Have we got a starting Secondary School Support thread?

School aren't banning them altogether just a lot less and want us to have met parents and children first before agreeing. I can see the a lot less but find it old for meeting parents, at primary yes. The only thing is maybe they are hinting there's an issue with one or more of the families, there were quite unsubtle comments regarding one family.

That does seem crazy re blazer, I think you get the odd teacher who is on a power trip. Thankfully there's not many of them. DS went to school very reluctantly, not expecting today to end well. Getting close to school refusal again and been told can't touch him to get him there but then if you don't you can get fined or imprisoned ultimately. DD also said the school isn't secure there are gaps you can get through and adults could get in and kids run out without being seen. Thankfully DS hasn't realised that yet and village is safe but not great.

Sorry to hear that Penguins. Why have the school said no playdates?
Dd is settling well. I'm wondering if her maths teacher is inexperienced. She says he's very shouty and he had a stand off with a boy yesterday because he's told the children to take their blazers off because it was hot and the boy didn't. He said he's happy to stay there til 5 pm til the boy took it off. You'd think they'd give them the option to take it off but not enforce it unless for safety reasons, which it wasn't

Both went off fine today but as soon as DS arrived they gave him a detention for Tuesday, sent him home that day too for being rude to a teacher and throwing his planner. Anyway, he didn't go so they've given him a longer one tomorrow. I fear tomorrow will not go well. Also his homework system still isn't set up so he's missing homeworks. DD is getting much better but still demanding 10 million playdates from next week and school have said not.

DD has a number of booklets for various subjects. I was expecting textbooks but these take up less space! We have a plastic folder in her backpack for these items to keep them all together.

There seems to be an issue of a lost homework booklet, not by DS1. School produced a booklet for Science homework to be set over this term. They have several Science teachers although lessons haven't yet been split up by subject and called Physics etc. One of the teachers set the class work in the booklet in class then collected it in. Problem is that he was a supply teacher. Wondering if the booklets are in school or if he's mysteriously taken them off with him. DS1 has different homework not from the booklet but it seems mad if school has produced a learning material like this that it's just been lost (along with a class's work that day).

We recently had a parent's information-type event at which lost sports kit was mentioned as there had been lots, and a plea to label everything! Lost kit seems to be a common problem!

Dd left her trainers in the changing room on tuesday. I really hope she finds them. She also left her wet swimming stuff in her locker yesterday! She is quite motivated and organised about homework, which is lovely as my elder dd isn't so I don't have it easy with both of them!

Sorry lost PE kit again cheminotte

DS form tutor has got him a special locker for PE kit and has put another staff member incharge of key 😳

DS didn't go to school today, seemed upset but wouldn't say why but probably his sister's drama. She stayed in today and at least we didn't have any screaming.

Oh no at lost PE kit cheminotte. I hope it finds it way back again.

Homework isn't too bad for DS2 yet. He seems to get a generous timescale to do it in. Despite nagging advising him to do it as he goes he puts it off to nearer the deadline. This is a bit of a family trait tbh!

PE kit lost again! Had his indoor kit with him so played rugby in that! Quite a lot of homework which I'm currently supervising very closely. Am very envious of friends with kids who just get on with it! Poor executive function (being able to organise yourself, ideas etc) means he really struggles with any essay type work. they said 2-3 pieces each night of about 30 mins each. We can spend 2 +'hours on a piece that requires a lot of writing so it's pretty hard going.

hi all,my DS school seems strict on everything,none yet but only because im always flapping about having everything to hand etc.ive lived on my nerves for years and have Bipolar so can get a bit stressy about things

this week loads of homework,ive never been a homework lover but make sure its done as thats what i signed up for choosing this school but its pretty full on

how are others finding homework??

great thread and very supportive

Yes DS1's secondary school seems to threaten 15 minute detentions for not having full uniform, not having correct PE kit, not being Prepared for Learning (stationery mainly), not doing homework. They start lessons quite early and have to be in at 8.20 for 8.30 am start - this is so they can finish at 3.10 for extra curricular stuff, but DS1 was interested in trampolining, but has said no boys there, his friends said they were going but didn't, there were a lot of people (he doesn't like very big groups) and that it couldn't start until 3.30 because the teacher was running detentions. She's a PE teacher and it seems as though the PE teacher might end up having to do more detentions than others. It's all a bit much, and for kids who do worse things it won't seem like a punishment, while for kids who want to get things right I think the emotional impact might be worse than the detention, eg our missing tie drama last week.

Yes, why can't they add the colours in rather than have to redo?

Mine has come home in tears :( He did some Welsh homework last week - chose the most difficult of the four options and did it really thoroughly and neatly, and has been given it back to do again by tomorrow because he didn't draw the relevant colours next to the sentences even though it says nothing on the homework sheet about having to do that. Apparently most of the class have to do it. Teacher allegedly mentioned it briefly at the very end of the lesson, but DS had already been summoned to his keyboard lesson by then. I've told him to just put a coloured bullet-point at the start of each sentence - no way am I making him write it all out again.

My son has also mentioned that the majority of people have had 15 minute detentions for petty things like getting lost on the first week
I'm not sure 15 minute detention is a real punishment for bad behaviour, obviously they handout hour detentions for worse behaviour but if everyone gets 15 min detentions I think they become used to them and it's not seen as a punishment at all

Mine hasn't mentioned anyone having any detentions yet so I don't think his school are particularly strict about it. He keeps coming home saying how lovely all (bar a couple) of the teachers are so they may be easing them in gently!

Also these are after school but i don't know how long for. I remember dd getting a break time one for not having something signed. She never gets them nowadays

I've actually got one in year 10 at the same school and i remember being shocked at how strict it was in year 7, but i can't remember the details of why people got detentions back then. I think i thought it was just dd1's form tutor who was strict. This seems to be more widespread. There's been a change of leadership so maybe that's it.

CrumpettyTree - it seems that the threat of detention for just about anything is pretty much par for the course in Yr7.

It may scare them in the first term but after Christmas it'll become a 'badge of honour' once they realise it's generally 10 minutes at lunchtime.

By Yr8 (which mine are) they're almost blasé about it.

Ours its fairly strict but do make adaptions for detentions. DD got one for laughing in class. DS has none, being excused for ASD.

DS2 said Yr7s are given up to 5 minutes grace for being late until October. When he forgot to bring his homework the teacher allowed him to bring in first thing otherwise it was a lunch detention. He has said other groups have had a whole class detention.

My secondary used to suspend pupils regularly over uniform. Things like non-regulation skirts, wearing Doc Martins. Bullying was o.k. though

so far the detentions seem sensible, the pupils get a warning first and a chance to rectify the issue then only a detenton after that.

dc tells us about lots of detentions.
lots of whole class detentions for phones ringing in class.

Does anyone feel like their kids' school are a bit OTT with detentions? I don't have a problem if they are for rudeness/messing around/bullying but they get after school ones for being late to a lesson (even though the second bell hadn't gone. A bell at the end of one lesson and second one 5 mins later at start of next lesson.)
For getting a low mark in a test.
For forgetting PE socks.
Not my child yet but we've had tears a couple of times with dd worrying about getting one.
I've tried to reassure her that it's not scary if she did get one, it's just sitting in a classroom for a bit.
None of the above would have merited a detention in my high school and definitely not in the first month of year 7

Letter-wise, we had a request for a voluntary contribution within the first week for one subject DD has an inset day coming up this half-term which I knew about by getting the term dates, and we've had a few letters about other things.

Homework is proving to be a bit of a pain tbh, have one big project to do so will keep her on track over the next few days! I am loving show my homework, so handy!