (well, it might be, if we don't get the placing request granted. sigh). She looks so young again!

It's reassuring to read these comments - I had a pretty rough time settling at Secondary, and I think I am projecting my own experiences on to her. I keep telling her to fit in, keep quiet and follow everyone else's lead

Yes, ours also winks at switched-off phones at the bottom of a bag. But anything spotted in lesson times or even at break is confiscated to make a point.

I like it that way. Cuts out the sexting and phone bullying that was rife at a previous school where they were 'allowed to use them for brief, essential calls and subject-relevant photos'. Yeah right.

They are fed up of people buying their eleven year olds iPhones and then complaining to the school when the kids lose them. And of people uploading photos of other kids to Facebook to upset them. A basic phone turned off during school hours is always fine.

Chippy, the school I work in doesn't... However a switched off phone in a bag that is not taken out whilst in school is acceptable for the reasons given in ^ your post.

DS1 and 2's school allow them.

The embroidery Cost £3 for one item or £10 for four. Well worth it in my opinion!

Sorry, you can pay someone to embroider their clothes for you? I must look into this!

PE kit

I bought this gym sack for DD's PE kit:

www.amazon.co.uk/Quadra-senior-gymsac/dp/B00404ZTM6/ref=pd_sim_sbs_sg_2

It hold trainers, PE top, shorts, fleece, long pants and socks. It hardly weighs anything and has been great.

I got all DD's PE kit embroidered with her full name as recommended by the school. The uniform shop did it for a reasonable fee. I would recommend this, as DD managed to pick up someone else's PE top soon after starting YR7 and then someone else picked up her shorts. Both times the items were soon returned as the name was so obvious!

Our ties change so they have a different one for 4th and 5th year and a different one again for 6th. I don't want to gather too many of the same one.

I'm thrilled that we have no tie for our uniform :)

We have a collection of ties (about 5) because we bought a spare and then people gave us their old ones. Unfortunately DD now has an honours one and won't be seen in a normal one, and as DS has left...they are waiting for DD2.

No1 son has managed on 5 shirts, 1 blazer (wash in the machine type), 1 tie, 1 Jumper (cottony material), and 2 pairs of trousers. He has however had to have his trousers replaced 3 times as he has outgrown them during the year!

Gym kit - 2 gym t-shirts, 1 pair of long bottoms and 1 pair of shorts, 1 fleece (barely worn).

He is however reasonably clean and he doesn't smell yet or sweat much.

I intend to start with the same basic kit for No2 son this year - he doesn't smell either yet but is a bit of a messier boy - he can have No1 sons outgrown jumper as a spare but I am hoping to get until the winter out of No1s blazer before I replace it becasue it still fits ok without the jumper and he can go without his jumper for a good few months and maybe he will get his growth spurt done before I shell out for a new blazer :)

The practical solution would be for No2 to have the blazer that No1 has now, but i don't want him to start school in his brothers cast offs - he will use them for the following years but not to start High School in.

I'll maybe get an extra tie too as we did have a bit of a panic during the week when the one and only tie went awol. It was found in the sleeve of the blazer!

The bhs open neck collar shirts are far better quality than the trutex ones twice the price.

Ours are dry clean only, as are the skirts.

Be ware that girls school blouses are often not long enough, girls do lift up their arms a lot at school.

You probably need a couple of skirts. My DD was able to cover her Blazer in paint every time she did art. Fortunately it was a wash in the machine one.

I shall get lots of blouses but they are quite pricey too as they arnt normal school shirts but open collar fitted blouses. Much nicer than shirt and tue for girls though.

Dd is in summer dress at the moment so won't ever have to wear a tie again.

Yes, ours too Pictures. That's why I was thinking about getting the minimum amounts!
I'm guessing they won't be as messy as they were in primary school, but will be smellier!

At the prices that dd's suit is she will have one skirt, two at most! All PE kit has to be school logo.

How much uniform do they need?
Girls can wear skirts of trousers at the school DD1 is going to, how many of each would you experienced secondary school mums recommend?

My DS1 has just finished school - going back for revision and exams. I remember that day in September like it was only yesterday and myself and some other mums had a thread running from their first day of secondary school till they went into YR8 .